The Ideen Fallah Trophy for MVP as decided by the Awards Committee is the most coveted individual award in the juniors league. Who is on track to win it this season?
Written Option: Which players are in the running for league MVP? (150 words min.)
Graphic Option: Create a graphic comparing the top 3 MVP contenders. Must include team logos and renders.
You will receive 3 TPE for fulfilling all the requirements for any of the options. (You only need to do one of the options to get the credit and wont get additional credit even if you do more than one).
All responses are due on Sunday, September 8th at 11:59 PST. NOTE: IF YOU SUBMIT/EDIT AFTER THE DEADLINE YOU WILL RECEIVE REDUCED/NO TPE.
Reminder that Discord only hosts images for very limited time so you should use something else for hosting images.
Affiliate claims from either PBE or ISFL or WSLB or SSL are accepted; link directly to your post and note if your username is different there.
If you have any questions/concerns, please PM me. Tasks with malicious intent will not be graded. The graders reserve the right to determine malicious intent, after discussion with me. You will not be warned.
Only S78 SMJHL rookies (S79 players) are eligible for this task.
If your player is S80 (shown after name on portal), this is not for you.
09-02-2024, 09:35 AM(This post was last modified: 09-02-2024, 09:37 AM by Mtstreaks04. Edited 1 time in total.)
If the season ended today there are a few intriguing options but only a few who fit the bill of "most valuable"
In 3rd place you could make a case for any of the 7 Maine Timber or Nevada Battleborn in the points leaders race, but with such stacked teams and insane supporting cast are any truly worthy of most valuable player? Lets be honest their teams would likely be in the exact same position if you remove any one of those 7 players but for the sake of this list Doug Weight and 3WW Wingmate-Roc would likely lead their respective teams in this race.
2nd place - Jefferson Steelflex. Anchorage has been a revelation this year, outperforming even the most optimistic predictions they almost have the Northern Conference locked up with 20 games still left to play. He is leading the Armada in Goals, Points, Plus/Minus, PP points and more all as a 3rd year pro
MVP - Byron Samedi (Colorado Raptors) - While they aren't leading the league, they are in contention and their success seems to hinge entirely on their 3rd year 6'9 center. There is not a major category Samedi isn't leading the Raptors in and is 14 points clear of the next closest raptor. If they can lock up 2nd seed in the conference (4 points back) it's safe to say Samedi putting the team on his back will be the main reason for their success this season.
As of today, there are multiple candidates who could end up winning the MVP award. The first of these is Maine’s Doug Weight, who is the current leader in points and assists he’s also fifth in power play goals. The next player who has a good shot from the defenseman position is another player from the Maine Timber, JACPPO NUMMILAVIN. He currently leads all defenseman in the J in points and goals, and is the rare type of offensive defenseman you don’t see in the J that often. As for the goaltenders, we need to discuss the Grizzlies Elvar Gil-Galad, who leads all starting goalies with a sub 3 Goals Against Average (GAA), and is also the highest in GSAA among starters this season and he is also tied for second among goalies for shutouts, and he is the key piece responsible for Great Falls Grizzlies recovery from a slow start to the season.
top 3 fallah contenders (coming from a man who was previously on smjhl awards committee and won it 3 years ago)
baron samedi (col): 52 GP, 34 G, 38 A, 72 PTS
at the moment, my favorite for mvp. second in the league in goals. tied for tenth in assists. sixth in the league in total points. and what really helps his case? none of his teammates are scoring as much as him. his stats under the hood are nowhere near as good as weight's and steelflex's, but he has 13 more points than his next-closest teammate (nathangus mcexplosion with 58). the mvp stands for most valuable player, and if we're talking about value to a team, samedi is running away with this award at the moment.
jefferson steelflex (anc): 52 GP, 35 G, 34 A, 69 PTS (nice)
am i biased in touting my teammate? yes. but anchorage's surprise season doesn't happen without steelflex, who leads the league in goals and does a majority of his work at even strength. his advanced stats look even better than weight's too. he has had less help from his teammates (chris mczherl does have 34 goals, one behind steelflex, but the team's runner-up in points is currently elaina beneski with 62) as well.
doug weight (met): 51 GP, 27 G, 49 A, 76 PTS
doug weight is leading the league in points and assists. he is straight balling out (even if 28 of his points have come on the man advantage), and is winning faceoffs at a 58.1% clip. his advanced stats also paint the picture of a player who simply makes his team better with him on the ice. however, i don't think he's the favorite - there are 4 maine players, including weight's linemates, in the top 10 scorers, and 2 of his teammates (anna skovgaard and may o'nayse) are 2 points behind him.
ty to @High Stick King @EvilAllBran and @Ragnar for the sigs
Here are three players that I believe will be in the running for the Ideen Fallah Trophy when the season comes to an end.
C: Doug Weight
Weight currently leads the league in assists (49) and points (76). With the Timber looking very strong to finish the season in first place, it's only right that the leader in points will be a heavy favorite to win the award. One big issue is that Maine has so much talent and so many players that deserve the recognition. He will have to continue to stay atop the leaderboards for the next 15 games to solidify himself among the nominations.
RW: May O'Nayse
O'Nayse, another Timber player, is having a fantastic season of his own. He currently sits at 33 goals (two away from the league lead) and 74 points (also two away from the league lead). He leads the league in +/- at +52 and shots with 244. All this with an average time on ice of 18:01, compared to 21:03 with Weight. The 5 foot 7 winger, who plays alongside Weight, could easily overtake the MVP rankings with a solid end to his season.
C: 3WW Wingmate-Roc
Wingmate-Roc, who is leading the Battleborn to 4th in the standings, has 34 goals (one behind the league leader) and 72 points (four behind Weight for the lead). The 6 foot 1 center, is shooting at an incredible rate, with a 19.2% shooting percentage. If Wingmate-Roc and the Battleborn continue to move up the standings, 3WW will surely be a contender for the award.
Two honorable mentions include Baron Samedi of the Colorado Raptors, whose 72 points is 14 more than the second closest on his team, and Jefferson Steelflex, who currently leads the league in scoring with 35 goals at the time of writing this.
There are so many options for MVP this season that the next 15 or so games will hopefully separate the pack and determine a true victor.
Three players in the SMJHL who are currently in the running for the Ideen Fallah Trophy, (While there are many at this point) are Doug Weight, a star center on the league-leading Maine Timber, Baron Samedi, center for the Raptors, and another Timber Center Anna Skovgaard. It would also be pretty amazing to see a goalie win MVP this year, although it is very unlikely to happen. If it did, goaltenders like Doom Guy for Vancouver and Kris for the Timber would be top competitors. But I'm going to keep it safe and go for these three centers.
Doug Weight - C - Timber
Doug Weight is the leader of the SMJHL in both assists and points, leading the top team from Maine right to the top of the standings. He has recorded a shocking 76 points in the 51 games he's played. If this top player continues to perform for the team like this, he could be a top competitor for MVP at the end of just 15 more games.
Baron Samedi - C - Raptors
Baron Samedi, having fallen from the top points leader early in the season, is only a few points behind Weight with 72. He is occurrent on the leaderboard, topping the league in a shot percentage of 21.38% and is just 1 away from the leader Jefferson Steelflex in the goal category. If he picks it up just a little more, he could be a very interesting combatant for the trophy at the end of the year.
Anna Skovgaard - C - Timber
Anna Skovgaard is another top performer for the Timber and is near the top in all the point categories, as well as being third in plus/minus and fourth in shots. This year just two points behind Weight, she has 74 points. As well as being a mass contributor offensively, Skovgaard also is a huge help on the defensive side for the team. Totally a competitor as well
Whoever comes out on top this year for the league MVP, it shows obviously on the leaderboards that a Timber player has a huge chance of coming out with it.
In my opinion, the two players for most valuable player are Anna Skovgaard (Maine) and Baron Samedi (Colorado).
Anna Skovgaard has been nothing short of impressive. In their fifth season in the J, they have 74 points in 51 games. They are 7th in goals with 29 and third in assists with 45 which puts them at second in the points race, two behind the leader. Anna also has an impressive +/- of +44. Anna is 4th in shots with 221 and has two short handed goals.
Another player that has stood out to me is Baron Samedi. Baron has managed to stay atop the league leaders while being on a team that is not as dominant as some. Many of the scoring leaderboards are filled with Main or Anchorage players making Baron stand out. Baron is 4th in goals, tied for 10th in assists and sits 6th in points with 72 (in 52 games played). This has them sitting with a +23 on the season, good enough for 9th. Baron is also first in shot %. All of this while on a team that is 4th in their conference and 5th in the league.
Anna has been great but they have been surrounded by an amazing team. Baron has been slightly less productive but on a worse team. For that reason, I feel Baron Samedi has been the most valuable player for their team.
There are many good answers to this question. A lot of players deserve to be in the discussion. As a Maine player, I will try to be as fair as possible also. Given our season though, I have no choice.
Player 1 : The first player that should be considered is Doug Weight from the Maine Timber. He's leading the league in points with 76 and assists with 49 in only 51 games played.
Player 2 : The second player I would consider is May O'Nayse from the Maine Timber also. She's 5th in goals with 33, T-5th in assists with 41, T-2 in points with 74 and she's the league leader in plus minus with a staggering +52.
Player 3 : The third and last player thta I would consider as MVP is Baron Samedi from the Colorado Raptors. He was leading the league in scoring for a while at the start of the season. He's now T-2nd in goals, T-4th in points with 72 and 1st in shot %.
Ooh, this one is right up my alley. Here are my current top five suggestions for MVP, which here I'm taking to mean a mix of Best Player and Most Valuable to their Team. Presented in alphabetical order:
Andy Lammers - LD - VAN
Andy Lammers doesn't make it onto this list because of his offensive output, which is good, but not great. Instead, he is praised here for his entire skill and in particular his defensive prowess, evidenced in part by his +/- of +16 which is far ahead of any of his teammates.
May O'Nayse - RW - MET
May O'Nayse is not the only high-octane member of the goal scoring machine that is the Timber, but by leading the team in +/-, O'Nayse noses ahead of their prolific teammates.
Baron Samedi - C - COL
Baron Samedi not only has impressive goal and point totals, but they are far and away their team's most potent offensive weapon.
Walter Scheibli - G - SDT
No goalie has faced more shots or made more saves in the league than Walter Scheibli, and it's not even close. Given the poor defence in front of him, his stats loudly proclaim his massive value to the team.
Jefferson Steelflex - C - ANC
Leading the surprise comeback team of the season, Jefferson Steelflex is doing it all: scoring goals, assisting goals, preventing goals, power play, penalty kill. One wonders how good of a goalie he might be.
While The Most Valuable Player usually is someone playing of the stature of Doug Weight with 84 points on the season currently. My MVP list will be very heavily towards a pack of people who do not get to much love for MVP. "What are you talking about Earl?" some may ask and I present to you Defenseman MVPS
Player 1: From Quebec City we have Scape Goat who currently has 56 Games played with 46 Points on the season. very impressive from atop the offensive zone.
Player 2: From Maine we have Boofa Benson. Laying the body out passionately to block the shots for his teammates. these guys do not get enough credit and their goalies appreciate them tremendously.
Player 3: Another one from Maine (they must be feeding these boys some good grain over there) is Lucas Snyder. Leading in assists amongst the D while also sitting 3rd in +/- and 4th in points is mighty impressive.
WTH are they feeding these dmen in Maine cause Maine is running away with them dmen leaderboards
For my forward front runners I'm going with two former Citadelles who were sold off, one as a rental, one as part of a GM trade. 3WW Wingmate-Roc and Anna Skovgaard both jumped right into their respective team lineups (NBB and MET) and have fit the teams' needs like a glove, as Wingmate-Roc is tops on the Battleborn in scoring and third in the league, and Skovgaard is second on both Maine and in the J. It's not easy to fit in with a new team but these two have done it quite well. I'd also lump in Baron Samedi, who has basically carried the Colorado offense.
There's not really any blueliners that stand out at an MVP level (not when there are better candidates on their teams, or when Scape Goat is IA). And when it comes to goalies, there's a lot of platooning that eats away at a potential MVP; the most realistic choice is Evil Kyle Murray, who ranks 5th in SV% and third in GSAA (behind two platoon keepers, Doom Guy and Jakub Alexa.)
I don't really believe in using one's team against them in an MVP vote (unless it benefits my personal agenda), otherwise you end up with some really silly sympathy MVPs.
While I am not the most knowledgeable about hockey stats,I think of the underrated players to be an MVP candidate this season is May O'Nayse, who has 35 goals and 43 assists but leads the league in plus/minus with 50 which is 4 more than her teammates Valtteri Pulkkinen and Anna Skovgaard who both have 46. Doug Weight is gonna be up there too as he leads the league in assists with 52 and points with 83. As a former goalie I would like to shift the focus to them and point out that Anastasia Soderstrom and Kris both have 26 wins, leading the league. But admittedly a lot of that is the teams they are on, and for what it's worth Doom Guy leads the league in both Goals Against Average and Goals Saved Above Average.
In the end I do think that Doug Weight will end up winning it if the season ended now, though he is 8th on the Most Goals list while Chris McZehrl III leads it, so that might sway the voters decision.
I am not going to lie I am hella fresh to the league returning after a 4 year or so Hiatus so I am not gonna pretend to know what is going on in the standings but I will certainly give it my best shot for the tpe! From what I hear through the grape vine is there is definitely some competition going between the following three players.
Doug weight: The leader with assists and points , some could say Doug is pulling his "weight"
Baron Samedi: Baron with the leagues top shot % is definitely a top 3 trait we like to see plus I like his name he is that spooky dude from Goldeneye from what I remember. Sharp shooter indeed.
Mayo Nayse: Knows how to spread those skills evenly as they make their way up the ranks and cause me to want a sandwich while typing this. Fighting their way to almost leading the league in goals and points.
It's easy to go with the leading point scorer as the MVP, and rightfully so. I imagine having a leading point scorer in the entire league on your team would go a seriously long way in your team's success. However, I do want to highlight some other players that would be quite compelling beyond current point leader Doug Weight.
Games Rating, a valid metric by all regards, would indicate James Howlett as the premier player. Sure, he doesn't have the explosive points total that Mr. Weight has, but 50 points in 52 games is still quite remarkable while playing an incredibly well rounded game. His Game Ratings are all in the 80s and I imagine his play really helps the structure of that Grizzlies team by quite some bit.
You could also potentially make the case for a defenseman as well like Boofa Benson or Cadmael Ixazaluoh that all play incredibly reliable defense. However, given that by convention it usually goes to a big splash name, I imagine that Mr. Weight still remains the favorite to take home the league MVP award
The Most Valuable Player award will always be a hot button topic. Is it the Most valuable player in the league? or the Most valuable player to their team?
With no clear cut McDavid front runner at the moment I like to take "one of each" kind of approach.
Most Valuable Player (League) -
Lets face it, Maine an absolute WAGON this year and you don't have to look at the stat leaders lists long to find handfuls of their players. Doug Weight leads Assists and Points, May O'Nayse leads +/- and arguably top name honors . . . But the skater that keeps catching my eye is Anna Skovgaard.
Skovgaard, in her 5th year in the SMJHL but first with Maine, has been a Swiss army knife for the Timber. Playing 1st line center and PP1 left defense. Though she isn't leading any one category, she is solidly in the top 10 of multiple lists, 9th in goals, 3rd in assists, 2nd in points, 2nd in +/-, 4th in SOG. On top of all that, she is producing at even strength, with only 17 points coming on the powerplay, again, playing defense . . . 64 of 83 points at even strength at 1C is at the very least, something to keep tabs on.
It is still very early, there is plenty of time for someone to go full McJesus and make this a one pony race . . . but I wouldn't be opposed to a putting a few bucks on this particular Norwegian stallion!