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Gifter of Bikes · 09-25-2012, 10:03 AM

The Minnesota Chiefs are on a roll. With a victory in every game they've played so far, it's hard to remember that there were a lot of questions about the Chiefs coming into the season. The questions were deservedly so, as they had lost both franchise face Brodie Witzel and versatile top six forward Saku Perhonen and publicly planned to replace them in the lineup with rookie Markus Backlund and sophomore Harry Potter.

Backlund has been on the Chiefs top line since the season began, skating with winger Christoph Klose and newly-converted centerman David Winter. Chemistry was an issue in the first few games, but the line has picked up the pace as of late, with Klose at a point-per-game pace and Winter slightly higher. Fresh off of Silver medals in the inaugural Olympic games, both of the German-born forwards have picked up their physical play as well, with a combined 58 hits in the first 9 games.

Backlund's point production hasn't caught up to that of his linemates, though, and the rookie has just 1 goal and 1 assist to start the season, with both points coming on the power play. He has been defensively responsible, however, and the team is optimistic that he will begin putting up some points in the very near future.

Potter's rookie season was largely a disappointing one, and the slick centerman found himself frustrated. Most players would try something like extra shooting drills, hot yoga, putting an exercise bike in a steam room and riding it for a few hours. Not Harry Potter. His training regimen was barely changed; instead, he chose to change something a little more visible to the fans: his name. Dubbing himself Ja'Far Dar, he has been something of a revelation to his teammates and to the SHL as a whole. His 1 goal and 7 points in 9 games has already almost equaled his rookie output of 1 goal and 13 points, and his +4 rating is impressive for a young offensive-minded player. He finished last season at a -5. It is unclear at this time if the change in play can be attributed to a wish upon a magic lamp.

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The secret to his success?

But it's not just the play of Ja'Far Dar that has contributed to the early season success of the Chiefs. Career-long Chief Zach Miller has started the season with an offensive explosion and currently leads the league with 11 goals and 9 assists for 20 points in just 9 games. He is also standing at an impressive +12 rating. Miller's line mate Nick Fisher, who some believed was the missing piece needed for the Chiefs to finish as league champions, had a somewhat disappointing first season for Minnesota, scoring 18 goals and finishing with 35 points in 50 games. This season is a different story, as he and Miller have become the league's best offensive duo. Fisher is up to 18 points in 9 games and is also a +12.

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Miller celebrates his 10th of the season.

The Chiefs have also had some timely offense from some of the lesser-known players, most notably grinding winger Blake Laflamme and veteran Frank Grimes. Laflamme has been the digger on the Miller - Fisher line and has 4 points to start the season. As expected, he's also the hit leader on that line, notching 25 so far. Grimes has had 4 assists while skating on the third line with Dar. Last season, Laflamme had 8 points in 50 games while Grimes posted 2 goals and 4 assists in those same 50 games. The duo finished a combined -11 last season but has reversed their fortunes in the early part of this season, combining for a +12.

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Laflamme finishes his check.

At the blue line, the exceptional play of gigantic Gothenburg, Sweden native Niclas Wastlund has been something to marvel. With 5 goals and 16 points to start the season, the tenacious Wastlund has many clamoring for him to be the odds-on favorite for the league's best defenseman. He has also contributed 22 hits and 11 blocked shots for the Twin City Tribe, along with being their leader in power play points.

The rest of the Chiefs defensive group has provided some very solid two-way play. Captain Jackson Turska has 5 points and 28 hits. Steady defensemen Sean Stevenson, Gene Parmesan, and Kyler Lange have averaged 20 hits a game between the trio. Rounding out the defense is stay-at-home blueliner Jon Doran. Doran is a lead-by-example kind of guy and while he won't put up a lot of points, he can be counted on to do all the little things that helps teams win.

Shoring up the crease is long-time Chief Brandon Sawyer. While providing excellent tutelage for rookie Edwin Ask, who won his first SHL start early this month, Sawyer has come firing on all cylinders, notching an 8-0 record with a .902 save percentage and a 2.20 goals against average. His .902 save percentage ranks him second in the league, trailing only Calgary's Ryan Jesster. Sawyer has been perfect in shootouts, has a shutout, and even chipped in an assist on a game-winning goal last week.

Given the obvious losses in scoring depth, it is frankly astonishing that the Chiefs have been winning game after game. They rank third in goals for, scoring an average of 4.44 times per game while allowing only 2.33 against, which is good for second in the league. The Chiefs power play is also second in the league and they lead in penalty killing with an 89 percent efficiency. To put it simply, everything seems to be going right for the Minnesota Chiefs as the season starts to pick up the pace.

Business statistics: updated 9/24/12

Jersey sales by player

N. Wastlund: 31%
D. Winter: 17%
Z. Miller: 15%
C. Klose: 11%
B. Sawyer: 10%
J. Turska: 7%
N. Fisher: 5%
All others: 4%

Charity and appearance requests

J. Turska: 29%
Z. Miller: 22%
J. Doran: 19%
B. Sawyer: 11%
B. Laflamme: 8%
S. Stevenson: 6%
All others: 5%

Corporate sponsorship offers

J. Turska: 23%
N. Wastlund: 21%
D. Winter: 17%
N. Fisher: 14%
J. Dar: 13%
Z. Miller: 8%
B. Sawyer: 3%
All others: 1%

1040 words

**RomanesEuntDomus** · 09-25-2012, 10:17 AM

Awesome as always!

Ask · 09-25-2012, 10:41 AM

Great :D

Patches · 09-25-2012, 11:23 AM

good stuff

how did you came out with those business statistics numbers?

Gifter of Bikes · 09-25-2012, 11:31 AM

Quote:Originally posted by Patrick80@Sep 25 2012, 10:23 AM
how did you came out with those business statistics numbers?

Shop.SHL.com had the numbers available through their database. Wink

Nah, just made them up based on what I would expect based on reputation and performance.

Munk · 09-25-2012, 12:56 PM

Great article as usual!

Patches · 09-25-2012, 01:46 PM

Quote:Originally posted by Gifter of Bikes@Sep 25 2012, 11:31 AM

Shop.SHL.com had the numbers available through their database.

Nah, just made them up based on what I would expect based on reputation and performance.

:lol:
nice touch

Gifter of Bikes · 09-25-2012, 01:56 PM

Quote:Originally posted by Patrick80@Sep 25 2012, 12:46 PM

:lol:
nice touch

Thanks. I'm sure your Klose jersey will be shipped soon, by the way.

Ask · 09-25-2012, 02:08 PM

Quote:Originally posted by Gifter of Bikes@Sep 25 2012, 05:31 PM

Shop.SHL.com had the numbers available through their database.

Nah, just made them up based on what I would expect based on reputation and performance.