Los Angeles Panthers S34 Preview
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![]() ![]() Season 34 Preview ![]() The Los Angeles Panthers are clearly a team that is emerging as one of the top teams in the league. The Panthers have qualified for the post-season the past two seasons. Following a surprising season 32, one which saw the Panthers win the presidents trophy after a number of seasons of missing the playoffs, Los Angeles enjoyed an excellent regular season, finishing with a record of 29 wins, 16 losses and 5 losses in overtime. More importantly, the Panthers won their first playoff series in seven seasons. The Panthers will look to build on their success, as the young players that frequent the line-up continue to improve. The team features a number of excellent veteran players as well, the balance is something that will help them remain a favorite for a number of seasons to come. Forwards Chester Cunningham - C - #47 Chester Cunningham is one of the most important players on the Panthers roster. The Panthers acquired the star forward from the Toronto North Stars during season 32. Cunningham was unbelievable for the Panthers down the stretch, capping of an incredible season in which Cunningham won the Jeff Dar Trophy as the leagues best two-way forward. Cunningham was nearly just as good during his first full season with the Panthers. Chester finished the season with 18 goals, 40 points, and again was a very effective two-way player. While he may be slight in stature (5'10" - 180 lbs.) Cunningham by no means shy's away from physical play. CC was second on the Panthers with 159 hits last season, he also blocked 19 shots, a very high number for a forward. Cunningham shows no signs of slowing down. The leader of team Norway has recorded at least 30 points in every single season he's played in the SHL. The Panthers will look to the veteran playmaker to be one of the teams leaders in season 34. ![]() Felix Herzog - RW - #19 One of the many young players on the Panthers roster with the potential to be a superstar player in the SHL, Felix continued to progress as a player and work his way up the Panthers line-up. Perhaps the best Swiss born player to ever grace the SHL, Herzog finished the season with his highest offensive output yet, recording 11 goals and 21 points while playing on the Panthers second and third lines. Felix was a star for the Halifax Raiders and there's no reason to think that he won't soon enjoy similar success with the Panthers. Felix is a solid all-around player who does everything well. As his game continues to progress, so should his production. Felix is a natural goal scorer and could become one of the elite snipers in the SHL. ![]() Kaapo Kekkonen - C - #19 Kaapo Kekkonen is one of the most dominant power forwards in the SHL today. Kekkonen is a physically dominating presence in the middle of the ice and he's one of the keys to the Panthers success. Hailing from Helsinki Finland, Kekkonen features an extremely rare blend of goal scoring ability combined with physical play, from the center position. Kekkonen enjoyed a strong season 33, Kekks as his teammates refer to him as, scored 17 goals and added 22 assists, good numbers offensively on a deep Panthers team. Where Kekkonen really made an impact was when he was tracking down opposing players and leveling them with one of his team leading 210 hits, the third highest total in the SHL last season. Kaapo will be back next season as strong as ever and looks to have a number of great seasons left in him. A lifelong Panther, Kekkonen could become a legend in Los Angeles. Ryan King - RW - #9 One of the purest goal scorers in the SHL, Ryan King enjoyed a big season with the Panthers last season. King has recorded 47 goals over the past 2 seasons, leading the Panthers during both season 32 (24 goals), and season 33 (23). While he isn't the type of player that will run around the ice looking for hits, King does not shy away from contact. Ryan may be one of the strongest players in the SHL. King uses his size effectively to protect the puck and establish position in the offensive zone. A native of Toronto, King is one of the best players on team Canada. The Panthers will look for King to continue his recent production and all indications are that he could become an even better player than he already is. King may very well be one of the best players in the SHL today and there's no limits to what he can accomplish. Hans Moleman - LW - #00 Hans Moleman was the second player selected in the season 29 draft. It's hard to believe that Moleman already has 3 seasons under his belt in the SHL. While he may not have lived up to his potential yet, people shouldn't forget the absolute monster season that Moleman put up with the Detroit Falcons before moving to the Panthers. Moleman is known to train with former SHL superstar, hall of fame forward, sorority house legend, lifetime Los Angeles Panther Brian Morley. Just being in Morley's presence should be enough to eventually make him a better hockey player. Moleman is yet to put up big numbers in the SHL, he's tallied 5 goals in each of his first three SHL seasons. I would expect Moleman to become a bigger part of the Panthers attack and potentially enjoy a breakout season. ![]() Jean-Luc Reflieux - C - #17 Entering his third full season in the SHL, Jean-Luc Reflieux suffered through a bit of sophomore slump last season. After an impressive rookie season which saw JLR nominated for the Ryan Jesster Trophy as the SHL's rookie of the year, Reflieux's numbers dropped off a bit in his second season. The #1 overall selection in the season 30 draft saw his goal total drop from 13 all the way down to 6, his assist total also dropped off slightly, down to 15 assists after registering 19 the season before. Reflieux was a -7, won less than 50% of his face-offs, and he failed to score on the powerplay. Despite the dramatic drop-off in production, Reflieux continued to evolve as a player and it's not completely uncommon for players to go through struggles in their second season. Reflieux will likely continue to center the Panthers third line, Los Angeles fans are hopeful that the young forward will bounce back from last season and potentially take the next step in his development. ![]() Jaxson Reynolds - RW - #10 Jaxson Reynolds has proven to be one of the best free agent acquisitions in the SHL over the past few seasons. Entering his third season with the team, Reynolds has been a key part of the Panthers top 6 forward group since signing with the team. Reynolds has a great nose for the net and makes incredible offensive moves at top speed. Jaxson is another player on the cusp of becoming a superstar. Reynolds point production increased by 20 points in his second season with the Panthers, totaling 46, up from 26 the season before. The native of Berlin Germany, Reynolds is only going to get better as he adjusts to the SHL game. The Panthers have to be elated that Reynolds decided to sign with them a couple seasons back. Jaxson will unquestionably be one of the Panthers top offensive threats in season 34. Jorma Ruutu - RW - #20 After spending the past three seasons on the blue-line, Jorma will be moving back to forward this season for the Panthers. The move is a bit controversial due to the high level of play Ruutu has exhibited while playing defense. Jorma should be in consideration for the Stevens Trophy at the upcoming SHL awards show. Ruutu led the Panthers with 48 points last season, and continued to play excellent two way hockey, leading Panthers defenseman with 153 hits, and blocking 55 shots. Jorma's 127 points over the past 3 seasons is an excellent total and among the league leaders for defenseman. Ruutu has spent over 10 seasons with the Panthers, he's served as the teams captain, and he has been a fan favorite since he joined the team. It will be interesting to see how well Ruutu readjusts to playing forward. Ruutu is a complete player and could realistically play anywhere in the line-up. A line of Ryan King, Kaapo Kekkonen, and Jorma Ruutu could be nightmare for opposing defenseman. ![]() Sebastian Strange - LW - #66 On a team full of offensive stars, the flashiest forward on the team may very well be high-flying winger Sebastian Strange. Sebastian's game really took off two seasons ago. Strange saw his production jump from 25 points in season 31, all the way up to 51 during season 32. The increase in production was enough to earn Seb the Richan trophy as the league's most improved player. Strange's production dropped off slightly during season 33, Sebastian recorded 19 goals and 35 points, still very respectable numbers for a relatively young forward who still has a lot of room to improve. I would expect Strange to bounce back and return to form, There's not many players who have scored at over a point per game pace over the course of an entire season. Strange has the best hands on the Panthers roster and he's not afraid to shoot the puck. Sebastian led the Panthers with 199 shots last season and recorded over 200 the season before. Strange is a well liked player who serves as an alternate captain for the Panthers. Defense ![]() Johnny Cahill - D - #15 Johnny Cahill has established himself as a top defensive defenseman who is capable of playing big minutes and can hit the ice in any situation. Cahill is in the prime of his career and may not get the recognition that he deserves on a league-wide scale. The Canadian defenseman has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time for the past 3 seasons. Johnny has blocked over 75 shots in each of the past 3 seasons. Cahill looks to play the body, finishing with 100 hits in season 31, 124 hits in season 32, and 99 hits last season. While Cahill's defensive game is what stands out, he is no slouch offensively either. Cahill is a two-way defenseman who has recorded 81 points over the past 3 seasons. The Panthers recently announced a contract extension with Cahill that will keep him patrolling the blue-line in Los Angeles for at least the next 3 seasons. ![]() Chris Crutchfield - D - #4 The Panthers captain, Chris Crutchfield is one of the true elite defenseman in the SHL. Crutchfield has been everything the Panthers could have hoped for when they acquired the young defenseman from the Manhattan Rage in a move that saw Wyott Wolker heading the other way. Crutchfield put up 35 points last season, scoring 4 goals and finishing second on the Panthers with 31 assists. While Crutchfield doesn't play an overly physical brand of hockey, he is very effective defensively and is seemingly always in the right position. A lot of people feel that Crutchfield deserved to win the Stevens trophy in season 32, Crutch finished that season with 12 goals, 37 assists, a plus/minus rating of +18, and tied for the Panthers team lead with 15 power-play points. Crutchfield continues to show steady improvement on the ice. The Panthers captain hopes to raise the Challenge Cup this spring. Alexsander Komarov - D - #77 "The Russian Bear" Alexsander Komarov is a physically imposing defenseman who will look to make an impact in his rookie season for the Panthers. With the brute strength of a Kodiak grizzly bear, and maybe not quite the speed of a typical jungle cat, Komarov will seek to destroy all opponents and make opposing players league-wide feel a lot of pain throughout the season. A potential Turd Fergusson Award winner, Komarov's job is to protect his teammates and make sure the opposition doesn't get too comfortable when playing Los Angeles. Komarov has spent the past 4 seasons with the Halifax Raiders and has been a key player during the organizations string of success. Komarov stands 6'6" tall and weighs in at 240 pounds, The Panthers should benefit from having a player of his stature on the team. Matthew Leetch - D - #4 Entering his second season in the league, the Panthers will be looking for Matthew Leetch to take on a bigger role with the team this season and play more minutes than he did as a rookie. While it was obvious during his rookie season that Leetch still has some room to improve, Leetch didn't look out of place and he gained some valuable experience. Playing about 15 minutes per game, Leetch scored 4 goals, added 12 assists, finished the season with a positive plus/minus rating, didn't take very many penalty's and was a part of the teams powerplay. with the off-season trade of Marc-Andre Malkin, as well as Jorma Ruutu shifting up to forward, Leetch will be asked to help fill the void which will be left by them. Leetch is a well rounded defenseman who has a big shot from the point, Leetch is strong in his own zone and has steadily been improving since he was drafted by the Panthers in the season 31 SHL draft. ![]() Victor Lindstrom - D - #7 Another player who will be asked to step into a bigger role this season is Swedish defenseman Victor Lindstrom. Lindstrom is your classic two-way defenseman. Lindstrom has excellent puck handling ability and is he always seems to be in the right position when he's in the defensive zone. Lindstrom blocked 51 shots last season while playing just 14 minutes per game. Now entering his third season in the league, Lindstrom is a candidate to have a breakout season as he is sure to see his ice-time increase. Lindstrom will provide solid play on the Panthers second or third defensive pairing and he's a candidate to be a part of the teams penalty killing unit as well. Tord Yvel - D - #2 A big reason why the Panthers could afford to move a defenseman this off-season was because of the emergence of Tord Yvel. Another Swedish defenseman, Yvel is a defensive first player at this point, which is just what you're looking for with a young defenseman who will be joining the line-up. Yvel will be asked to step into the Panthers top 6 and looks to have the skillset to do just that. Tord is solid in his own zone. Yvel plays tenacious defense against opposing forwards, he's a decent skater, knows how to handle the puck and Yvel makes a great first pass out of his own zone. Goalies ![]() Timo Haas - G - #30 Perhaps the biggest reason for the Panthers recent turnaround and emergence as one of the leagues best teams, goaltender Timo Haas has established himself as one of the leagues brightest young stars, winning the Ryan Jesster Trophy after enjoying the best rookie season for a goaltender that I've ever seen. Haas' rookie season was incredible, The German goaltender won 35 games while losing only 7 games in regulation and 2 in overtime. Haas finished with a .912 save percentage, a 2.44 goals against average, and 3 shutouts. The Panthers won the Presidents trophy after failing to make the playoffs for a number of seasons before. Haas backed up his incredible rookie season by once again leading the Panthers to the playoffs. Haas was instrumental in Los Angeles beating the Edmonton Blizzard and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. The playoff series victory was very important for not only the young goaltenders development, but to the Panthers team as a whole, and was an important step in the organizations quest to win SHL championships. Timo's career is off to a great start and the Panthers are fortunate to have the goaltending position solidified with such a promising young player. Erik Lundqvist - G - #30 A once highly touted goaltending prospect, Lundqvist never lived up to his potential and the Panthers organization went through a rough stretch on the ice with the Swede starting in net. Lundqvist is the teams back-up this point and has clearly been surpassed on the depth chart by Haas. While he may not have had success as a starting goaltender, Lundqvist gives the Panthers a very solid back-up who is capable of starting when he's needed. Expect Lundqvist to get his 6 starts this season and keep the Panthers in the games that he does play in . Prospects ![]() Brandon Gauthier The top prospect in the Panthers system, Brandon Gauthier is coming off of a career season in Halifax. Gauthier was one of the best players on a Raiders squad that went on to finish the season with the best record in the SMJHL. Brandon finished the season with 18 goals, 31 assists, led the Raiders with a plus/minus rating of +21, while playing in all situations as the Raiders top center. Gauthier's story is an interesting one. A highly regarded prospect, Gauthier was drafted in the 1st round by the Portland Admirals, but he never signed with the team and was traded to the Toronto North Stars. Less then a season later, Gauthier found himself released and out of the SHL. The Panthers signed Gauthier to a 1 season contract at the league's minimum salary and sent him back to Halifax to prove he could become a SHL player. Gauthier went on to have his incredible season and was rewarded this off-season with a 3 season contract extension. Expect Gauthier to crack the Panthers roster in season 35. Vinny Marino Drafted in the 3rd round, Vinny Marino is a young power forward who could eventually fight his way onto the Panthers roster. Marino was a once highly regarded junior prospect who was a second round pick of the Halifax Raiders, Marino hit a couple bumps in the road and ended up falling all the way to the Panthers 3rd round selection in the season 33 SHL draft. Marino plays a physical game and is known for making good passes out of the corners to set up his teammate. The guido factor should not be completely ignored. Matthew Auston Selected with the 10th overall selection in the season 34 SHL draft, Matthew Auston is a late-bloomer who may end up becoming a draft night steal for the Panthers. Auston played in 38 games for the Scarecrows scoring 7 goals and adding 5 assist. Auston looked to hit stride as the season progressed and he will surely play a bigger role for the Scarecrows this season. Matthew is a good skater who could become a feared goal scorer as his game matures. Auston is a giant on the ice, the Swiss native stands 6'5" and weighs in at 250 pounds. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() </div> ![]() ![]() ![]() Registered S45 Challenge Cup Champion
Great work! Excited to see how next season goes, I have a feeling it will be a good one. o:-)
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