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Ashes · 07-18-2018, 02:46 PM

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4107 words, ready for grading

This is going to be the first in an eight part series of articles that I will be posting over the course of the next few weeks. We will take a look at the rosters of every team in the SMJHL and see how each player stacks up to the competition. In this first article, I'm going to be looking at the Vancouver Whalers. Coming into this season, the Whalers have been touted as one of the best teams in the SMJHL, if not the best. First, let's take a look at their roster. Stats are from the first sim of the regular season.

LW C RW
(S42)Herb Robert - 350 TPE (S41)Alex Andani - 350 TPE (S41)Kristaps Ball - 350 TPE
(S42)David Kastrba - 284 TPE (S39)Benis Smol - 306 TPE (S42)Ēriks Skalbergs - 331 TPE
(S43)Max Mauldin - 225 TPE (S39)Guts O' Bigbers - 282 TPE (S43)Carlo Russo - 228 TPE
(S43)Luke Thomason - 217 TPE (S42)Soren Kierkegaard - 255 TPE (S43)Jack Kennedy - 213 TPE

D D
(S40)Jean-Luc Picard - 350 TPE (S42)Tokek Takshak - 336 TPE
(S42)Buck Maverick - 296 TPE (S42)Geoff Moore - 295 TPE
(S42)Noah Nowes - 192 TPE (S41)Jussi Hammanen - 236 TPE
(S42)Tokek Takshak - 336 TPE (S42)Noah Nowes - 192 TPE

G
(S41)Greg Santos - 285 TPE
(S43)Johannes Leitner - 197 TPE

Scratches
(S40)Eri Arai - 239 TPE
(S43)Marcel Puhringer - 194 TPE

From looking at the TPE counts next to the players names you can already see why this team is so highly rated. There are 4 players on the roster with 350 TPE and at least 2 more players who will hit 350 by the end of this season and a lot of other players on the roster also have fairly high TPE counts. There are also some pretty promising prospects like Max Mauldin on this roster. Now let's take a closer look at each of the players on this roster, starting with the forwards.

Herb Robert was the second player drafted by the Whalers in the S41 SMJHL Entry Draft using the Detroit Falcons' 7th overall pick. Robert has been a very good addition to the Whalers, with 33 points in his rookie season, which was enough to win him the Esa Anrikkanen award for Rookie of the Year. Robert is one of the 350 TPE players currently on the roster. He is one of the best players in the SMJHL right now, which is quite impressive for a first gen. It's almost like he already has SHL experience... Anyway, in my opinion Robert was the best player that the Whalers got in the S41 draft. In the S42 SHL Entry Draft, he was picked 2nd overall by the Seattle Riot. He's also one of the current alternate captains for the Whalers.

Alex Andani was the first player that Vancouver picked in S40. Since joining the team, Andani has been working hard to become a great player and it shows - he had a solid 37 points in the preseason and 36 points in the regular season. On top of that, Andani won the Zach Miller trophy for most dedicated player in S40. Andani is another one of Vancouver's 350 TPE players, and I think he has proved himself worthy of having been drafted 2nd overall. He was also drafted 2nd overall in the SHL by the New England Wolfpack. He's also been named either captain or alternate captain all 3 seasons he's been on the Whalers - alternate in S40, captain in S41 and alternate again in S42.

Rounding out the Whalers' first line is Kristaps Ball. Ball was selected 10th by the Whalers using Montreal's 2nd round pick. Ball has spent most of his SMJHL career playing on the same line as his fellow Latvian Andani. He was the team's 3rd highest scorer last season with 39 points. In S41, he was one of Vancouver's alternate captains. He is a very valuable asset for the Whalers, and in my opinion he is much better than several of the players that were picked before him. This showed in the S41 SHL Draft, where he was taken 7th overall - 3 spots earlier than in the SMJHL draft. He was picked by the New England Wolfpack, which also happens to be the same team that picked Andani earlier in the draft.

Now we move onto the 2nd line, starting with LW David Kastrba. And let me just say... WHAT A STEAL. Kastrba was selected 34TH OVERALL, with the 2nd pick of the 5th round. A decent portion of the players before him have ended up going inactive or not living up to expectations, but Kastrba has stayed active and kept consistently updating. He's not a star player, but he's a solid 2nd line winger, which is much better than what would usually be expected from players that were picked so late (the exception being reddit drafts). While he hasn't reached 300 TPE quite yet, he's very close and if he keeps consistently updating, there's a decent chance that he hits 350 TPE by the end of the season. In the SHL Draft, he was picked 13th overall by the Manhattan Rage.

Oh look, it's another steal! Smol was picked in the beginning of the 7th round, which, though it was a big draft, is still fairly late. Despite being picked so late though, Smol has at least managed to reach 306 TPE, which is enough to be a solid player in the SMJHL. He appears to have stagnated though, and this is also his last season of SMJHL eligibility. For this season though, he's still a very useful asset for the Whalers. He was taken 61st overall by the Buffalo Stampede in the S39 SHL Entry Draft.

Oh wow, it's me! Ēriks Skalbergs is the first player here that the Whalers did not get through drafting. And even if they wanted to, they couldn't have because Skalbergs didn't exist then. Out of the 5 teams that had reached out to him, Skalbergs decided to sign with the Whalers in free agency. While he wasn't particularly great last season with a measly 5 points, he was better in the preseason with 18 points. Skalbergs has been updating very actively, and he's going to join the SMJHL's 350 TPE club very soon, probably in a week or two. He was taken 6th overall by the Hamilton Steelhawks in the S42 SHL Entry Draft.

LW - MAX MAULDIN (S43)
225 TPE
HIGHEST STAT: SKATING, PUCK HANDLING AND SCORING (70)
PRESEASON STATS: 2 GOALS | 5 ASSISTS | 50 GAMES PLAYED | +2 | 28 PIM
S41 REG. SEASON STATS: N/A
DRAFTED: 3RD OVERALL IN S42 BY VANCOUVER

Here we have the first player who the Whalers got from this most recent SMJHL Entry Draft. Mauldin shows a lot of promise - he has a very good amount of TPE, and he's also a recreate. Mauldin is one of the best players from this draft class, and I think he'll be a key part of the Whalers in the future, as well as the Panthers when he eventually comes up to the SHL. If he weren't already going to the Panthers, I bet that he'd end up as a top 3 pick in the next SHL Draft as well.

O' Bigbers was picked quite early in the S38 SMJHL Entry Draft. He is quite similar to Benis Smol, who I mentioned earlier, except slightly worse - 24 less TPE. Both Smol and O' Bigbers are players in their last SMJHL season who seem to have stagnated in their development. O' Bigbers still puts up a solid amount of points despite that though, with 31 last season and 30 in this preseason. O' Bigbers is very good as far as 3rd line centers go and just like Smol he's going to be a very solid asset for the Whalers this season. He was picked 33rd overall by the Seattle Riot, but I don't know if he'll even make the SHL.

RW - CARLO RUSSO
228 TPE
HIGHEST STAT: SCORING (74)
PRESEASON STATS: 5 GOALS | 9 ASSISTS | 14 POINTS | +2 | 0 PIM
S41 REG. SEASON STATS: N/A
DRAFTED: 24TH OVERALL IN S42 BY VANCOUVER

Rounding out Vancouver's third line is Max Mauldin's draftmate, RW Carlo Russo. Similarly to Mauldin, Russo has a very solid amount of TPE and he was very good in the preseason, scoring 14 points as a rookie. I think Russo is going to be a great future asset for the Whalers and I think he could potentially sneak up to the first round of the SHL Entry Draft. It's much too early to call that though, as the season has only just begun and he could completely flop. We'll see what happens as he develops further.

Now let's take a look at the Whalers' 4th line, starting with Luke Thomason. Thomason has been a solid addition to the Whalers' roster so far. He scored 9 points in the preseason, which is not bad for a rookie, and in the first 4 games of the regular season he's already gotten a goal and an assist. Thomason, while he does have slightly less TPE than the aforementioned Russo and Mauldin, has still been updating regularly and I think he's going to end up being fairly good if he keeps up his pace. He's also been a great presence in the locker room so far.

Soren Kierkegaard might be on the fourth line, but I think that just shows how much depth the Whalers have at C (although at least 2 of their C's - Smol and O' Bigbers will be gone after this season). Kierkegaard is a great player to have on the 4th line, and I think he would probably be higher up if the Whalers didn't have such good center depth. While he hasn't been too active, he's still been updating. Kierkegaard was selected 16th overall in the S42 SHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Blizzard.

Yet another S42 pick, Jack Kennedy rounds off the forwards. While he didn't have the best preseason, with a measly 2 points (both goals), I think Kennedy has a decent amount of potential. His TPE is pretty alright, and I think he could end up being quite a valuable asset for the Whalers. He was also drafted fairly late, so if he ends up being good he could be quite a steal.

Overall I think the Whalers have one of the most powerful offenses in the SMJHL. Their first line is incredibly potent, and as I mentioned earlier, they have great depth at center. Now it's time to look at the Whalers' defense.

The best defenseman in the SMJHL was drafted 26th overall in the SMJHL draft.

...what? You want me to say more about him? Alright, alright. Jean-Luc Picard, as I just stated, is the best defenseman in the league. He is the centerpiece of Vancouver's defense and probably the most valuable player on the team. In fact, he's so good that he's even got his own card in the world famous TCG Spells: The Collection.He also happens to be the Whalers' current captain. He scored 48 points in 50 games last season, which made him the 2nd highest scorer on the Whalers and the highest scoring defenseman on the team. He also won the Quilha Agante trophy for best defenseman in S41. The Winnipeg Jets chose to take him in the S40 SHL Entry Draft with the 27th overall pick.

Tokek Takshak is JLP's partner in crime. Takshak is a great player and also a big voice in the locker room, which has gotten him the title of alternate captain last season and this season. He is currently at 336 TPE, and he has been actively updating, so similarly to Skalbergs he should hit 350 TPE very soon. Takshak was picked at 17th overall, so I think he could be considered a steal - while players drafted around that point do often end up being fairly good in the SMJHL and the SHL, I'd say that he's better than "fairly good". He has been scoring quite a lot as well, with 23 points last season and 30 points last preseason. In the S42 SHL Entry Draft, he was taken at 8th overall by the Manhattan Rage. I think Takshak will eventually develop into a great SHLer.

Buck Maverick has been a very solid addition to the Whalers' roster. He's been consistently updating and scoring a decent amount of points - 22 last season and 27 in the preseason. However, I don't know if Maverick is quite good enough to have been worth a 2nd overall pick. He's a great player, but not quite 2nd overall worthy, considering that players like Robert and Takshak were taken later than him. Still, he's a very valuable part of the Whalers roster and I think he's going to develop into a good SHL player. In the S42 SHL Entry Draft, he was taken 15th overall by the Seattle Riot.

Geoff Moore was drafted by the Whalers near the end of the 2nd round of the S41 SMJHL Entry Draft using the Raiders' 2nd round pick. Moore has been a great player for the Whalers so far, as well as a great presence in the locker room. If Moore keeps updating, I think he might hit 350 TPE before the end of the season. Moore was picked 9th overall by the Minnesota Chiefs in the S42 SHL Entry Draft, and I think they made a great choice.

The Whalers took Noah Nowes at 18th overall. Nowes, while he hasn't been updating much, still has a pretty decent amount of potential. His point production isn't very good, however he is good enough for the 3rd defensive pairing. Nowes is also a great player to have in the locker room. He's started updating more and getting more TPE, so I think that by the end of this season he'll be a pretty solid player to have on defense. He was taken 23rd overall by the Seattle Riot in the SHL Entry Draft.

The Vancouver Whalers picked Jussi Hammanen at 14th overall. Hammanen hasn't been particularly good for the Whalers, as his development has been fairly slow, having reached only 236 TPE after two full SMJHL seasons. Sadly, he has also announced that he will be retiring after this season, due to not having enough time for the SHL. For this season though, Hammanen will still be there to help out the Whalers as a solid 3rd pairing defenseman. He was picked by the Seattle Riot with the 22nd overall pick in the S41 SHL Entry Draft, however at this point it doesn't really matter much, does it?

Alright, that's it for Vancouver's defense! In my opinion, this is the best defense in the entire SMJHL. The first pairing consists of the best defenseman in the league and another near-350 TPE defenseman who will probably get there in a week or two, the second pairing is two almost-300 TPE players who might hit 350 this season and the 3rd pairing is two more decent players, one of whom is only going to get better as the season progresses. Now let's see who the Whalers have between the pipes!

G - GREG SANTOS (S41)
285 TPE
HIGHEST STAT: HAND SPEED, REACTION TIME (84)
PRESEASON STATS: .881 SV% | 2.36 GAA | 50 GAMES PLAYED
S41 REG. SEASON STATS: N/A
DRAFTED: SIGNED UP AFTER DRAFT

Starting in net for the Whalers is Greg Santos. While Santos isn't the best starting goalie in the SMJHL, he's still fairly solid. On top of that, he's got the best defense in the league in front of him to help him keep any hard rubber discs out of the goal. He signed with the Whalers through free agency as he, similarly to Skalbergs, signed up after the SMJHL Draft. The Buffalo Stampede picked him at 23rd overall in the SHL Entry Draft using the West Kendall Platoon's 2nd round pick.

G - JOHANNES LEITNER (S43)
193 TPE
HIGHEST STAT: STYLE CONTROL, HAND SPEED, REACTION TIME (80)
PRESEASON STATS: .953 SV% | 1.19 GAA | 3 GAMES PLAYED
S41 REG. SEASON STATS: N/A
DRAFTED: 48TH OVERALL IN S42 BY VANCOUVER

Johannes Leitner was picked 48th overall by the Vancouver Whalers, the last pick of the 6th round. Being picked 48th sounds bad, but considering that he's a goalie in a reddit draft it's really not that bad since goalies are pretty hard to predict in terms of where they land. Anyway, while Leitner hasn't gotten as much TPE as some of the other players from his draft class, he's still a solid backup to have for Santos and he'll be ready to start when Santos eventually leaves for the SHL. I'm not even going to try to predict where he'll land in the SHL Entry Draft because he's a goalie and goalie placements in drafts are very hard to predict, especially this early on in the season.

While Vancouver's goalies aren't the best in the league, they certainly aren't the worst and they're certainly good enough to help lead the Whalers to a potential Four Star Cup. There's still two more players to go over though - the healthy scratches.

Despite having almost 250 TPE, Eri Arai is a healthy scratch, which, in my opinion, just highlights how good Vancouver's defense already is. He may be riding the bench right now, but Arai is still a very solid player who was fairly good in terms of point production last season with 5 goals and 22 assists last season, totaling 27 points and he's a solid backup to have in case one of the defensemen ends up being traded or leaving the team for some other reason.

LW - MARCEL PUHRINGER
194 TPE
HIGHEST STAT: SCORING (70)
PRESEASON STATS: N/A
S41 REG. SEASON STATS: N/A
DRAFTED: 56TH OVERALL IN S42 BY VANCOUVER

I'm gonna be honest here, there's... really nothing for me to say here. Puhringer's TPE isn't great, but he is a rookie. He was picked fairly late in the draft, however considering that it's a reddit draft with a ton of players, that doesn't mean too much. He hasn't played a single game, so there's no way to judge his stats.

Overall, I think the Whalers have a very powerful roster, which has shown so far in their results - the Whalers are 5-1-0 after their first 6 games. The Whalers' starting lineup have an average TPE of 283.2, which is fairly impressive. I predict that they'll finish in the top 2 - maybe they'll drop down to 3rd if they get unlucky, but I doubt that's going to happen. As for what will happen in the playoffs, that's very hard to predict since playoffs can often be pretty random, but I have the Whalers winning the cup. No bias here whatsoever.

Anyway, that's it for the first of eight parts of SMJHL Team Review! Next up: the reigning back-to-back, two time, Blockbuster videoga- Four Star Cup champions, the Kelowna Knights!