29. (S28) RW (Calgary Dragons) - Mikko Linna || +7
Grade: 85.10 Past Seasons: S32-76, S33-81, S34-98, S35-61, S36-48, S37-48, S38-17, S39-38, S40-24, S41-16, S42-42, S43-36[/]
At 29 is Dragons winger Mikko Linna, who has spent no time getting adjusted to his new environment, scoring 48 points in S42 and 54 points in S43. Linna has been about as consistent as you can expect from a winger in the last 5+ seasons, scoring in the high 40s or low 50s during that stretch of time. Linna has been battling regression during a number of those years, but it doesn't seem like that is going to stop him from being a major contributor.
28. (S35) C (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Robert Phelps || +20
Grade: 85.20
[i]Past Seasons: S39-66, S40-37, S41-57, S42-35, S43-48
At 28 is Steelhawks center Robert Phelps who has been groomed for this moment, finally demonstrating the elite consistency that the Steelhawks have been looking for for some time, now. Phelps scored 23 goals and 52 points, his second 50+ season in his career thus far. His physical game has remained constant, and his offense has improved, meaning that he has been one of the most prolific scorers in the league as of late. Could he do better? Possibly. But right now he has nowhere to go but up.
27. (S36) D (Minnesota Chiefs) - Isak Ødegård || +26
Grade: 85.40 Past Seasons: S42-59, S43-53
Isak Ødegård comes in at number 27 on this list, making the biggest and most surprising jump of his career so far. Ødegård scored 7 goals and 41 points, a career high and obviously his best season of his somewhat short career. He broke a career high in shots with his play, making him one of the most up and coming offensive contributors on the backend, and despite his lack of physical play is one of the most dangerous offensive defensemen in the league. 26. (S34) C (Los Angeles Panthers) - Matthew Auston || +12
Grade: 85.40 Past Seasons: S42-81, S43-38
At 25 is Corey Bearss of the Winnipeg Jets, getting close to the position we expected him to stay at a couple seasons ago. Bearss saw a major fall in S42 when he scored only 35 points, but as we anticipated he got right back into the elite conversation with his 22 goals and 53 points. While regression certainly is not ignored in this analysis, Bearss is the kind of player who can bring the offensive boom despite it, as we saw in S43. He even registered 208 shots, second-most of his career, all while playing a reduced amount of time on the power play.
24. (S31) LW (West Kendall Platoon) - Trevor Wilson || +1
Grade: 85.80 Past Seasons: S37-82, S38-56, S39-39, S40-12, S41-13, S42-33, S43-25
At 24 is Trevor Wilson, coming close to contention for the top-10, a ranking that has eluded him thus far. Wilson scored 19 goals and 52 points, despite getting back to the 200+ category in shots (which rarely sees sub-20 goal scorers). Wilson is another player among the S31 class who is defying the regression monster (along with Bearss) and could potentially earn his first top-10 ranking despite the fact father time wants him to give up and go away.
23. (S31) D (Los Angeles Panthers) - Toivo Kosonen || -1
Grade: 85.90 Past Seasons: S36-76, S37-76, S38-84, S39-46, S40-60, S41-40, S42-53, S43-22
At 23 is Panthers defender Toivo Kosonen, who remains a member of the top-30 but isn't making any inroads to making the top-10 right now. Another S31 draft pick, Kosonen scored 8 goals and 36 points, which was definitely an unexpected outcome considering the prolific defender had what was considered a breakout season in S42 with his 49 points.
22. (S31) D (Los Angeles Panthers) - Matthew Leetch || -17
Grade: 85.90 Past Seasons: S39-94, S40-79, S41-60, S42-4, S43-5
At 22 is Panthers defenseman Matthew Leetch, dropping out of the top-10 (and for good reason) with his paltry 3 goals and 29 points (the worst total of his career since S38). Leetch certainly has the talent to jump back into top-10 contention, but he will need to really step into another gear if he wants to get back to that point, with regression making itself known and everything.
21. (S35) LW (Calgary Dragons) - Mike Izzy || +6
Grade: 86.20 Past Seasons: S40-56, S41-59, S42-55, S43-27
At 21 is Mike Izzy of the Calgary Dragons, one of the few non-power forwards left who is willing to make a mark in the league because of his physical game. Izzy has even developed an elite game, making him one of the most valuable players on the market at this point. Izzy scored 21 goals and 48 points in S43, adding 214 shots, 198 hits, and even some penalty kill minutes on top of it. Izzy won't be moving from Calgary any time soon, but still he has been one of the most surprising power forwards that doesn't subscribe to the stereotype.
20. (S36) D (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Sami Owens || +26
Grade: 86.80 Past Seasons: S42-69, S43-46
At 20 is Steelhawks defender Sami Owens who jumps to his best ranking on the list. Owens scored 18 goals and 42 points, was +28, and despite his lack of a lot of intangible qualities (we can't all be like Mike Izzy) still remained a dominating presence recently. There is also a lot of promise that Owens could continue to improve and be one of the best players in the league despite the fact he isn't exactly the most physical specimen out there.
Alonzo Garbanzo Final Tallies (Among Defensemen):
2nd in Goals (208), All-Time Assists Leader (765)*, All-Time Points Leader (973), 3rd in Hits (2587), All-Time Blocked Shots Leader (1882)* *All-Time Leader Among All Skaters Player Profile | Update Thread
19. (S36) RW (New England Wolfpack) - Tigole Bitties || -1
Grade: 86.80 Past Seasons: S41-66, S42-63, S43-18
At 19 is Wolfpack winger Tigole Bitties, coming in at 19 and dropping back a spot after failing to record a 50+ season after two straight the previous seasons. Bitties scored 15 goals and 49 points, still a top-tier performance, but what really stood out from him was his new-found two-way play. Bitties registered 106 hits and remained sound in is own zone. If he can get the same offensive spark we saw in S42 and S41 we may see one of the next two-way greats.
18. (S33) RW (Toronto North Stars) - Chris York || -17
Grade: 86.80 Past Seasons: S39-34, S40-1, S41-1, S42-3, S43-1
At 18 is Chris York, losing his spot on top (after three number one rankings in four seasons) with "only" 15 goals and 43 points on the year. However, despite this he is still considered a top-20 player with his offensive contributions and excellent ability to play at both ends of the ice. To top it all off his physical game remains top notch, as he registered 180 hits on the year, second only to his 197 hit season two years prior.
17. (S30) D (Hamilton Steelhawks) - Ben Dover || -6
Grade: 86.90 Past Seasons: S33-88, S34-34, S35-62, S36-29, S37-30, S38-5, S39-6, S40-15, S41-15, S42-8, S43-11
At 17 is Steelhawks defenseman Ben Dover, dropping back after getting so close to remaining in the top ten the season prior. Dover scored 13 goals and 38 points, still very impressive but not quite up to his multiple 40+ seasons (8 in a row leading up to this season). His physical game has declined somewhat as well, not terribly surprising considering regression is right on him at this point.
At 16 is new Edmonton Blizzard winger Oisin Fletcher, moving on to greener pastures after the drama surrounding his own team naming a new general manager. Fletcher continues to be very impressive, albeit not demonstrating consistency as a superstar just yet. He scored 23 goals and 47 points on the season, was +15, and registered a career high 129 hits. Edmonton is hoping he will be able to continue to build on this and get him to score 60+ points once again.
15. (S37) G (West Kendall Platoon) - Beaujeaux Biscuit || -8
Grade: 87.20 Past Seasons: S41-53, S42-25, S43-7
At 15 is Beaujeaux Biscuit of the West Kendall Platoon, not having quite the year he had in S42, but still winning games and proving himself to be a true asset in the playoffs. Biscuit went 22-19-3 with a .901 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average in S42, and while it didn't win him any awards in the regular season, he was able to elevate his play in the playoffs and earn himself an Anton Razov, something nobody was expecting.
14. (S31) LW (West Kendall Platoon) - Alex Light || +9
Grade: 88.50 Past Seasons: S37-74, S38-80, S39-53, S40-49, S41-37, S42-62, S43-23
At 14 is Platoon winger alex Light, who up to his point has had an incredibly consistent career, and now he has been able to add some championships to that resume to boot. Light scored 23 goals and 53 points, his second 50+ season in a row and fourth 20+ goal season in a row. He has been about as consistent as ever, even though his physical game has dropped off a cliff in recent years due to his aging body being unable to keep up with the young guns of the league.
13. (S30) C (Los Angeles Panthers) - Jean-Luc Reflieux || -3
Grade: 88.50 Past Seasons: S34-96, S35-97, S36-99, S37-43, S38-73, S39-61, S40-68, S41-32, S42-24, S43-10
Jean-Luc Reflieux comes in at 13, close but outside of the top-10. However, he has demonstrated a lot of consistency, scoring 50+ points the last four season and still remaining one of the more bruising forwards in the league at this point. But as his 60+ point season continues to fall back in the memories of experts he is going to need to do more to get himself back into the top 10. That will be even more difficult with regression taking its toll.
12. (S38) D (Texas Renegades) - Thé Dude || +29
Grade: 88.70 Past Seasons: S43-41
At 12 is Renegades defenseman Thé Dude, who has had one of the most meteoric rises of the top-100. Dude has only played four seasons in the league thus far, but already has two 40+ seasons, and just recently enjoyed a 13 goal season in S43, and to top it all off registered a career high 101 hits (his second best was 46 his rookie season). If there is a defensemen people need to be looking out for as far as the next generational defensemen, they may need to take a look at this dude.
11. (S31) D (Calgary Dragons) - Adam Kaiser || -3
Grade: 89.20 Past Seasons: S38-88, S39-42, S40-25, S41-7, S42-2, S43-8
At 11 is Dragons defenseman Adam Kaiser, failing to reach the top-10 despite being so close and having another incredible year. Kaiser scored 12 goals and 43 points, nearly identical to S42 where he scored 12 goals and 42 points, improved his defensive play with a +12 on the year, and was still somewhat solid as far as the intangibles of his game. However without having the same physical prowess we have seen from him in other seasons, he may see his chances at getting back into the top-10 become less likely with each passing season of regression.
Alonzo Garbanzo Final Tallies (Among Defensemen):
2nd in Goals (208), All-Time Assists Leader (765)*, All-Time Points Leader (973), 3rd in Hits (2587), All-Time Blocked Shots Leader (1882)* *All-Time Leader Among All Skaters Player Profile | Update Thread
Posting these now since I will be unable to do media for the next week or so. Hopefully I will be able to get write-ups done separately since this piece was already graded.
ArGarBarGar![[Image: IeEV7Iv.png]](https://i.imgur.com/IeEV7Iv.png)
![[Image: Zoone16.gif]](http://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Zoone16.gif)
![[Image: 9QVaMRC.png]](http://i.imgur.com/9QVaMRC.png)
![[Image: canybyK.png]](http://i.imgur.com/canybyK.png)
![[Image: sXDU6JX.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sXDU6JX.png)
![[Image: OnGNB1G.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/OnGNB1G.gif)
![[Image: cgv4vCv.png]](http://i.imgur.com/cgv4vCv.png)
![[Image: 95lCCDx.png]](http://i.imgur.com/95lCCDx.png)
![[Image: KgwtJeY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/KgwtJeY.png)
|
|
![[Image: JbAlQ9E.png]](https://i.imgur.com/JbAlQ9E.png)
![[Image: vhY18i8.png]](http://i.imgur.com/vhY18i8.png)
![[Image: nBgNUTY.png]](http://i.imgur.com/nBgNUTY.png)
![[Image: goilers.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/goilers.gif)
![[Image: avakaelsig.gif]](http://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/avakaelsig.gif)
