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Jenny · 08-19-2019, 10:41 PM

The season is fully underway now. Is your team starting to gel?

Requirements

Written option: Write 150 words about your overall team performance so far. What is the team doing well? What do you still need to work on to make it past the first round come playoff time? Include at least 4 team stats.
Graphic option: Create an infographic comparing your team's strengths and weaknesses. Must include at least 4 team stas.

Reward

4 TPE for doing the thing. (Just one of the things, not both.)

Only S49 SMJHL Rookies (S50 SHL Rookies) are eligible for this PT.

Do not claim this TPE until a post is made in the claim thread.

Deadline
Sunday, August 25, 10 AM MDT

Naosu · 08-19-2019, 11:03 PM

The Knights have done very well so far, currently in a battle with Detroit for first place. With a +22 goal differential they are only one of three teams with a net positive. 5 on 5 hockey has been great for the Knights which will help them come playoff time, they're on the bottom half for shots generated but near the top for shot suppression with an overall total 102% shots for/against. Special teams are something the team needs to practice more as they are currently dead last with a 14.63% power play. The penalty kill is 6th place with 80% and they're 9th overall in combined special teams with 94.63%. The third line of Eriksson-Shepard-Barbashev has been very solid for the team so far, only a combined 15 points, but every player has +3. The coach is able to trust them when the top 6 needs some time to rest.

(152 words)

Budgie · 08-19-2019, 11:21 PM

The Anchorage Armada got off to a bit of a rough start this year. In the first 14 games, the Armada had a record of 2-11-1. This poor performance could be put on anyone's shoulders, but what happened after makes it pretty clear what happened. When management implemented two-a-days until the team got better, it brought everyone together in an unprecedented way. On top of that, the leadership structure was firmed up in the locker room with the captaincy vote. In the past 11 games, the team has posted an impressive record of 2-9-0.

A problem that persists for Anchorage is the relative lack of offensive production. The Armada are tied for last in the league for Goals For, at 2.64 per game. Sitting at 3.12 Goals Against per game, they're in a tough situation. In Goals For/Against, they're second last in the league with 84.62%. Only 3 teams have a positive Goals For/Against, and Anchorage needs to be one of them if they want to make it far in the post-season.

(174 words)

uhh · 08-19-2019, 11:22 PM

A season that started with low expectations is now firmly back where it belongs, with the Colorado Raptors' play of late falling back into the realm of what hockey pundits projected after briefly sitting above .500 and flirting with home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Halfway through S49, the Raptors' play can be described as better than expected, with the core of young S50 rookies showing lots of promise and indicating a bright future for Colorado if they are able to retain the talent. However, talent takes time to develop, and with the Raptors having lost 3 in a row and 7 of their last 10, the growing pains are evident.

Goal scoring has been a problem for Colorado, as their 66 goals for are tied with Anaheim for lowest in the league (though the Outlaws have a game in hand on the Raptors). The Raptors' have allowed 74 goals for a differential of -8, and you get the feeling that if the team could start finding the back of the net with more regularity, they'd end up winning more of the close games. Their four overtime losses are second only to the Halifax Raiders' five.

Also, for whatever reason, the team seems to play much better on the road than at home. Maybe the rookies get nervous in front of the Colorado faithful, but the Raptors are 6-2-2 in their last 10 road games, compared to 3-7-0 in their last 10 home matches. This seems like a statistic that will even out over time, but it's still noteworthy.

That said, there is a lot to be excited about with regard to the future of the Dinos. Let's break it down.

Henrik Lekberg Osterman @Thatguy91 leads the Dinos' crop of talented rookies with 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in the first half of the season. Osterman is 10th in rookie scoring in the SMJHL, which isn't too shabby for a guy who was drafted in the 6th round, 52nd overall, in the most recent SMJHL Entry Draft.

(Shout out to Alexei Rykov @RaginCajun, who was taken two choices earlier by Montreal at 50th overall and currently leads all rookie scorers in the SMJHL with 17 points)

Osterman benefits from playing on Bo Kane's @NONAME wing. The second-year center and San Francisco Pride prospect has evolved into a true leader for the Raptors, taking the young players under his wing and leading by example with 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points to date this season. While he has since cooled from his league-leading pace to start the season, Kane continues to be a force for the Raptors and an important leader on and off the ice.

One player that the Raptors would like to see more from is Hariken Urawa @uhh . The viral YouTube sensation from Japan has made strides in adapting to the pro game and is clearly on the right development path, but has been playing limited minutes on the fourth line. Still, even in limited time, Urawa has scored 5 goals and 2 assists, and he averages 1.86 points per every 60 minutes on the ice. Notably, he is also one of the eight players in the league with multiple game-tying goals (2).

Urawa was seen taking practice on the third line this morning, so an increase in ice time may be in his future. He was also spotted after practice doing one-on-one drills with Denver Wolfe @iRockstar, another Dinos veteran who has taken a shine to the young Japanese winger. With 19 points in 25 games, Wolfe is fifth in the league in scoring amongst defensemen, and is the veteran anchor on the Colorado blue line.

Lastly, it wouldn't be right to run a recap of the Raptors' season-to-date without mentioning Calogero Crudelli @jason97. Crudelli is having a monster year, tied with Mika Kandinsky @Mika_Kandinsky for second in league scoring with 28 points, one behind Gaspard Boone @Im_A_Boonana. Crudelli has already matched his S48 point total in half as many games, and is on pace for his first point-per-game season. The third-year junior seems poised to make the jump to the SHL if his development keeps up.

Henrik · 08-20-2019, 03:43 AM

Although most people seem to agree that the Raptors would be bottom feeders this season, they have been a pleasant surprise in the eyes of the fans. They have been sitting around the middle of the pack for most of the duration of the season so far, currently sitting in 8th place with a record of 10-11-4. This may not sound particularly promising but after a quick glance at the underlying statistics the Raptors quickly become a very interesting team with a ton of potential.

First, lets go over the positives;

Defensively sound
The Raptors are currently one of the best defensive teams in the SMJHL with an average of 24.68 shots against per game (2nd in the league) and 2.96 goals against per game (4th in the league). Defence really is not the problem for the Raptors.

Young Stars
The rookies have also been a pleasant surprise. The team is currently fielding 10 rookies (tied for 3rd most in the league), 7 of which are at or above the league average for rookie points production which currently sits at 5. This bodes well the team moving forward.

Faceoffs
The Raptors have been fantastic in the faceoff circle, currently sitting first in the league with 52.28%. Getting possession of the puck is no doubt an important part of any game, so this is definitely a big positive of the team.

Now, lets go over the negatives;

Offensively lacking
The Raptors really are a bipolar team. Great defence but a very lacklustre offence. They are currently last in the league as far as shots for goes with a meagre average of 23.72 per game and second last in the goals for category with an average of only 2.64 per game. This makes them the worst offensive team in the league.

Specialty teams
This, for me, is the biggest problem that the Raptors are facing. They have the worst special teams in the league, currently sitting 9th in powerplay percentage with only 15.46% and 10th in penalty kill percentage with an 77.01%. This adds up to an abysmal 92.48% combined special teams percentage.

All in all there are some great pillars for the team to build upon and if they can only fix their offence and special teams situation and get them up to the league average they would truly be a team to be reckoned with.

**OrbitingDeath** · 08-20-2019, 04:11 AM

The chemistry for the Colorado Raptors is gone for a bit as they went on a 6 game losing streak. They are now down to the 8th place in the standings after a great start of the season. Due to this it is time to change lines a bit, a few people have been switched around and for example Bo Kane is now getting his shot at first line center. One of the main reasons for their struggles might be their powerplay %, as they are in 9th place overall with only 15.46%. Their penalty kill is even worse as they are listed 10th overall with only 77% of their penalties killed. The Colorado Raptors look like they need to shoot the puck more as they are also 10th in shots fired, with just 23.72 per game average. There are a lot of improvements possible for the Raptors, so hopefully the linechanges will have a positive effect on the team chemistry and to get ready for the playoffs.

Words: 168

Z0REM · 08-20-2019, 08:47 AM

Phineas Gold - Militia

The Militia have been off to a great start this year. Backed by a squad of 14 rookies who are playing in every game, they are currently 3rd in the league and only one of three teams to have a positive points differential. If they want to contend with the Knights and Falcons a few things are going to have change, or improve. In their matchups the Militia have been great on getting those rebounds into the net. The shooters are getting their shots in a critical moments but as compared to the league we are basically average or below average in almost all the stats. If we can get our core rookie group trained up we should have no problem in the playoffs.

Here is what we are doing right. We currently are delivering the most hits in the league. We are a small but aggressive team. It seems we have the other teams cowering away from our physicality and its giving us opportunities that our middle of the road numbers otherwise don't back up. Currently we are at 18.63 hits a game. Not bad for a team rebuilding.

We really need our centers to be winning more faceoffs. While our centers are driving our plays and getting the puck where it needs to be, we currently have lowest faceoff win percentage of any team. At 45.15% midway through the season, improving on this should really help bolster our playoff potential.

While most of our rookies are playing well, the 3rd and 4th lines are still trying to find their rhythm. These line seems to be on more often than not when the goals are getting scored and has lead to a huge disparity from -5 on the bottom to +14 on the top. These lines really need to start producing or our top players are going to be too tired to even play in the playoffs.

In fact, looking at our stats one would wonder how we're third in the league. I guess someone out there is rooting for a team that was considered to be the underdogs by many going into this season. A team that had been collapsing inwards has now found new life with a vibrant locker room and great players who are really putting themselves out there. Once these rookies are no longer rookies, it can be safe to assume that this will be a powerhouse team to contend with over the next few seasons.

Credit to Vulfzilla for the awesome render pic

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