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*Keven* · 02-22-2021, 03:13 PM

The biggest story so far in the SHL is the fact that the great lakes division as a whole hasn't gotten any worse, but instead gotten better. The main surprise is the fact that in just two seasons, Toronto has gone from being a team near the bottom of the league to a team now fighting for the top spot. In addition to this rise of the North Stars, the other three great lake teams of Hamilton, Buffalo, and Chicago have refused to get much worse over the course of many seasons. Going back all the way to season 53, these teams have had sustained dominance over the league and it's amazing that all three have refused to surrender those top spots for so long. One of these four great lake teams will have to break down a bit eventually, but for now, it's surprising to see so many good teams packed into just one division. We'll have to see if the division can remain this strong for the remaining two-thirds of the season.

**.bojo** · 02-22-2021, 03:15 PM

cahtah haht · 02-22-2021, 03:22 PM

My SHL team isn't having a great year, but that doesn't matter because the Kelowna Knights who I play for are the best team in the J. The Knights' biggest storyline is the ongoing battle between Vlas and Cian to decide who is best. So far Vlas seems to have the team behind him considering he was voted captain, but who knows what will happen as the season continues. Vlas has 10 goals so far as well so he is the leader in that category, as well as points, but Cian leads the team in SOG so if he can improve his accuracy a bit he'll be able to take the lead in goals. Cian does have more points than Vlas due to his 12 assists, but it is a well known fact that goals are more important than assists because if you need your teammates to get points for you your probably bad at hockey, so its clear the Vlas is in the lead in their friendly team competition so far.

Rotti · 02-22-2021, 03:35 PM

I don't the the storylines will get any bigger than the Great Lakes this season. The true best 4 teams in the SHL are all in one division, and only 3 of those teams can qualify for the playoffs. Buffalo, Hamilton, and Chicago all got out of the gate with bad records, but now Toronto and Hamilton are both heading the race for the president's trophy. Will it be chicago or buffalo to miss out on the big dance? Or will Toronto start sputtering and fall back? or maybe Hamilton somehow starts losing games again and we see a true 4 dog race for the 3 playoff spots. Its going to be interesting the rest of the season, thats for sure. Also, Hamilton rookie of the season Rotticus Scott is playing like dog trash. Will he pick it up after being promoted to the 1st unit? I hope so because I have yet to score a goal.

*kenvald* · 02-22-2021, 03:36 PM

The biggest story line this season, or at least one of them, is the fact that Toronto might actually make the playoffs. Looking at the S58 season predictions most people still had Toronto finishing 4th in their division. Which isn't crazy, seeing as they share it with Buffalo, Chicago and Hamilton. But Toronto has come out the first third of the season with a purpose. They've shown they can keep up and even beat any team in the league. The long awaited return of the North Stars is here.

Will it continue? Probably. Toronto is 2nd in the league with one game in hand compared to Hamilton at number one. They've kept up for so long I can't believe it's just a fluke. It will still be a very tight race because of how their division is. No matter what. But if they keep at it like this I can definitely see them taking one of three playoff spots.

***golden_apricot*** · 02-22-2021, 03:38 PM

pt pass

**leafsftw1967** · 02-22-2021, 03:49 PM

A big storyline that has surprised a lot of people in Calgary has been the play of sophomore forward Mats Marner. After having a some what under performing rookie season after being highly touted as one of the best prospects in the SHL who was also a former SMJHL MVP, Marner had a hard time adjusting to the SHL having limited minutes in a checking role on the Dragons third line last season. However, he continued to work hard in all aspects of his game and was promoted to playing on the second line along side his brother Boris Proshenko and veteran captain of the Dragons Maxime Bouchard. This promotion and an added year of SHL experience under his belt has allowed Marner to really up his game being the top goal scorer for most of the season for the Dragons and has gone on to average around a point a game so far. It will be interesting to see if Marner can keep up this good play throughout the rest of the season.

Kraagenskul · 02-22-2021, 03:52 PM

One hot item of late in the SMJHL has been the fall off of Zebulon Leavitt's play. The former +/- leader, and a last season Alexis Metzler Trophy nominee has struggled this season. At one point he was a -8 on the season and has been one of the prime reasons the team has faltered out of the gate this season. One observer noticed he seems to be struggling a bit and he looks lost at times. "To be fair, the team's defense and goaltending have all stumbled a bit this season, and some of it has been just some bad puck luck." A few pundits also wondered if he was upset about originally being called up to the Platoon and then immediately sent back down when an expected spot did not actually open for him and has been deliberately slogging along.
"That's just ludicrous," longtime teammate Valtterri Kauppinen said when asked about it during an interview. "Zeb would never let his any of us down like that, you are a jerk for asking that, and I hope you get your pants wet every time you go up to the sink.. Next question!"
There is a bright spot; after a rough, rough three series including a game where Leavitt was on the ice for three Quebec goals, the team played really well against Anaheim and Leavitt scored the team's last goal in a 7 to 1 rout and finished with a +2. Sometimes that can be enough to pull a player out of rout and get them in the right direction.

***Faelax*** · 02-22-2021, 03:58 PM

The storyline that I am paying the most attention to is the one that affects me the most, and that is the race for the playoffs in the Great Lakes division. With the division containing four of the top five teams in the league with Chicago, Hamilton, Buffalo, and the new contender Toronto, it is going to be a tough race from start to finish. It is really crazy to think about how there will be a couple of teams with losing records, and maybe even a team that barely has fifteen wins making the playoffs, while one of these super powers will miss the playoffs after winning forty plus games. I'm sure whatever team misses from the Great Lakes is going to have some choice words in regards to the playoff format. Maybe this will be what causes the SHL to move to a more reasonable playoff format, because the one we have right now leaves a lot to be desired if you ask me.

Segi · 02-22-2021, 03:58 PM

PT pass

*Carpy48* · 02-22-2021, 03:59 PM

I'll pick the obvious story that most people would pick this time. Toronto is good. Anyone remember S53? We had a total of 6 wins then and people were making for of us (Tampa took that spot away a bit later with their 0-50 season). Look at us now.
This is a team that has worked hard and gone through a complete rebuild. Being on the team since the beginning: it wasn't easy. Especially not in this division when it was guaranteed before the season had even started that we would be in 4th place at the end of the regular season every time. By now everyone has heard about the Great Lakes and how we share this division with the top 3 teams in the SHL. We're not even done with our rebuild yet, so even if we won't make the playoffs this season, we've already shown that we're a top 5 team and unless something goes completely wrong, we will be Cup contenders soon. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been watching us for the past 5 seasons either.

***Chevy*** · 02-22-2021, 03:59 PM

The biggest story-line of the season has to be Toronto's magnificent ascent to the top of the great lakes division while the "mighty" seem to have fallen by the wayside this season. For the longest time, the North Stars pushed and pulled against tall odds and were always left in the dust. Not this season. As an outsider of that division, while there is no ill will toward competing teams there, it is definitely refreshing to see a group of hard working players and earners to start receiving the boons of their continued effort on and off the ice. As the other teams continue to age, despite making fantastic trades to stay in the competition...the blossoming of Toronto I feel is going to be a permanent fixture for many seasons to come, maybe even culminating in a championship run...or win.

Only time will tell how the sim, and this story will play out.

Sivart · 02-22-2021, 04:02 PM

It has been exciting to see what my SHL team, the Texas Renegades could put together this season. Sitting atop the western conference with an impressive 17-4 record, the sit only below the potent Hamilton and Toronto teams in the whole league standings. That said they are leading the SHL in goals for and are in a very close second in goals allowed, highlighting a potent offence and stifling defence. They could very well be the best team in the league this season. They will look to build on this blazing hot start and ride the momentum into the middle of this season. Edmonton Calgary and Los Angeles will all be nipping on the heals of the Renegades all season long, but the men in black will look to maintain their incredibly impressive goals differential and hold onto the #1 seed in the west for as long as they can. Watch for this story to develop over the coming weeks.
161

***KaleSalad*** · 02-22-2021, 04:09 PM

Unfortunately for the entire SHL, the story to watch this year is the Great Lakes division again…. All 4 teams seem to be fighting for the top spot not only in the division but in the conference with all 4 being at the top of the East. But because no one wants to hear about the Great Lakes the real story to watch is how the young San Francisco Pride can see the light at the end of the tunnel for their rebuild. Their first major group of rookies joined them this season and have been full steam ahead. Yes don’t kid yourself they are still not a strong team in the league currently sitting with a record of 5-16-1 record. But they are showing a lot of promising signs. Their top of the class rookies are really starting to find their way in the league and when more supporting cast joins them over the next few seasons they will be a team to watch! This story will continue to unfold over the course of the next few seasons and has been in the making since the changing and naming of the new GM ThatGuy91.

WC:195

***yosh*** · 02-22-2021, 04:10 PM

The biggest storyline here in Newfoundland has certainly got to be the Ric-Bas connection, cause that pairing is absolutely popping off in points. Ric Charlesworth is leading the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League in points, currently with 12 goals and 13 assists, while Bas O’Bigbers on his wing has been having a brilliant third season with 11 goals and 13 assists of his own.

The last time the Berserkers had such a dominant forward connection was probably Minamino and Marner on their Season 55 Four Star Cup team. That pairing weaponized the Berserkers power play into a relentless machine that helped power them to a championship.

Will Bas and Charlesworth sustain this production? Hopefully so. It’s been a pairing that has pretty much become the team’s primary scoring source, and if this line marches onward into Newfoundland greatness, I would expect that they’d be the secret weapon to Newfoundland’s playoff run this season.

WC: 159

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