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karlssens · 11-11-2018, 08:30 PM

---- The Blizzard Rebuild ----

Following a strong S33 showing that saw the Edmonton Blizzard go 30-16-4 to finish 2nd overall in the west with 64 points they fell short to the Los Angeles Panthers in round 1 after a 6 game series. An uncertain future in store, the management tandem of Allegiant and karlssens opted for the much needed rebuild. It was something the league felt was long overdue as Edmonton possessed a regressed roster with absolutely no prospects in sight because it had opted to move picks for established veterans over the past several seasons in its quest for another Challenge cup. Similar to the more recent Seattle Riot, the Edmonton Blizzard entered rebuild mode the next season with little to no draft picks, but quickly moved desirable pieces such as Barney Stinson and the rights to Pedro Sarantez in an attempt to load up in future drafts.
You could argue the S35 entry draft could be the starting point for the Edmonton Blizzard rebuild as they traded down from 1st overall for the 4th, 11th and 12th overall selection, however as you’ll soon find out in this article none of those selected in that draft are still with the Edmonton Blizzard. So when did the rebuild start? Looking back now it’d have to be the announcement of Eric Chisling as co-gm. Having already been a part of a successful rebuild in New England just 10 seasons prior he was the obvious choice to bring in to the management pool then and that still resonates true to this day.
With that being said I’m going to discuss trades and draft pick selections made from the S36 draft to the end of S40. More specifically, I’m going to focus on moves that acquired current roster players. Yes there are several trades that made no impact on our current roster, and yes there are several trades we certainly lost, but these are the moves that turned the Edmonton Blizzard in to a western conference contender they are today.

Side note... I wrote most of this back during S41, so some of it may be outdated or flat out wrong. I think I caught most of it though.

Entering his 17th season with the Albertan capital club Scholz has seen it all and is eager to hoist the Challenge cup one more time before retiring.

The S36 Entry Draft: Coming in to the draft the Edmonton Blizzard had the 1st, 25th and 37th overall selection through the first 3 rounds. While this was a decent grouping of picks, it could easily be improved upon. With Allegiant having stepped down and being traded to the Texas Renegades the season prior to the S36 Draft, lone GM karlssens moved the 3 picks in a blockbuster with the Minnesota Chiefs.

Minnesota Chiefs acquire:
S36 1st overall selection (Isak Odergard)
S36 25th overall selection (Eric Pellieter)
S36 37th overall selection (MF Ozolins)

Edmonton Blizzard acquire:
S36 4th overall selection (Tigole Bitties)
S36 17th overall selection (Chippy Chiclets)
S36 18th overall selection (Bar Downski)

Looking back now this trade turned out great for both teams involved. Minnesota got exactly what they wanted out of 1st overall selection Odergard. A shutdown defenseman with well over 1000TPE, Odergard is now one of, if not the top defenseman in their organization. Despite a somewhat slower progression Pellieter has also turned in to an amazing asset for the Minnesota Chiefs sitting comfortably with over 1000TPE as well. Going the other way was Tigole Bitties and Chippy Chiclets, sitting at just over 1800 and 1000TPE respectively. While Tigole Bitties is no longer with the Edmonton club there is no denying his value to organization. Although Chiclets has since gone inactive, he brings tremendous value as a depth defender on a lethal Blizzard blue line. The last 2 names, MF Ozolins and Bar Downski sadly had no impact on either current roster (RIP Downski). While it’s hard to argue whether either team truly “won” this trade, I can say with certainly this was the move the proved to be the catalyst for the rebuild in Edmonton. Tigole Bitties agent, Eric Chisling quickly assumed the role of co-gm following the draft, as was discussed during pre-draft scouting, and blue chip defensive prospect Chippy Chiclets made it known he’d make the rest of the league pay for letting him fall in the draft. The two would join the Mike Izzy, Fedor Shirobokov, Carrick Murray and Shoyu Kikkoman from the S35 draft class as part of the future core of Edmonton (or so we thought).

The Search for a New Center: At the end of S35 the Blizzard had a decent 1, 2 center combo in franchise centerman Nikolaus Scholz and then inactive Krysztof Kowalski. The intent was to groom a new star center through the draft who could quickly surpass Kowalski at #2 and eventually replace Scholz as the line 1 center for the rebuilt Blizzard. That all changed through when Kowalski announced his retirement and management were forced to find a new #2 for the beginning of S36. After a lengthy scan of the SHL landscape the Blizzard were able to find their ideal replacement that still fit the original goal.

Portland Admirals acquire:
S36 Edmonton 4th (Kevin Marks)
S37 Edmonton 3rd (PASS)
S36 $1,000,000 cap space

Edmonton Blizzard acquire:
Teodors Cukurs, F

Since the time of this trade Cukurs has returned to activity and has effectively doubled his TPE total from low 700’s to over 1400. Once destined to forever play 3rd line minutes behind Nikolaus Scholz and then center prospect Tigole Bitties, Cukurs is now a mainstay within the Blizzard organization top 6 and has recently come off several successful regular season campaigns where he has scored at a near point per game pace. Toss in an Aidan Richan Trophy for most improved player in S37 and Teodors Cukurs is perhaps one of the biggest success stories for the Edmonton Blizzard and a perfect example of why sticking it out with your current player can be just as rewarding as recreating after a long spell of inactivity.

The second longest active member of the Blizzard, Cukurs has become an SHL mainstay after a shaky start to his career.

The First Blockbuster: Shortly following the announcement of Eric Chisling as the new co-GM of the Blizzard there were rumbling out of Edmonton that previous 1st round selection, Mike Izzy felt slighted by the decision and rightfully so. He had been an invaluable asset for the Blizzard in his short time since arriving, promoting the new Blizzard brand as well as assisting significantly in the pre-draft scouting for the S36 Entry Draft. He certainly met all the criteria for a co-GM and was a strong candidate, however first gen karlssens opted for the lengthy SHL experience of Eric Chisling at the time to help guide him through what was expected to be a significant rebuild. As a result, the Blizzard entered what would be their first of several blockbuster trades.

Calgary Dragons acquire:
Mike Izzy, F
S37 Toronto 2nd (Alex McKinley)
S37 $2,000,000 cap space

Edmonton Blizzard acquire:
Teddy Cuddles, F
S37 Calgary 1st (Tommy Barlow)
S36 $2,000,000 cap space

Looking back this trade could have gone many ways, but thanks in large part to the dedication and desire to succeed by Teddy Cuddles you could argue this trade was effectively a wash. As advertised Mike Izzy has become an absolute sensation for the Calgary Dragons and should be one of the SHL’s premier power forwards for some time. Likewise Teddy Cuddles has proven to be an absolute powerhouse for the Edmonton Blizzard as highlighted by his Aiden Richan winning performance in S40 as the SHL’s most improved player of the year. But his contribution to the Blizzard goes far beyond his performance in the sim. As head scout he has provided an invaluable service to the Blizzard management over the past seasons and the team agrees as shown by voting him in as the second alternate captain at the beginning of S39.

The S37 Entry Draft: Okay so between the Izzy/Cuddles trade and the S37 Entry Draft there are a lot of trades that feature the Edmonton Blizzard (easily 10 or more) including the departure of long time names such as Theo Kane, Brent Broadway, Ivan Koroviev and Viktor Svensson, but the overall goal was largely the same, acquire and improve picks for the S37 draft.

S37 3rd overall selection – Hercules Rockefeller
S37 4th overall selection – Shaun Stephens
S37 7th overall selection – Tor Tuck
S37 11th overall selection – Matiss Kokins
S37 16th overall selection – Barbie Tanner

Looking back on it I am beyond pleased with the results. As it stands now both Rockefeller and Tuck remain as key pieces of the current and future Blizzard with well over 1000TPE each. The big miss here is obviously Shaun Stephens at 4th overall, but I’d gladly miss on him again if it meant we could land Rockefeller and Tuck. The two go well beyond just the sim. Rockefeller serves as our current coach and has an immense wealth of knowledge concerning all things SHL related being one of its first members. Tuck brings with him significant sim league experience from other leagues, an unmatched desire to succeed (I’ve never seen such an in-depth look at free agency before S41) and is now acting head of Norway’s IIHF team among other site jobs.

Entering S44, Tor Tuck has become the #1 Blizzard blueliner. He'll look to continue building on a strong S43 performance.

Oh Captain my Captain: As was the case with the S37 Entry Draft I am going to skim over multiple trades featuring the Edmonton Blizzard including the entire S38 Entry Draft. While it did net the Blizzard a nice haul, none of the players selected from that draft class remain on the current roster. Furthermore they will soon be referred to later in the article so stay tuned. At the conclusion of S38 the Blizzard met an obstacle all rebuilding squads are faced with: Patience or Action. Unless you’re new to the league I’m pretty sure you know what happens next. Prior to the S39 Entry Draft the Seattle Riot made it known they were entering a rebuild of their own. The Blizzard saw an opportunity to immediately improve their squad without stunting their current growth and pounced on the opportunity with a pair of huge deals.

Seattle Riot acquires:
Chris Smulander, F
Roddy Hawkins, D
S39 Edmonton 2nd (Liam O’Callaghan)
S40 Edmonton 1st (Ensio Kalju)
S41 Edmonton 2nd (Jussi Hammanen)

Edmonton Blizzard acquires:
Cory Knouse, F
Viatcheslav Orlov, D
S39 $2,000,000 cap space
S40 $2,000,000 cap space

Seattle Riot acquires:
Svatoslav Bodnar, D
Ekaterina Rudnikova, G
S41 Edmonton 1st (Daniel Danill)

Edmonton Blizzard acquires:
Michael McFadden

Although Smulander and Hawkins have since retired and Rudnikova found herself eventually backstopping the Texas Renegades, you can’t deny the Seattle Riot were able to net a strong return on several prominent players as they acquired what would become O’Callaghan, Kalju, Hammanen, Bodnar and Danill. I’ll leave that to Seattle to analyze though. Going the other way the Blizzard landed what would become their captain and highest TPE earning skater for some time, Cory Knouse, as well as the highest earning TPE goaltender in the SHL at the time, Michael McFadden. The two have combined for several award nominations since joining the Blizzard at the beginning of S39 including a Mike Honcho award winning season by McFadden in S40. Both put up sparkling performances again in S41 netting a Mexico, McBride and Khan Nomination for their combined efforts. As was the case with Tuck, Rockefeller and Cuddles, their contribution to the Blizzard goes beyond just the sim. Knouse is an active presence within our locker room and continues to serve as a role model for our new members, proving why he still serves as acting captain.

The Big One: The trade everyone knew was coming when they read the title. The Tanner-Blackwell trade. I’ll save the introduction and just dive in.

Hamilton Steelhawks acquires:
Connor Blackwell, F
Marc LeClerc, D
S38 $2,000,000 cap space

Edmonton acquires:
Connor Tanner, D
S42 Hamilton 3rd (Pass)

The 1st overall selection in the S37 draft by Hamilton, Connor Tanner had expressed interest in a change of scenery. He even went as far as posting a team ranking article despite being signed for a few more seasons. The opportunity to acquire a big name defensive prospect doesn’t come around often, especially one with a strong interest in Edmonton, and so the Blizzard management team got to work on a potential deal. After a lengthy discussion they opted to trade from a position of strength to fill a position of need. Connor Blackwell’s talent was undeniable, but the Blizzard already had tremendous center depth in Cukurs, Bitties and Scholz. Looking back this trade could have been handled better, but at the end of the day it’s a trade I’d make every time. Yes that is easy to say given how Blackwell has since retired, but it goes so much deeper than that. Tanner has become a fixture in our top 4 and signed long term for 8 seasons. And again as is the case with all of our Blizzard players his contribution goes well beyond the sim. A GM in Montreal for some time he has now become the acting co-gm of the Edmonton Blizzard where he has already orchestrated many big moves landing the Blizzard several quality assets.

The Push for a Playoff Berth: With the window closing on the S39 trade deadline and the Edmonton Blizzard battling for the 4th and final playoff seed the management tandem opted to shake things up.

Manhattan Rage acquires:
Kornel Kasparek, D
Shoyu Kikkoman, D
Cedric Moreau, G
S40 Seattle 2nd (Reginald Rove)
S40 Edmonton 2nd (Quinn Cullen)

Edmonton Blizzard acquires:
Wyatt Wollker, D
Harry Hans, F
William Goddard, D

On paper you could argue this trade favors the Rage, however the Blizzard opted for quality over quantity as it looked to strengthen their defensive core for a potential playoff run and the next several seasons. Kasparek and Kikkoman were prominent defensemen within the Blizzard organization, but with the emergence of Tanner, Tuck and Chiclets alongside Orlov at the time they found themselves on the outside looking in and destined for 3rd line minutes. Wollker meanwhile had the TPE and pedigree of an established defender and immediately improved our top 4. Once again, Wollker’s value cannot be measured purely on the sim. A longtime member of the league and 5 time Challenge cup winner he knows what it takes to win and provided a wealth of knowledge for our first generation players.
The addition of Harry Hans to the deal met the Blizzard’s second biggest need, a scoring winger to fill out the top 6. The cost was step though as we were forced to lose a blue chip goaltender prospect in Cedric Moreau. Acquired in the S38 draft, Moreau was intended to be the future of goaltending in Edmonton. The problem was that future was undetermined given the career expectancy of current starter Michael McFadden. Moreau had expressed significant interest in playing along Aittokallio in Manhattan so it seemed like an ideal trade for all parties involved.

Retiring with the Blizzard at the end of S42, Wollker netted 111 points in 166 games while with Edmonton.

Double Dipping: In our previous transaction with Manhattan Wyatt Wollker was our top priority, but on forward what we truly wanted was Redding. Unable to come to an agreement we opted for Hans at the time, but this time around we landed our guy.

Manhattan Rage acquires:
Harry Hans, F
S41 San Francisco 2nd (Cody Johansen)
S42 Edmonton 1st (Nicholas Falk)
S42 Edmonton 3rd (Pass)

Edmonton Blizzard acquires:
Ace Redding, F
S40 $1,000,000 cap space
S43 Manhattan 3rd (Steven Moyer)

Looking back now this trade proved to be rather inconsequential as far as long term assets go. Harry Hans soon retired, Cody Johansen is an inactive FA, Nicholas Falk is a big piece, but he was actually drafted by Texas after Manhattan moved that pick in a future trade. Ace Redding spent 3 seasons with the Blizzard, but now finds himself on Seattle and lastly Steven Moyer has quickly moved to the San Francisco Pride following the end of the S43 draft. While none of them are currently helping the club shown in the trade above there is no denying that Ace Redding provided tremendous value for the Blizzard during his time there. Acquired at the S40 trade deadline he collected 120 points over 166 games and was a big presence in their top 6 until some of the younger names succeeded him.

As stated in the original paragraph there are waaaaay more trades than just those above in the timeframe of S36 to S40, but I felt these best represented the “Edmonton Rebuild”. The beginning of S36 would arguably be the starting point, and the end of S40 being the end. By that point we had qualified for our 2nd consecutive playoff appearance after posting a strong record of 27-15-8 for a total of 62 points. While we continue to make moves to shape, improve and refine our roster I don’t feel they fall in to the category of the rebuild so to speak, but rather maintaining a contending team. Thanks for reading.

[Image: Edmonton.png]

trella · 11-11-2018, 08:41 PM

Karl always writes the best media. This was a great read and its super fun to look back at all the moves that were made. You and @Ace did a fabulous job with the rebuild and I’m so glad to have been a part of it