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Leoben · 01-20-2020, 03:39 AM

Ready for grading. I got this as 1370 words.

Season 51 saw Texas improve, though not quite enough to make the playoffs. Despite a late season push they came up three points short. Being in a relatively weaker Western Conference, this was disappointing to say the least. The team looks to be better this season even if they are still struggling to find an identity. The Renegades have been in rebuild mode for quite a few seasons and GMs @dankoa and @Jearim are hoping to finally see some results from their hard work. Unfortunately, the future is uncertain once again as Season 53 will see the league go through a drastic change. This change is greatly needed but it could turn the league on its head for a few seasons thus nullifying seasons of work. How it all pans out remains to be seen and the Renegades are solely focused on their upcoming campaign. With only a handful of journeymen leading what remains a very young core, there are still plenty of reasons to be excited in Texas. Here are a few of them.

Key Players

Andreas Kvalheim - Left Wing @raymond3000

S51 Highlights - 22 Goals, 25 Assists, 47 Points, 218 Hits.

This is the player Texas seems to have built their franchise around and he's an excellent choice. It was a priority to get him locked into a contract and they did just that last off-season. When the Renegades hit their peak, so will Andreas. He's a very physical forward and not afraid to mix it up when necessary. No fights last season but why would anyone want to? Expect more of the same from him in Season 52 but hopefully in higher volume. If the team is to have success this season, it will be in large part because of him. He's also one of two players who had a positive +/- on the team.

Harvey Danger - Defense @hockeyfan

S51 Highlights - 12 Goals, 41 Assists, 53 Points, 84 Hits, 83 Shots Blocked.

Danger is one of the best defensive players in the league and is helping to bring along the rest of the new young defenders on the team. He led the team in assists in points and while he will probably start slowing down soon, he should still have plenty of time to help the Renegades find success. He's not afraid to mix it up and has his own seat reserved in the penalty box for home games. He should continue to do his thing this season and hopefully the rest of the defense shows up.

Josef Kubinec - Left Wing

S51 Highlights - 24 Goals, 22 Assists, 46 Points.

Kubinec was a pleasant surprise considering expectations were low. Due to inactivity in the SMJHL, his peak will be lower so he's playing on borrowed time but making the most of it. Still plenty of holes in his game that he needs to work on but he's coming off a breakout season as the team's leading goal-scorer. That will need to continue. Since dropping down to the second line, his productivity has increased.

Piotr Horvat - Defense @Slowpoke

S51 Highlights - 8 Goals, 21 Assists, 29 Points, 77 Shots Blocked.

Horvat had a decent season but this season might be his breakout. He has improved greatly over the off-season. He's an old-school defensive player so he may not have the stats of some of his counterparts but his role is crucial. He still has a very high ceiling. He's becoming a solid leader in the locker room already and will be a good example for the young recruits. I'd expect him to remain paired with Leppanen for now but that can always change.

Ricky Spanish - Left Wing @Whikadoodle

S51 Highlights - 9 Goals, 19 Assists, 28 Points,

Ricky is coming along nicely. Fairly quiet in the locker room and hasn't updated or trained in a bit but hopefully he is committed to the cause this season. Expectations were high when he was called up and while he hasn't quite gotten there yet, this could be a big season for him.

Emeka Valentine-Okoli - Right Wing @ProjectSaint

S51 Highlights - 6 Goals, 14 Assists, 20 Points.

Emeka has been quiet since before Christmas but hopefully that changes. After a solid rookie outing things should improve as long as the work is put in.

Noah Brusky - Defense @BrewskyBoy

S51 Highlights - 1 Goal, 18 Assists, 85 Shots Blocked.

Noah is another of this young defensive core that looks to be meaner this season. Like Horvat, his point output was lower but that's not his style. If he can shut down opposing offenses, he's doing his job. Just need the offense to do theirs. He did well paired up with Harvey last season and unless there is a shake-up, I would expect the season to start like that.

Björn Leppänen - Defense @puolivalmiste

S51 Highlights - 3 Goals, 10 Assists, 55 Shots Blocked.

More of an enforcer, Björn's overall game should be much better this season. He did rack up a few penalty minutes this season but some say that's his job. He will help protect the less physical second line on offense and make sure they aren't getting to beat up. Some call them goons but we call him a hero.

Prospects

Their prospect pool is solid and there are plenty of guys waiting in the wings. They are being encouraged to stay active and we hope they realize that the Four Star Cup is not the end game, as it appears to be for many players. The Four Star Cup is merely an optional salad before you get to the main course. Texas will need people like Jake Primeau @rangersbruinslightning, Ivan Maximus @thiefofcheese, Kaarlo Kekkonen, White Goodman, Alexander Water @MP7, Dario Medici @ThatDamnWalrus, Adam Scianna @RedCapeDiver, Noah Nystrom @LightningDragon, and Guy O'Shea @JSS331 to continue to get better and be ready for a call-up in a season or two. That is one promising list of prospects who I will have to give more attention to in a future piece. But we all know how quickly that promise can turn to disappointment. This league can be unforgiving at times.

Still Plenty of Work to Do

There is room for improvement in every aspect of the game which is actually good news for a team that still managed 21 wins during a rebuild.

This team has actually had success in overtime and shootouts as most of their losses came in regulation. They tend to strike fast and hard and then fade. Endurance is definitely an issue for them as they only had 37 goals in the third period last season. That's second-worst in the league. Compared to their first period output of 58 goals which is good enough for 6th. Hopefully they've been working on their cardio this off-season.

Special teams is still dreadful when compared to the rest of the league. Their power-play efficiency is 19.02%, fourth worst in the league. Penalty Kill is at 76.33%, third worst.

Their shot output is also low but their offense has been anemic at times.

These are all signs of a young team and all things that will improve as long as the work is done. GMs and coaches can set all the strategies they want but if the talent isn't on the ice, it doesn't matter. However, all signs seem to be pointing in the right direction. Time will tell.

Expectations This Season

Some players have been talking about the playoffs and considering how pitiful the Western Conference has looked recently with the exception of the top teams, the post-season in Texas is a real possibility. What happens after that is anyone's guess. Just a taste of the post-season will be enough to let everyone know they are for real. After this season, it's all up in the air again with the big change coming. Still, it's better to focus on what they can control now, and that's the effort they give this season. Things are looking up in Texas.