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Allegiant · 09-06-2020, 09:43 PM

S55's Best Power Play Performers

It should go without saying that special teams can be one of the more important facets of a team. Man advantages (or disadvantages) come regularly, and the ability of a team to convert on their chances while denying the same to their opponent can often be the difference in any particular game. It’s simple in theory, though considerably less so in practice. While team composition and coaching decisions count for a great deal when it comes to successful special teams, individual performers cannot be removed from that equation. For that reason, this article will run through some of the most successful powerplay performers in the SMJHL this season, in order to both highlight their successes as well as explain — at least a little — how they were able to find such success.

Starting out, we have Walton Stromberg of the Maine Timber. A talented center capable of playing at both ends of the ice, Stromberg fits the ideal mould that many teams look for in their centers: he’s got decent size, he’s physically strong, he’s a decent skater, and he has the playmaking instincts that fits perfectly with just about any scoring winger in the league. To that end, it’s little surprise that most of his points on the power-play were assists. Through the season, he notched 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 total powerplay points. That’s nearly half of his total points on the season, at 31. While he may not have led the league this season, he has very clearly etched himself a niche on the stats sheet as an avowed powerplay specialist.

Matching Stromberg with 15 points is Grapefruit Lizard (and he won’t be the last to have notched 15 on the season, either!). Another center, Lizard has all the size that a team could want — more, even. Standing at 6’11” and 300lbs, he is an absolute beast of a man. Despite that, he doesn’t have much of a physical game — and he’s not even much of a passer. No, Lizard is a scoring center, two words which were once viewed with disdain in the SHL. But times have changed, and enough players have proven the success of goal-scoring centers that Lizard should have little to fear in that regard. Between size, his surprising speed, and the laser-accuracy of his shot, it’s not hard to see why he was able to find success. In total, he tallied 8 goals and 7 assists on the powerplay, and he was St. Louis’ top performer in that regard.

The next entry into the 15-point club is Alexander Oscarsson, an all-around offensive winger for the Maine Timber. Although he doesn’t have a particularly hard shot, Oscarsson is a surprisingly reliable shooter when he takes his chances. This year, he found most of his success as a set-up guy on the powerplay, with 5 goals and 10 assists. Maine may not have been a high-powered team throughout the regular season, but they did have a very competent powerplay, and they may be one of the teams that can most thank their special teams performance for helping them crack the .500 barrier. Oscarsson, as a remarkably well-rounded attacker, was clearly one of the key components of that.

Another component was the next entry to this list, also with 15 points — that being Maine’s own Kyle Sutton. While Sutton is a capable playmaker, there’s no doubting that his focus is on putting the puck in the net himself. He is, accordingly, one of the better powerplay goal scorers with 9 goals and 6 assists to round out his 15. He’s one of the faster players on Maine, but it’s his ability to find open areas for one of his linemates to slide him the puck that really separates him from the crowd. His shot is just good enough that when an opposing penalty kill gives him the time and space on the ice, he’s a constant threat to find the twine.

The next, and final player to have recorded 15 points on the powerplay this season was Anchorage’s Cyril Vyskoc. One of the older players in the SMJHL today, Vyskoc is perhaps best characterized as a two-way center with a sniper’s shot. Perhaps even more deadly than his shot is his ability to get in front of the net and screen the goaltender, making full use of his relatively average frame. He’s hard to knock out of the front of the net, and so he’s a threat to score on the break, at the circle, or with a deflection. He tallied 8 goals and 7 assists for his 15. He was also a near-point-per-game player overall, so clearly Vyskoc’s offensive skills translate just as well in five-on-five.

Inching our way further up the list, we come to Daniel Laforest — fortunately, a player who broke the 15 mark. At 6’4” and 220lbs, Laforest is another tall, passing center. That much is evident just by glancing at the stat sheet — a whopping 14 of his 16 points with the man advantage were assists, leaving just 2 goals. It’s not hard to see why Laforest is able to find such success — while he doesn’t always effectively use his size to screen, he is extremely effective at working his way to the net, he’s one of the strongest players on the puck, and he can practically see plays unfold before they even happen. As one of the smartest playmakers in the SMJHL, he undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of him at the highest level.

Linus Grimstad sits one point higher at 17 — yet another solid SMJHL center. There have been years in the league’s history that good centers have seemed a little on the rare side. This has certainly not been one of those years — in fact, there’s a wealth of centers to choose from on this list alone, and just about all of them boast elite skills. For Grimstad, it’s a one-two punch: he’s an excellent passer, and an excellent shot. His stats pan out that way as well, with 7 goals and 10 assists. While he isn’t as much of a presence in front of the net as some of the other forwards on this list, he’s one of the best at putting the puck on his winger’s tape, in open ice or through traffic.

Next up, we have Anchorage’s Chris de Siren, who’s tied with Grimstad with 17 points. He’s also a welcome break from all the centers on this list, as a scoring winger — at least on the powerplay, with his points coming in the way of 9 goals and 8 assists. That tally may be a little deceptive, as de Siren is in fact another well-rounded offensive player, able to skate, shoot, and pass in equal measure. He could probably do with getting in-front of the net a little more, but it certainly hasn’t impacted his game thus far. His method seems to be one of pure finesse.

Sven Svenson takes up the next spot with 18 points. Although he could be described as an all-around offensive forward, for Colorado, he’s indisputably taken on the role of sniper. He’s got some decent size, but it’s his hands that have really earned him his paycheck, as he’s got an extremely accurate shot, especially in deep. He’s also an excellent puck handler and an all-around capable athlete. In total, he managed 11 goals and 7 assists — the third most powerplay points, and tied for second in goals.

The top two powerplay producers are, it must be said, a head about the rest in production. They’re also two examples, similar to Stromberg earlier, of players who found a large portion of their overall offense through the powerplay. But, before we get to those two, we’re going to take a short stop to look at another player — an honorable mention, as it were. While every single player on this list has been a forward, it’s worth at least taking a look at the top defenceman in this category.

That defenceman is Alexei Petrikov of the Anchorage Armada. Although he doesn’t have the booming shot that you might expect of a top defender on the powerplay, he’s instead found his niche through careful passing plays — he’s notched 12 assists and 1 goal for 13 overall points as a sort of powerplay quarterback. What makes Petrikov special is that he’s also a very solid player defensively: unlike some who might aspire to play a similar role, he hasn’t traded in his defensive chops for any kind of single-minded offensive focus. Rather, he’s just a very solid player at both ends of the ice.

Returning to the top players themselves, we come to the final two — both forward, and both from the Newfoundland Berserkers. First up is Ryuuji Minamino. Minamino is best described as a power forward — he’s a solid skater, but he’s also entirely capable of just forcing his way through traffic. He doesn’t use his size and strength in front of the net as much as you might thing, but that doesn’t really hurt his performance any — he’s got good eyes for the play and can score or make a play in equal measure. In all, he had 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points — tied with Svenson for goals, but with more of a passing tendency.

Finally, we come to the top powerplay producer this season — and the top point producer (and goal scorer) period -- Mats Marner. It’s not that hard to see why — Marner is another big center who thrives in-front of the net. He’s strong enough that opposing defenders struggle to clear him from away from their goaltender, and he’s got an eye for deflections. He’s also just as able to make plays as his wingmate in Minammino. Overall, Marner has just been able to control the pace of play in the offensive zone in a few few other centers have managed. He has undoubtedly benefited from the sheer strength of the Berserker’s offense, but nobody should take anything away from him personally. His 12 goals and 15 assists seat him at 27 points overall, to make up a little less than half of his 62 overall points.

*Toast* · 09-07-2020, 09:57 AM

Just pumping out media! PP beeg.

Cool to see just how many of the top scorer's total points were powerplay points.

Snoopdogg · 09-07-2020, 11:03 AM

Hey thanks for the kind words, and I like this media good job

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