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Muerto · 04-17-2022, 08:23 PM

DRAGONS REPORT Dragons

For the first time in almost 20 seasons, the Calgary Dragons will not be participating in the SHL Playoffs.

After a disastrous first half which saw the Dragons win only 9 games, the team found its footing in the second half, and had a chance to secure themselves a position in the playoffs on the last sim day. Sitting only 2 points behind the Winnipeg Aurora with 3 games to play, their fate was in their own hands. However, they stumbled in 2 games against the Minnesota Monarchs, dropping both to find themselves playing a meaningless last game against rival Edmonton Blizzard, finishing with a shootout loss to end the season with a 23-39-4 record.

The last day was a microcosm of the Dragons season overall - there were many games in which Calgary showed their talent and ability, winning games against Texas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Buffalo twice. But it was against the teams in the bottom 8 of the league in which the team seemed unable to get it together. They lost 5 of 6 to Edmonton, 3 of 4 to Minnesota, twice to Winnipeg, as well as Ls against new England, Toronto, and Montreal. Those losses piled up and eventually were the difference, leaving the Dragons on the outside looking in for the first time in a long time.

Despite the disappointing record and gut-turning finish, there were many positives that happened during the season.

Long-time Dragon Barry Batsbak played his final season, as he announced his retirement yesterday, and what a season it was as he scored 30 points to surpass 800 in his career, and leapfrog Dragons legends Mike Izzy and Randy Randleman to sit 2nd on the all-time Dragons Franchise leaderboard. He had multiple 70+ point seasons in the late S50's, but even in the twilight of his career he still produced and contributed in a big way for the team. He will almost certainly find his banner hanging in the Dragons Hall of Fame, and should be a shoo-in for the SHL Hall of Fame as well.

A couple of other players hit the 700 point mark this season as well - newcomer Jon Forty-One joined the team as a Free Agent, and he added a good deal of offense to the top line, scoring 48 points and tied for the team lead in assists. Another Dragons lifer, Esa Parmborg, had a resurgent season with 48 points as well, one of the most consistent players all season, Parmborg had his best season since S61 to launch himself into the top 5 off all-time franchise scoring as well.

Leading the team in scoring for the second straight season was Captain Luukas Lilja. He potted a team-best 24 goals and added 28 assists. notching his second 50+ point campaign in his young career, proving that he is joining the elite talent of the league's best players. Lilja was one of the leaders of the late charge by the team, scoring at a PPG pace over the last third of the season to give the team a chance. Right behind him on the scoresheet was linemate Taylor Johansson, who had a strong late surge as well, with 15 goals and 35 assists for a 50 point season.

Although the team struggled defensively at times, a couple of defenders stood out with strong campaigns. Aumy Jr had a career-high 16 goals and also added 22 assists - his 38 points were the second-most in his career. Richard Lafleur had a strong season as well, matching his career high in goals scored, as well as new career bests in blocked shots and hits. He was also the only player on the team to have a positive +/- rating. Alternate Captain Chris Goodname led the team in blocked shots, and finished 10th overall league-wide in that category. Another bright spot was youngster Eero Makela, setting new career bests in assists, points, blocked shots, and hits. He continues to develop and establish himself as a strong presence on the Dragons blue line, as well as entertaining the team with his morale-boosting LR posts.

In goal, youngster Zhen Roza often was faced with a barrage of shots as the team struggled defensively, but he still put up a new career best in wins with 19 and saves, with over 2000 saves on the season he was top 5 in the league in that category, as well as total shots faced. He continues to develop nicely hitting the 1200 TPE mark and looks to keep improving.

Another long-time Dragon Warrior has likely seen his outstanding career come to an end, as Brennan Kennedy Jr. established himself as the 2nd-most Games Played in franchise history, finishing up with 1078 games in a Dragons uniform, and the all-time leading scorer amongst defensemen with 626 points.

The season also saw the beginning of the transition to the youth movement on the team. Alternate Captain Alexis Saint-Michele overcame his sophomore slump of last season to notch 15 goals and 33 points. His fellow S59er, Artemius Nystrom, was acquired in a trade and in his first season as a Dragon was very impressive - he scored 37 points which was a new best for himself and was a force defensively as well, second on the team in hits.

On the rookie front, the Dragons had 2 players from S61 making their SHL debuts. Duncan Mackenzie had a fantastic season, 3rd on the team in goals for (17) and led the team in hits , he definitely showed that he is a genuine power forward who will menace opposing players for seasons to come. He also had his first season as coGM, helping to stabilize the Team HO and keeping the team focused on the important things amidst the shitstorm of distractions of the past season and a bit. The other rookie, Grogu Mandosson, wasn't very good.

Another positive of the season is that the Dragons do own their own first round pick, which as a lotto pick could be anywhere from 1st to 4th overall. With initial scouting already underway, the staff will be able to focus in on this pending draft class, which looks very very promising with several blue chip prospects rising up the rankings as the playoffs get set to begin. The team will be excited to add a high quality prospect into a system which already includes up and coming players like Evan Winter, Hank Stopper, Godwin Lupercal, Brent Ashe II, and Michael Byfuglien. The Dragons will be cheering on and likely betting on the prospects as they get set to challenge for the 4-Star Cup.

All in all, it was a transitional season for a team which saw new management take over and look to stabilize things after a tumultuous prior season. In many ways the torch is being passed to the next generation who will look to bring the Dragons back into contention as they continue to grow and develop. But for now the team is cast into the grim Offseason Dimension, and work for next season begins.

At this point, I would love to pad my word count so if you have any questions about the team or the plans for the future, or anything really, please ask away!

Good luck and have fun!

DarkCanuck29 · 04-17-2022, 08:50 PM

Grogu wasn't THAT bad. He was one of the leaders on PIMs this year! That is good, right?

Winnipeg Aurora Aurora

*Katth* · 04-18-2022, 03:25 AM

S50 Challenge Cup Finals Game 7
[Image: gNFVjT6.png]

Slappydoodle · 04-19-2022, 11:24 PM

kikish18 · 04-20-2022, 06:53 AM

Steelhead77 · 04-22-2022, 09:17 AM

Great recap! The future is bright!

Dragonite

---> ParmBorg Highlights <---

#1 All-Time SHL Goal & Point Scorer
- First 2,000 TPE Player in SHL History -
- First 400 Goal Scorer in SHL History -
- Only 500 Goal Scorer in SHL History -
- First GM to Win 5 & 6 Challenge Cups -
Esa Anrikkanen Award - SMJHL ROY - Est. S34
Vidrik Onoprienko Award Winner - S45

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