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TheOPSquid · 04-02-2024, 06:21 PM

Welcome back to yet another recap for the Seamigos prospect pool. The Argonauts have been building up a monumental amount of prospects and with the addition of more in this most recent SHL draft, there are quite a few to keep track of. For those unfamiliar with the Argonauts' plans, the current squad is deep in regression at the moment and after a few we will say, unfavourable standings results the Argonauts have been sitting pretty with a couple top 5 picks in the past couple drafts. Add in quite a few trades to grab first round picks as well as multiple second and third round steals, the deep prospect cupboards will continue to grow as prospects start to make that deep end drop into the endless sea of SHL seasons.

One of the biggest prospect showcases in real world hockey, the only prospect showcase for the SHL and SMJHL (side note, a top prospects game would be pretty cool to add) is the World Junior Championships. With 12 teams from around the Simulated World collaborating and facing off in the most prestigious international tournament currently available to them, teams battle it out in order to earn themselves a gold medal. With new GM's for each team each season, rosters can flip and flop each season and thus players' performance as well. Some players can be thrust into a shutdown role while only being an offensive sniper, some defensive forwards can be playing the point on the penalty kill, versatile players can excel in almost any role and the World Juniors is a place to see that. Also you get a gold medal beside your name on the forum which is probably the best part.

Not qualifying for the knockout rounds but had Seattle prospects on them were: Team Canada Black, Team Rhine, and Team ICE.

Team Canada Black

Having two Season 75 drafted Seattle prospects with Jean-Jacques Francois Jacques-Jean and Groaty Bronson on the squad, Canada Black had a record of 2-1-7-2 with 10 points in the round robin. 7 points shy of getting into the knockout round while being outscored with a goal differential of -23. Jean-Jacques Francois Jacques-Jean was slotted in on left wing on the first line and was able to score but the team was a bit leaky on defense. Tallying 4 goals and an assist in 12 games with a lot of power play and short handed time. It looks like the squad relied heavily on their top 2 lines to play the most, being reflected in the time on ice. Unfortunately for JJFJJ he was not able to click very well with the line, being separated from Maine Timber teammate Mia Lavoie who played on the second line could have had an impact. JJFJJ made sure the opposing teams felt his presence though, tallying a game winning goal as well as being second on the team in hits with 20. Groaty Bronson was one of the top 2 defenders on the squad, averaging 21:15 TOI for Canada Black while playing close to 4 minutes on the penalty kill. Chipping in with 4 assists from the back end, only 1 of those came on the power play. Bronson was stellar with the highest defensive rating on the team with 79 as well as standing in front of 52 shots to block them from reaching the goaltender. Unfortunately for both, Canada Black did not make the knockout round and their World Junior Championships were ended early.

Team Rhine

Only 1 player for the Rhine squad is a Seattle prospect, Season 75 draftee and future Argonaut goaltender Henri Losanov. Losanov was the main man in net for the squad, edging out Timo Leppanen with Losanov coming in to relieve Leppanen in one of the games. Despite only playing 1 more game than Leppanen, Losanov faced an extra 57 shots and made 52 more saves. Putting up a 3.42 GAA and a .905 save percentage, Losanov had a solid tournament despite only grabbing 2 wins. Rhine's main issue were special teams, ranking 11th in penalty kill percentage with 70.5% and 9th in power play percentage with only 11.8%. Losanov unfortunately had 0 power play goals despite being on the ice for the entirety of every power play. Unfortunately he has to work on his ability to score on the power play! Other than that Losanov projects to be a solid starter in the future for the Argos!

Team ICE

Team ICE has only 1 representative from Seattle but he was with Ratvia in heart. Kristians Mikelis took up the mantle of Left Defence for Team ICE and when not on the ice would manage Team RATVIA as the general manager. Team ICE split up their defenders' ice time pretty evenly and with 17 minutes average on ice, Mikelis's smooth skating excelled. Picking up 3 assists from the point at even strength, Mikelis was able to pick up 7 takeaways with only 1 giveaway in the tournament. Coming fourth on the team in hits with 24, Mikelis was rarely on the ice for a goal against finishing as a +2 and taking 2 penalties. With limited time on the penalty kill and power play, Mikelis understood the assignment and was able to lock in and shut down whoever the team needed him to. Team ICE was unable to score on the power play throughout the tournament, finishing dead last in power play percentage with 10.7%. They limited shots against finishing second in SA/GP with only 26.75 shots hitting their goalie per game.

Teams that made the Round Robin but were eliminated in Round 1: Team British Isles, Team Czechia, Team Ratvia, Team USA Blue,

Team British Isles

The British Isles had one of the newest Future Argos on the team, with Squilliam Fancyson making his World Junior Championships debut. The 6'4 Center played a limited role on the fourth line for the team but contributed 4 points in 12 games in the round robin with only 9 minutes of ice time each game. He was also the lone goal scorer for the Isles as they flamed out 5-1 in the first game of the knockout stages. Playing a limited role, Squilliam was able to put up a 55.7% faceoff percentage and win key faceoffs for the team and went even on giveaways and takeaways with 3 each. Fancyson had a good tournament, not blowing away teams offensively but quietly contributing well to the British Isles throughout the tournament.

Team Czechia

Czechia had a Yukon Malamutes legend Wellerman on the squad, the Future Argonaut made his World Juniors debut at the same time that Team Czechia made their World Juniors debut. Wellerman was part of a strong offensive side, which saw him finish 5th in winger scoring while playing on the fourth line. Adding in 5 assists, the Wellerman was held to 0 goals throughout the tournament while playing no time on the special teams units. Finishing as a -1 Wellerman was able to contribute decently offensively in his 12 minutes of ice time throughout the tourney.

Team Ratvia

The Rats rostered three different Argos this season, with Rence Sykut being in his last season of eligibility before heading up to the Argos for a Season 76 SHL debut. Squidwardo Tentacles and Olivija Agate are also main pieces for the Rats as they battled up to 4th place in the round robin but were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage. The Rats were able to successfully keep the puck out of the net the most out of all teams finishing with an average of 2.5 goals against per game, while also punishing teams physically finishing 5th in hits per game with 23.5 per game. Olivija Agate was found to be playing a third pairing role while also managing the second penalty killing unit. Agate contributed well on offense as well putting up 2 goals and an assist in the round robin. Agate was able to finish third on takeaways with 10 and also finished second in blocked shots with 21. With the 4th highest defensive rating on the squad, Agate was trusted and excelled in a third pairing role. Rence Sykut was put on the second line left wing and also ran the point on the first line power play and limited time on the penalty kill. Putting up 5 points in the round robin, Sykut tallied three goals on his 15 shots as he primarily looked to gather assists. Sykut led the team in takeaways with 12 and only 4 giveaways as he had exceptional two-way play throughout the tournament as well as the third highest defensive rating on the team. Squidwardo Tentacles was a main contributor offensively for the Rats, picking up 8 points and finishing second on the team in assists with 7. Playing first line on the power play and penalty kill, the Latvian led the team in Shorthanded time on ice per game with 3:04. Racking up 30 hits, the hard hitting forward put up an uncharacteristic 0 penalties throughout the tournament as the Rats were bounced in the first game of the knockout stage.

Team USA Blue

The best team of the round robin, USA Blue was seen as the team to beat after going 11-1 over the first 12 games. With a goal differential of +35 and 66 goals throughout those 12 games, USA Blue had 13 more goals than second place and 19 more goals than the third closest team. James Madison was able to contribute pretty well in the fourth line center role, picking up 3 goals and 5 points with a +0 and 10 penalty minutes. Playing on the second penalty killing unit throughout the tournament, Team USA Blue had a solid 81.6% penalty kill rate. James Madison was a net 0 in the tournament, picking up a 50% faceoff win rate with 38 wins and losses, as well as 6 takeaways and 4 giveaways. Madison unfortunately exited the tournament early as the Americans were bounced in the first round after going up against last season's winners Team Norden.

Teams that made it out of the first round: Team Canada Red, Team USA White, Team World, Team Norden

Canada Red

Team Canada Red had two of the most recent Argonaut prospects, with Chuff D'Lee and Caper Poirot both being picked up in the most recent SHL draft by the Argonauts. Canada Red finished tied with Ratvia with 20 points in the round robin but lost the tie breaker and were placed 5th. Chuff D'Lee was the shutdown defensive partner for Canada's first defensive pairing, putting up 3 assists alongside a more offensive partner who had 8 points. Chuff was sprawling out and blocking shots though, putting up a crazy 30 bruises for the boys in red as well as a 71 defensive game rating throughout the round robin games. Splitting time on the power play and penalty kill, D'Lee was relied on throughout the tournament to play any role and he did well in all of them. Caper Poirot was locked in on the second line albeit was shuffled around a lot throughout the tournament as Canada worked out what worked and what didn't. Poirot was able to chip in decently on offense with 4 points in 12 games despite having only a 9.1 shooting percentage. Caper was capable on the power play, picking up an assist as well as an average of a minute per game on the power play. Both players went scoreless throughout the knockout rounds, but were able to both finish positive in their giveaway to takeaway ratio. Chuff D'Lee was second on the team in defensive rating throughout the important games with a stunning 84 rating and 9 blocks throughout just 3 knockout games. Failing to medal in the Bronze medal game, Team Canada Red still had a great run throughout the tournament and should leave with their heads held high.

The teams that Medaled

Team USA White

Your Bronze Medal winners was none other than Team USA White, boasting one of the top scoring SMJHL players and Seattle prospect Shadow Fenix, arguable MVP nominee defenceman Eric Vanderberg Jr. and shot blocking connoisseur Newton "Lizard" Campbell. The United States White team was great throughout the round robin, picking up a record of 7-1-4-0 and 23 points throughout the tournament as well as a +15 goal differential. Leading the way was Shadow Fenix with 12 points in 12 games, racking up 10 assists and a point per game while having an abysmal 5.7% shooting percentage. Averaging 21 minutes per game, Fenix was a top player on the squad with over 2 and a half minutes each on the penalty kill and power play each game. Shadow Fenix was able to continue his assist streak throughout the knockout round and pushed to 3 more assists in the 3 knockout games as well as a 61.5% faceoff percentage. Newton Campbell was back at it, blocking 21 shots and posting a 74 defensive game rating as the defensive defenceman played solid on both ends of the ice. Tallying 5 points and a goal, the Lizard was able to be effective all over while getting some time on the second power play and penalty killing units as well. Eric Vanderberg Jr. was relegated to a third pairing role and 17 minutes of ice time but was phenomenal throughout it. Racking up 10 takeaways and only 3 giveaways in the round robin, Vanderberg Jr. was part of a strong defensive core that pushed Team USA White to a Bronze medal.

Team World

Team World has the newest members of the Argonauts' future, with recent trade addition Jimothee Penjamin on defence and Season 76 draftees Peppi Guiseppe and Stavros Kondos playing forward. Team World was identified with solid all around play and an amazing power play, although also a terrible penalty kill. Finishing second with a stunning 29% conversion rate on the man advantage and an equally stunning last rate of 66.7% on the penalty kill. Kondos was great for Team World, putting up over a point per game on the second line for them with the majority of them coming at even-strength. With 7 goals and 6 assists throughout the round robin, Kondos was fifth on the team in scoring while playing only 14 minutes per game and under 45 seconds on the power play and under 30 seconds on the penalty kill each game. Jimothee Penjiman was solid throughout the tournament as well, leading Team World in defensive scoring with 8 points in 12 games. Sending in 7 assists with 2 coming on the power play, Penjiman was all over the ice at even strength and added in over 2:30 of power play time per game. World's leader in ice time put up 25 shot blocks and 22 hits, sitting at 3rd in both on the team. Taking the puck away 12 times to his 3 giveaways, Jimothee was efficient in every asset a defenseman needed to be. Peppi Guiseppe was given a limited role and was great throughout it, notching 5 points in 12 games while averaging only 11 minutes on ice per game. Kondos was the leading scorer for the rounds that matter most, putting up 3 goals and 3 assists in 4 games. Jimothee Penjiman had an assist in the game that pushed Team World to the Gold Medal game, with Kondos adding 2 assists in that game as well. Peppi Guiseppe was scoreless throughout the knockout rounds and was even in plus minus, takeaways, giveaways and added 3 hits in his limited role as a rookie. In the Gold Medal game, it was all Argos as the amigos from Seattle were the two goal scorers that answered the bell for World when it mattered most. Penjiman got his lone goal of the knockout round on the power play in the second period to tie the game at 1 each. Stavros Kondos would push the World ahead with a goal a minute into the third period. Unfortunately for both they weren't able to cement the victory but it was an awesome performance for Team World after finishing third in the round robin.

The Winners of the World Juniors

Team Norden
Dread it run from it, destiny arrives all the same.

Team Norden was written off by some people after finishing 8th in the round robin and barely squeaking into the knockout rounds, but you know what Team Norden said? Not really much, they just put their heads down and played hockey to win it all. Team Norden sports 2 big pieces of Seattle's future, both being third overall picks in the Season 74 and Season 75 draft; Will Tomlander and Pinli Switchbang. With an extremely deep team, Tomlander and Switchbang were staples in the bottom 6 forwards, both getting limited minutes at even strength as well as averaging around a minute on the power play. Tomlander was playing on the left side of the ice for the fourth line, yet put up 6 points in 12 games with 2 goals. Tomlander saw his scoring luck swing the other way this season, with his 25.9% shot conversion rate from last tournament dropping to only 7.1% in this tournament. Pinli Switchbang made his Team Norden debut this season, centering the third line he tallied 5 points in the round robin with 4 assists. Locking down the center of the ice with a 59% faceoff win percentage, Pinli was sent out on the power play unit in order to win some crucial draws and came up big. The 5'6 center was solid in the bottom 6 and wasn't shy from blocking shots either gathering 6 blocks in the round robin. Both Seattle prospects were absolutely huge in the knockout rounds, picking up key goals at key times. Switchbang tallied 2 goals in the three games, scoring a goal in the first knockout game to start a comeback which would see Norden bounce back from a 3-1 deficit to win 5-4 in regulation. Pinli got his second goal to kick off the scoring in the second elimination game scoring halfway through the third period to pull within 1 against Team USA White, this game would see Norden force overtime and with a Tomlander assist on the OT winner it would push them to the Gold Medal game. Tomlander was part of the most clutch line for Team Norden in this tournament, getting an assist on both of Soderberg-Motyla's overtime winners in the second elimination game and the Gold Medal game. Tomlander picked up 5 points in the 3 games that mattered most to Team Norden and left the Gold Medal game as the first star. Grabbing an assist on Norden's first goal of the Gold Medal game, Tomlander dished it to his Detroit Falcons teammates Jaaseklainen and Karlsson in order to take the early lead. But after Team World scored twice to take the lead off of goals by Seattle prospects, (Kondos and Penjiman) Will Tomlander would bury his first goal of the knockout round to tie the game and send it to overtime with 4 minutes left. Tomlander would pick up another assist in overtime which would see Soderberg-Motyla tally his second overtime winner and secure the Gold Medal for Team Norden. Norden wins their back to back Gold Medals which is a great achievement, can they make it 3 in a row?

Congratulations to Team Norden on their Gold Medal win!

Every team that made it into the knockout round had a Seattle Argonauts prospect on it and the teams that medaled all had at least two future Argonauts on the team, I don't think this is a coincidence eh? With the Argonauts currently deep in a rebuild and most of the prospects currently cooking in the SMJHL and now World Juniors, their future looks bright and I hope they can eventually win a cup! Lets go Argos!

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