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TheOPSquid · 04-10-2024, 10:39 AM

It is kinda hard to believe that I am entering my final season of my junior career. It feels like I just joined the site not too long ago and now it has been close to 7 months. Ever since I joined the Malamutes and the SMJHL I have played alongside the same core, but with them all aging out now it is my turn to be the old guy on the squad.

A Snowstorm of Changes Malamutes

With Season 75 coming to a close, multiple Malamutes hit the climax of their junior careers and culminated with yet another playoff loss to their main playoff rivals the Maine Timber. Long time teammates are now graduating to their SHL teams where they will hopefully see success this season.

Players leaving: Florian Soderberg-Motyla and Bobby Tkachuky to the Toronto North Stars, Kristian Seppanen and Jim Wen to the Atlanta Inferno, Jaxson Reaper to the New England Wolfpack, Vyacheslav Shevchenko to the Edmonton Blizzard, Newton “Lizard” Campbell to the Expansion Draft and The Great Khali to free agency(IFA).

Florian Soderberg-Motyla @Fluw is graduating to the Toronto North Stars after being the first overall pick for them in the Season 73 SHL draft. Soderberg-Motyla was a swiss army knife throughout his time with the Mutes, putting up 180 assists with 80 goals along with playing the penalty kill throughout his career. Soderberg-Motyla has been a great member of the Malamutes and routinely dished the puck to multiple players on the squad and even made the Season 74 Defensive All Star Team. Always hovering around 50 takeaways and a point per game, Florian’s two way play was always phenomenal, playing on both the power play and penalty kill. The 6’5 center never had a faceoff percentage lower than 55% and won over 2500 faceoffs for the Yukon throughout his career here. Florian Soderberg-Motyla is one of the all-time leaders in multiple skater categories for the Malamutes. Sitting atop of all-time assists for the Malamutes with 180, third all-time in points with 260, the all-time leader in penalty minutes with 177, third in power play goals with 28, fourth in power play points with 80, and is also the all-time leader in faceoffs taken and faceoffs won, winning 2572/4572(56.2%).

Internationally, the Polish youngster plays for Norden in the World Junior Championships and will represent Sweden in the International Ice Hockey Federation. His World Junior career was capped off with winning back to back Gold Medals with Team Norden in Seasons 74 and 75. Playing his first two international tournaments with Sweden before combining to form Norden, Soderberg-Motyla finished his international junior career with 27 points in 60 games, with 24 assists and 13 goals. He was knocked out of the first round in the tournament his first 3 appearances but then went on to win Gold in back to back seasons putting up 5 points in 6 games, scoring the overtime winner in the Gold Medal game in Season 75.

The most recent inductee into the Malamutes Hall of Fame, Soderberg-Motyla was a key member of the team and showcased that by picking up a couple team awards throughout his tenure with the Mutes. Winning the Swing Dog Award (Most Assists in the Season) in S73, the Lead Dog Award (voted Best Team Leader by teammates) in S73 and the Prospector Award (Most Penalty Minutes in the Season) in S74.

Going to remain teammates with Florian is Bobby Tkachuky, @fubaguy drafted 7 picks later by the North Stars at 8th overall. Tkachuky was acquired via trade before the beginning of Season 72, after being drafted by the Regina Elk. Yukon sent them a S72 4th (became Tiko Menhir) and a S73 1st (became Bartholomew Chungus Gingersnap III) in exchange for Bobby. Bobby Tkachuky was one of the best screeners in the league, setting up in front of the net and hammering rebounds home while getting tips in important moments. The power forward has spent the majority of his junior career playing center but has been known to play wing on occasion. Racking up 85 goals and 151 assists for the Malamutes, Tkachuky has been a major player on the power play throughout his career so far and would be a great addition net front for any squad. Not a slouch defensively, Tkachuky has averaged around 30 blocks and 40 takeaways a season despite playing minimal time on the penalty kill. Bobby Tkachuky is fourth all-time in assists among the Yukon Malamutes with 151 assists and fifth in all-time points with 236. Bobby also finished his Yukon career with the highest career plus minus with 61, fourth in hits with 155, and third in faceoffs won and taken, winning 1860/3391(54.8%). The longest tenured alternate captain in Malamutes history spent three of his four seasons with an A on his jersey and was a scout for the Yukon head office and was actually the reason I got drafted to them. Thanks Fuba!

Tkachuky was an international mainstay for UCORCAL during his time in the World Juniors Tournament, routinely putting up points for the squad. Tallying 25 points and 12 goals in 48 career round robin games. Adding on a 53% faceoff percentage and 62 hits, Tkachuky was utilized in all sorts of roles for UCORCAL throughout his time there. Making it out of the Round Robin 3 times with UCORCAL, although not showing on the scoresheet Bobby Tkachuky was instrumental in UCORCAL taking home a bronze medal in Season 74.

Bobby was a key contributor for the Mutes over his time here and picked up multiple team awards. He won the Pupper Award (Most Impressive Rookie Season) in Season 72, the Prospector Award (Most Penalty Minutes in the Season) in Season 72 and the Klondike Award (Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs voted by teammates) in Season 75.

Kristian Seppanen @MrPresident was the captain of the Malamutes for 2 Seasons in S74 and S75, and is heading to the Atlanta Inferno this season to make his SHL debut after being drafted by them 14th overall in Season 73. Being drafted 11th overall in the Season 72 SMJHL Entry Draft Kristian Seppanen is one of the most influential two-way defenders that Yukon has had, leading or being top 5 in multiple all-time stat categories for defenders. Seppanen is the all-time leader in points among Yukon defenders with 145, all-time assists leader with 124, the all-time shots leader with 605, the all-time blocks leader with 739, and second all-time in power play points and assists. Finishing his junior career with 145 points and 124 assists, Seppanen was actually held scoreless throughout his first season and bounced back with a career year in his second season where he put up 47 points. Averaging 70 takeaways and 185 blocks each season, the special teams magnet still picked up an average of 2 minutes power play and penalty kill time on ice each game.

Kristian Seppanen was also a key member of Team Norden in their recent World Junior success. He won back to back Gold Medals in Seasons 64 and 75, as well as a Bronze Medal for Team Finland in Season 73. Playing 48 games for Finland and Norden, he put up 20 assists and was held scoreless in round robin and medal play, adding 5 assists in 9 games in the knockout rounds. Averaging 18-20 minutes in ice time per game for his World Juniors squads, the puck moving defender played both the penalty kill and power play at times, routinely putting up great defensive numbers.

Inducted into the Yukon Malamutes Hall of Fame this offseason before making the jump to the SHL, Kristian was an instrumental piece for the Malamutes throughout his junior career and enroute to leading most defender categories he also won some team awards. Seppanen won the Wheel Dog Award (Most Outstanding Season as a Defenceman) in Seasons 73, 74 and 75, Growler Award (Most Blocked Shots in a Season) in Seasons 73 and 74, and the Lead Dog Award (Voted Best Team Leader) in Seasons 74 and 75. After winning the Best Team Leader vote in Season 74, he would go on to captain the Malamutes in his final Season in Season 75. Seppanen was also nominated for the Alexis Metzler Award (Top Defensive Defender) in Season 75.

Jim Wen @Leppish is a great goalie that will find himself playing for the Atlanta Inferno after being traded from the Minnesota Monarchs in this offseason. The goaltender that has played the most games out of any goalie in Yukon history, the 175 games played sits at the top of the Malamutes goaltending leaderboard as he backstopped the team in all 4 of his junior seasons. He started off by coming into the league and immediately taking the starting position with 103 games played in his first two seasons, before splitting time with Mendenhall as a 1A 1B situation in his final two seasons. In Season 72 he was a member of the Rookie All Star Team after posting 24 wins and a .895 save percentage, then made the 2nd All Star Team in Season 73 after putting up 20 wins and a .908 save percentage with a shutout. Jim Wen wen-t on to take the lead in most goaltending stats for the Malamutes. Finishing as the all-time leader in Shots Against with 5231, 1956 more shots against than the second place goaltender! He also leads the history books with the most saves with 4700 even, 1735 more than second place. He also finished with the most Goals Against with 531, Wins with 77, Losses with 66, and played 2600 minutes more than any other goaltender in franchise history. Jim Wen put up 5 shutouts in his career and sits tied for second place all-time among Yukon goaltenders. He also leads every playoff goaltending stat beside Shutouts, Save Percentage, and Goals Against Average for the Yukon Malamutes. Jim Wen was arguably the greatest goaltender in Yukon history so it will be a big role for the next goaltender Karter Mendenhall to fill. Known for his impeccable positioning and solid reflexes, Wen will be going on to play for Atlanta this upcoming season and will look to solidify his place on the team.

Backstopping Team United States White to a Bronze Medal in Season 75 of the World Junior Championships, Jim Wen put up a 1.30 GAA and .953 save percentage for them in the knockout round. Consistently a big game player, in his 5 knockout round appearances he put up a combined 1.55 GAA and .955 save percentage with 170 saves! Jim Wen would end up bouncing around on different tournament teams, spending a season with Team UCORCAL, Team North America, Team United States Blue, and Team United States White.

Picking up the only Yukon team award that focuses on goaltending multiple times in his career, Jim Wen picked up the Mount Logan Award (Most Outstanding Season Between the Pipes) in Seasons 72, 73, and 75. Hopefully he can replicate his play for the Inferno and he can put up exceptional numbers like he did for the Malamutes.

Jaxson Reaper @ViN is the only early callup from the Malamutes, with the Season 74 defender going up to the big league to help New England compete again this season. Jaxson Reaper was an absolute steal of a pick for the Malamutes and was a major piece of the Yukon blueline while he was here. Being picked late in the Season 73 SMJHL draft in round 5, 63rd overall the puck moving defender was just shy of the 100 point mark and finished his Malamutes career with 95 points in 198 games. Breaking into the top 10 in goals by a Yukon defender, Reaper finished 11th in points among defenders and was just inside the top 10 in shots, hits, penalty minutes and plus minus for Yukon defenders. Jaxson was a quiet but extremely productive member of the Yukon while he was with us, letting his play do the talking for him the majority of the time. Averaging 108 hits per season, Reaper’s defensive play made him a reliable option for the Malamutes in all situations. With an average of 60 takeaways per season and a minute on both the power play and penalty kill, his versatility will be a strength of his as he jumps up to the New England Wolfpack this season.

Jaxson was a main part of Team The British Isles in the World Juniors, consistently playing a top 4 defending role. Tallying 8 goals and 15 assists in 48 round robin appearances, The British Isles would make the knockout round each season with Reaper but unfortunately lost their first game each season resulting in early exits.

Jaxson Reaper claimed 1 team award with the Malamutes in his three seasons with the team, that being the Prospector Award (Most Penalty Minutes in the Season) in his rookie season: Season 74. As one of the first 8 Season 74 players to make the jump to the SHL, I hope he goes on to keep producing well at the next level. Reaper was a solid defender all around and New England is making a good call to bring him up early as he joins other great callups and stars the Wolfpack have.

Vyacheslav Shevchenko @Jakesdy is a great two-way center that will be making the jump to the new-look Edmonton Blizzard this season. After being drafted to the Toronto North Stars in the Season 73 Entry Draft, he ended up signing with the Edmonton Blizzard this past offseason. With a well-rounded playstyle, Shevchenko was another quieter member of the Malamutes but when he was around the locker room he was a beauty. Never being a standout player on the ice, Shevchenko joined late in his rookie season as a waiver player and put up close to a point per game in his rookie season with 18 points in 22 games. Playing any role he was asked, he centered the second and third lines throughout his first few seasons and then had a big breakout season in his final junior season that saw him put up 79 points and 42 goals. Playing a solid two-way game, he was a key part of the Malamutes’s strong center trio of Soderberg-Motyla, Tkachuky and Shevchenko. Slotting in on the wing on the penalty kill and power play whenever needed, Shevchenko finished his Malamutes career with 194 points in 220 games. A 51.2% faceoff percentage with 1305 wins in 2549 draws over his career has him finishing fifth all-time in Faceoffs Won and fourth all-time in Faceoffs Taken for the Malamutes. Consistently a clutch player, he is also tied for third in game winning goals with 15 and fourth in playoff goals with 24. Vyacheslav Shevchenko is going to be a good addition to an Edmonton Blizzard squad that made a ton of changes in the offseason and is looking to build up a new locker room.

Vyacheslav was a key component of Team UCORCAL throughout his World Juniors career, playing only three seasons he put up 27 points in 36 games for the United Countries with minimal time on the penalty kill and only eclipsing over one minute of power play time in one of his three tournaments. In his 4 knockout round appearances he helped UCORCAL win the Bronze Medal in Season 74 and had 2 assists in the 4 games.

Shevchenko was a great team player who was a key core member of the Malamutes throughout his junior career and will be a great addition to the Edmonton Blizzard. Shevchenko picked up the Struck Goal Award (Most Goals in a Season) in Season 75 and hopefully he can carry his success to the next level as he should play a prominent role in the Blizzard rebuild.

Newton ”Lizard” Campbell @Cambridge_ is a strong defensive defenseman who excels at blocking shots. In only 3 seasons with the team before being picked up by the Ottawa Highlanders in the SMJHL’s expansion to 20 teams, Campbell slingshotted up to second all time in blocks for the Malamutes with 618. Sitting behind only Seppanen on the blocks list the defensive defenseman also boasts the second highest career plus minus stat for the Malamutes, behind fellow defensive defenseman Furious Chicken. The puck magnet himself put up 92 points in 198 games with the Yukon Malamutes, scoring 27 goals from the back end with little to no power play time each season. Always on the penalty kill for the Yukon, Campbell would normally rack up takeaways each season and averaged 37 each season. Campbell was an incredibly consistent defender who put up 29 points in his first two seasons and 34 points in his third, scoring 8, 9, and 10 goals to go along with his 20, 21, and 24 assists.

Newton “Lizard” Campbell shuffled around on a couple different World Juniors Teams, playing for Team NA, Team United States Blue, before winning a Bronze Medal with Team United States White in Season 75. With 12 points in 36 games played during the round robin, he added 26 takeaways and 64 blocks in that span. Locking in during the Season 75 tournament had him produce 0 giveaways in the 3 games with 6 blocks and added an assist to help defend the team’s goal and ultimately winning them a Bronze medal.

Newton “Lizard” Campbell added a team award to his cabinet as the winner of the Growler Award (Most Blocked Shots) in Season 75. Newton Campbell will be making his debut with the Ottawa Highlanders this season as they enter the league for their debut season.

It was a pleasure being able to share my first junior seasons with all of y'all and I'd like to thank you for making it a good experience, unfortunately we didn't get the job done in the end but you all made the locker room, discord, and team a fun place to be a part of.

Malamutes

The Old Guys Malamutes

A large portion of the Malamutes recent core was the Season 74 draft class that featured 7 additions to the Malamutes group. However with multiple pieces falling inactive, being called up early, or being on another team now, only 3 of the Season 74 draft class players remain active. Two left wingers remain Langston Hardison-Laurent and Squidwardo Tentacles, as well as defenceman Kaarlo Koivunen.

Langston Hardison-Laurent has been a large part of the core identity of the Malamutes since being drafted late with the 55th pick of the Season 73 SMJHL draft. After a slow rookie season, Langston would breakout extraordinarily in Season 74 and shatter all expectations. Putting up 95 points with 55 goals that season, Hardison-Laurent has since gone on to put up another 80+ point season and is entering his final year of junior eligibility. Langston is tied for 3rd all-time in Goals for the Malamutes with 103 goals, if he is somehow able to score 4 goals in the 66 games this season he will take sole possession of second all-time, if he can tally 39 goals this season he will tie Theodore Svatos for first place all-time in goals scored by a Malamute. Racing for the 300 point mark, Langston is currently 10th in all-time scoring with 219 points if he finishes at a point per game this season he should lock up the second spot as well, if he returns to his Season 74 form he could take possession of first place in Malamutes point scoring which is held by Svatos with 299 points. Hardison-Laurent is sitting tied for fifth in shots with 686, fourth in power play goals, and ninth in power play points.

In Season 74 Langston Hardison-Laurent was nominated for multiple awards and won everything he was nominated for, winning the Alex Light (Most Improved Player), Ideen Fallah (Most Valuable Player in the Regular Season), Raymond Lindsay (Most Outstanding Player of the Regular Season), the Jared Hanson Trophy (SMJHL Points Leader), and the Roberto Martucci (SMJHL Goals Leader). In Season 75 he was nominated for the Zach Miller Award (Most Dedicated User). The Floridian sniper is known for wearing Hawaiian shirts instead of dry fit undershirts while he plays hockey and has marked it as one of the biggest reasons for his success in the SMJHL, resulting in him getting drafted early to the Winnipeg Aurora 17th overall. Hardison-Laurent was named the newest Captain of the Yukon Malamutes this season, and will be captaining the team in his final junior season in hopes of winning the Four Star Cup for the first time in Yukon’s history.

Langston Hardison-Laurent has a trophy case full of team awards from the Malamutes to go along with his league awards. Langston picked up multiple awards such as the Musher Award(Most Valuable Player voted by Teammates) in Seasons 74 and 75, the Struck Gold Award (Player who led the team in Goals) in Season 74, the Swing Dog Award (Player who led the team in Assists) in Season 75, the Gold Rush Award (Player who led the team in Points) in Seasons 74 and 75, the Klondike Award (Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs) in Season 74, and the Team Dog Award (Most Outstanding Season from a Forward) in Seasons 74 and 75.

Kaarlo Koivunen is the lone Finnish defender on the back end for the Malamutes now, with the graduation of Kristian Seppanen. The 49th overall pick in the Season 73 SMJHL Entry Draft, the puck moving defender is incredibly mobile on the back end and has tallied 106 points in just 198 games with the Yukon Malamutes. Incredibly consistent from his rookie season, Koivunen has been a key contributor in the Malamutes top 4 defenders and a staple to the defensive core of the Yukon since his arrival. Always playing the penalty kill while getting some shots on the power play, the two way defender has put up 171 takeaways and 293 blocked shots in his first 3 seasons. Koivunen had a career high 10 goals in this past season and is pushing to try and break into the top spots in all-time defender categories for the Malamutes this season. Currently sitting 9th in all-time points among defensemen, if Koivunen can put up 39 points this season e could catch up to Seppanen for first place. Currently sitting at 8th in assists among defenders, he is also sitting at 8th in shots among defenders, tied for fifth in shorthanded points among defenders, and 9th in power play points among defenders.

The Season 74 Draftee won a couple team awards with the Malamutes, picking up the Howl Award (Loudest Voice in the Locker Room) in Seasons 74 and 75. Being drafted by the Calgary Dragons in the second round, Koivunen is looking to have a career year this season and establish himself as one of the best Yukon defensemen before moving on to play in the big leagues.

Squidwardo Tentacles is a hard hitting winger for the Malamutes that was picked up 22nd overall in the S73 SMJHL draft by the Yukon. Hovering around a point per game in the past three seasons, Tentacles is currently sitting at 13th in all-time scoring among the Malamutes and should break into the top 10 this season. With 192 points in 198 games so far, Squidwardo has put up 72 goals while being a physical presence for the Yukon. With 512 hits in his first three seasons, Squidwardo is sitting firmly in fifth all-time in hits for the Malamutes. Known for sitting in the penalty box, the checking forward is sitting third all-time in penalty minutes with 160 and will take first place all-time if he takes 15 minutes or more worth of penalties this season.

Getting the A on his jersey for the first time this season, Squidwardo has also worn the A for Team UCORCAL and Ratvia in the World Juniors in all 3 of his seasons with them. Being a core member of the team, they picked up a Bronze Medal in Season 74.

Squidwardo has picked up a Team Award in each season, winning the Dynamite Award (Most Hits on the Team) in Season 73, 74, and 75, the Swing Dog Award (Most Assists on the team) in Season 74, and the Prospector Award (Most Penalty Minutes) in Season 75. The 7th overall pick by the Seattle Argonauts in the Season 74 SHL Draft was also nominated for the Zach Miller Award (Most Dedicated User) in Season 74 as well as being a member of the Season 74 All-Star team as the last man in.

The Future of the Yukon Malamutes

Yukon has been a team that has had a strong squad on paper but hasn’t made too much noise in the playoffs recently, with two third round exits in the past four seasons and two division wins to earn them a bye round. With the most recent round of graduates, leaving 7 holes on the roster, a lot of new players have been added to the team for the 76th season of the SMJHL, as well as multiple returning players coming back after grinding in the offseason.

Taking on a bigger role are the Seasons 75 and 76 draft classes, Slava-Ukraini Heryoam-Slava, Karter Mendenhall, Peyton Mcbride and Elly Snow-Leopard from the Season 75 class, and Dash Jackson and Ylib Kove from the Season 76 class.

Slava-Ukraini Heroyam-Slava will be stepping into the first line center role for the Malamutes after the graduation of the previous 3 core centers. The two-way forward from Ukraine was the 6th overall pick in the Season 75 SHL Draft and is fresh off of a Gold Medal he won with Team Norden in the World Juniors. Currently sitting at 99 points with 30 goals in 132 games with the Malamutes, he should see a major increase in ice time as he steps into the first line role that is up for grabs.

Karter Mendenhall has been splitting time with Jim Wen over the past two seasons, putting up solid save percentages with a .896 and .900 in the past two seasons. With the graduation of a lot of the previous defensive core, Mendenhall will be heavily relied on to cover up mistakes made by a new younger defense core. With a new younger goalie stepping in to challenge him for a starting job like he did to Jim Wen, Mendenhall will have to rise to the occasion in order to claim the net again. Fresh off of a Silver Medal finish with Team World in the World Juniors, Mendenhall will be looking to continue his solid play that got him the starting job to begin with.

Peyton Mcbride is looking to step up into a higher pairing role for the Malamutes this season with 3 of the previous defensemen moving on. A nominee for best rookie in the World Juniors in Season 74, Mcbride has already put up 48 points in 132 games for the Malamutes during limited minutes, if he can improve on his previous seasons’ results he has a solid case for being the #1-2 defender for the squad in the next few seasons. With 100 takeaways and 180 hits to go along with 131 blocked shots, he can transition from offense to defense great on the breakout using his speed to break into the zone.

Elly Snow-Leopard is a great playmaking winger who has been great in her first few seasons with the Yukon Malamutes, putting up 104 points in 135 games so far. The playmaker has racked up 65 assists already and is on pace to break into the top 10 in Malamutes scoring if she continues her great play from the past two seasons. Just behind Langston Hardison-Laurent in the depth chart, if his plays starts to stumble, look for Elly to step up when needed. A versatile winger like her can slot in pretty much anywhere and serve as a solid setup option for a line and look for her to continue that this season.

Dash Jackson was an undrafted free agent last season that the Malamutes snagged on the waiver wire that has developed into a solid defender for the Mutes. The 6’3 smooth skating defender put up 12 points in 56 games last season and added 112 shot blocks and 30 takeaways. A solid defensive performance from the rookie served as a great start to his career. The defensive defender is all about defense and is focusing on locking in on opposing teams’ top players which will be needed a lot with the graduation of multiple defenders from last season’s roster. Playing a top 4 role should grant Dash some improved ice time and we will see how he handles the pressure of being relied on heavily.

Ylib Kove is going to be slotting in in one of the top 2 center spots for the Yukon this season, with the departure of the previous core it will be a battle between Kove and Heroyam-Slava to see who performs the best and will take that top line spot for the season. After picking up a Silver medal with Team World in the World Juniors this past offseason, Ylib is going to be looking to use that experience to spring forth and seize the opportunity in front of him. A well balanced player, Kove was mostly on the wing last season and put up 37 points with 13 goals. Naturally a center, he does have a career faceoff percentage of 56.3% and will be instrumental in how the Sled Dogs perform this season as he shifts into a full season at center.

New additions to the Yukon Malamutes this season are Season 76 Center Big papi, Season 74 Winger making his return to the Malamutes Fred Bread, Season 75 Defender Dooddle Wonderpeck, Season 77 defenders McLovin and Bouch bomb, Season 77 goaltender Dexter Harrison Jr. and Season 77 winger Kursed Kleaver.

Fred Bread is a new addition to this version of the Malamutes but was actually drafted by the Malamutes in Season 73 in the third round. Playing his first 2 seasons before going inactive, the breadman has 110 points and 43 goals for the Yukon in 132 games. Unfortunately currently inactive, the Breadman makes his return for his final SMJHL season.

Big papi is making his SMJHL debut this season, unfortunately after not being picked up on a team through waivers last season due to rosters being full. Papi is making his debut as a higher TPE rookie forward and is looking to make an impact early. A third round pick by the Hamilton Steelhawks, Papi is a well rounded forward who helps out on the backcheck but also likes to score goals whenever he can. Not overly physical, the new addition to the Mutes relies on his positioning in order to defend the breakout and intercept passes. A great pick up in the offseason, the Yukon hopes he can become a key contributor this season and into the future.

Doodle Wonderpeck is an inactive Season 75 defender picked up by the Malamutes this season, previously playing his rookie season with Carolina he contributed 22 points in 66 games while having 65 blocks and 35 takeaways.

McLovin is one of the newest players for the Yukon this season, being drafted 11th overall by the Malamutes in the SMJHL Entry Draft. Well rounded in all aspects, he is looking to make an impact on the Juniors in his first season. Most likely being played in a top 4 defender role, the 11th overall pick is going to be put with a great partner for his first season and should be fast tracked for success. An average skater, McLovin is an offensive defender who likes to generate offense from the back end and dominate his team’s blueline. McLovin will likely take a top 4 role this season and look to take a top pairing spot next season depending on how the defense core produces and the age out of Kaarlo Koivunen.

Bouch Bomb is another well rounded offensive defender that is making their debut for the Malamutes this season. A pass first defender that skates hard and fast to stay in position and get shots to the net, the Canadian defender will be pushing hard to make an impact from the blueline. Not shy from standing up for their teammates, the 6’3 defender is known to be a solid fighter as well as a solid defender that can contribute offensively. Bouch Bomb will most likely be on the third pair this season as they adjust to the SMJHL and compete with the other defenders to earn a higher spot in the lineup.

Kursed Kleaver is an all offense forward who was picked up on waivers after the draft this season. The fast forward has no interest in playing defense and will only pokecheck in the offensive zone in order to generate their own scoring chances. Kleaver’s go to move is flying in with speed and ripping shots on goal in order to generate rebounds and trying to beat the goaltender. One of the best skating forwards in their rookie class, Kleaver will be pushing hard to generate offense for their line all season.

Dexter Harrison Jr. is another waiver pickup by the Yukon Malamutes this season that will look to make his mark on the junior league. Son of Nevada Battleborn legend Dexter Harrison, he will look to replicate the success his father had. Known for always being in great positioning to make a save, Harrison Jr. will look to challenge last season’s starter Karter Mendenhall to see who gets the majority of starts in goal this season.

Malamutes

The Goal for this Season Malamutes

This season may be filled with growing pains as the younger members of the Malamutes start to take on bigger roles and fill in the spots that the most recent graduates have left. However with the recent expansion making all teams make the playoffs, anything can happen in the playoffs. With a large group of Season 75 and 76 players, the Malamutes should be looking to make another serious run next season as the players gain more experience and TPE. For this season, the Mutes will be looking to build up some experience and rally together as a group throughout the season and hope to make some noise in the playoffs. The Malamutes will be looking to make the rookie seasons of the younger pups a fruitful one and hopefully they enjoy their time with the Yukon.

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