Deep Dive #2 - A look into a S82 SHL mid-table team - Printable Version +- Simulation Hockey League (https://simulationhockey.com) +-- Forum: League Media (https://simulationhockey.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=610) +--- Forum: Deep Dive (https://simulationhockey.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=432) +---- Forum: Archives (https://simulationhockey.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=547) +---- Thread: Deep Dive #2 - A look into a S82 SHL mid-table team (/showthread.php?tid=142908)

Deep Dive #2 - A look into a S82 SHL mid-table team - Le Thrill - 05-08-2025 Hockey, like many other sports, favors talent and skill above all else. The best players in the league in every hockey league, real or simulation, are both hard workers and born with an innate gift. The most talented, the most skilled teams will be atop the standings, they will be the ones who contend for titles and cups while on the other side of the coin, the ones lacking these factors are at the bottom and hope to bring in that talent, bring in that skill. Those who often go unnoticed, however, are the ones in the middle, whether they are falling from their contending window or rising to it these middling years tend to be forgotten. In this deep dive, we will look at one of these middling teams, the Philadelphia Forge as I believe they are a classic example of a mid-table team in the SHL. Last season, season 81, the Forge finished third in the entire SHL with a strong 41-win season. They were led by center Ubba Lodbrok who finished with 101 points on the season, the third most by a skater that year. Their point differential sat at a comfortable +46. Unfortunately for the Forge, despite this strong regular season, they were not able to escape the first round, being beaten in 7 games by the Tampa Bay Barracudas who'd end up winning the East to make a finals appearance though they'd be beaten by the juggernaut San Francisco Pride. Coming into season 82 the Forge were expected to take at least a small step back, they kept a lot of the same cast including the team's highest and second-highest scorer Ubba Lodbrok and Tony Soprano respectively. The reason Philly could anticipate a step back was due to their player's regression. It's something all SHLers will experience and it's the one battle no one can beat no matter how great of a user you may be (Without breaking the rules of course). The Forge saw 9 players regress in the offseason and that includes the previously mentioned Ubba Lodbrok and Tony Soprano. In those 9 who are regressing are 6 different players who are season 68 or earlier. On the other hand, at the top of the standings the Calgary Dragons saw only three players regress. Now as we sit 47 games into the season for Philly they are in the middle of the pack in terms of standings with a record of 23-21-3. This is not a terrible record at all and it shows that the team still has very talented players, strong users, and smart GMs. They also sit at -2 in terms of the difference which illustrates how they are very much a mid-table team this year. So where do they go from here? In terms of mid-table teams who are falling vs mid-table teams who are rising the Forge aligns more with the former than the latter. With that being said the Forge have good young players on the team including S79 prospects Jacob Marsh and Barcus Juneau. I don't have a view in the Forge locker room and unfortunately, I've never had the honor of chatting with Forge GMs Acsolap and KaleSalad but I can assume they are both supremely talented at what they do. With just a few good picks to replace the players who are regressing this team can be back as a contender before too long. The reason I called this a typical mid-table team in the SHL is that it's not a team run by poor GMs or plagued with bad users, it's simply a team that's recouping a little. No matter where you sit at the standings now, if you have good GMs and a good locker room you have great odds to be near, if not at, the top of those standings someday, and with a little luck, you'll hold that cup. RE: Deep Dive #2 - A look into a S82 SHL mid-table team - Ara - 05-08-2025 Approved for +5 TPE @Le Thrill Making it eligible for the double spheal: Double Spheal