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As we come to the close of the 35th SMJHL season, it’s time to start thinking about playoffs and season awards. While there are many awards to be handed out, there’s one that truly stands above the rest. Nearly every player wants to win the Most Valuable Player Award, putting their names into a small class of individuals that stand above the rest of their colleagues, even if it is just for one year. While the MVP Award typically goes to one of the points leaders, we’ll look at a couple noteworthy names that may find themselves getting a new piece of hardware:

Points Leaders: Crossfit Jesus and Matthew Auston
As tradition, points leaders always seem to have a shoe in for MVP. And this year the St. Louis Scarecrows seem to have two feet firmly planted within the circle of contention. For the second year in a row, line mates Matthew Auston and Crossfit Jesus have played exceptionally well- both are tied for first in overall points (42), while Jesus tops the Score tally (22) and Auston tops the Assists column (28). They’ve been the engine driving St. Louis all season, and don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. If history repeats itself, and St. Louis once again fails to capture the cup, these two boys are for sure not going home empty handed.

Most Active: Cody Fletcher
I can here it already, “What’s that? A rookie for MVP? That’s preposterous!”. And to a certain extent, I agree. Cody Fletcher may not be a household name, or even a recognized name outside of Halifax, but the fact of the matter is that Cody since day one has contributed to the SMJHL in many ways. Fletcher is the 7th highest rookie in terms of points, and has been one of very few players to enrol into the SMJHL Internship, helping not only the club, but also the league itself. Rumors also have it that Fletcher’s also active in Halifax’s front office, being one of the names thrown into perhaps filling a co-GM or Assistant GM role. Though it would be an unusual pick for MVP, it may be justified all that Cody has done this year.

Total Rebrander:[color= green] Nour Harrak [/color]
“WHAAAAAAT?! ANOTHER ROOKIE C’MON MAN”. Don’t worry, this one is incredibly unlikely. However it cannot be overstated how much the new Adidas rebrand has done for the SMJHL. Teams have gone from looking like shit to be hits with the new jerseys and logos. And none of that would’ve happened without rookie Nour Harrak . Again, is that enough to win MVP? No, most likely not, being able to convince Adidas to help a small league out is no small feat.