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***Jexter*** · 05-13-2024, 04:32 PM

With the phenomenal light show being visible much further south than usual just a few days ago, we will examine another light show, but centralized right here in the SHL: the Winnipeg Aurora. This season, the Aurora found themselves solidly in the upper middle of the pack in the SHL with an eighth-place finish in terms of a record. This good, not great regular season has transferred into post-season success yet again with Winnipeg in the Conference Finals. However, what is happening with each individual player over at Winnipeg? What makes them all work together in the regular season and how does that transfer to the post season? More importantly, are there any fantasy gems to pick in S77 on this roster? We are going to go down the entire roster of the Winnipeg Aurora, going by most regular season points in S76 to least.

The Aurora have always been a team that is unafraid to mortgage the future in exchange for the present, having been willing to trade for experienced players or sign them in free agency. However, with a few players coming up, is this the start of a rebuild? My answer is no, this is more of a retool as they do what they have done previously when young players were finding their footing in the league. In fact, some of those early seasons in Winnipeg for the young players were some of the best as they were able to get plenty of points and wins as a team while even still finding their footing. While 12 of the current 17 Aurora players are S63 or older, Winnipeg has always been a team that has been tactically sound, able to make the most out of their veteran players, who in turn have been able to extend their careers even when they are past their primes.

We have several players that are chasing records and milestones on the Aurora, notably Lias-Ekholm Gunnarsson who is 30 points shy of 1000 career points and only 75 goals back from 500. LEG had a bounce back year last season (93 points) after a minor fall from grace in S74 (63 points) and in S75 (72 points) after a monstrous performance in S73 (125 points). Maybe they are just really happy that Lord Farquaads announced his retirement, but if LEG keeps it up, those milestones are very easily achievable, the goal one as well.

On LEG’s line was Mikko Rashford, finishing up his 12th regular season in the SHL, and doing it in style with 87 points, the second most on the Aurora. Rashford is another player with a chance to hit 1000 career points as he currently sits at 933. Like LEG, a product of the WPG prospect system, Rashford has been a stalwart and consistent points producer, particularly adept at passing the puck. Rashford is also only 24 hits away from 1500 in his career and 72 blocked shots from 500. Rashford will continue in their duties as a massive boon to the Malamutes for the foreseeable future, even as their favored Co-General Manager has taken a step back from the management position, instead focusing on coaching.

Scoring 72 points in his last year in the SHL, Lord Farquaads is retiring shockingly young, but rumor has it that he is looking in the mirror and decided that it is time to find a wife and start a family. Over his regular season career, Farquaads could have been a point per game producer had he not spent 3 seasons on defence. That being said, the winger has had consistent seasons for Winnipeg, operating as a workhorse capable of contributions on both ends of the ice. Last season, Farquaads got 72 points and retired just 14 goals shy of the 200-goal milestone. Additionally, Farquaads was actually the team leader in TPE, but the retirement is just a clear indication of a slight changing of the times in Winnipeg with a desire for new names to pair with the legendary roster.

James Ward-Prowse, an up and coming forward, had his best season in the SHL in what his fourth season in the SHL with 61 points. JWP is just 7 goals shy of hitting 100 SHL goals having surpassed 200 career points this season. Ward-Prowse is one of the younger Aurora team members, a solid 12 seasons younger than the oldest. As an up and coming player, the Aurora will soon be relying on him to lead their attack, but with LEG still playing great, it is unknown how soon that will be.

Funnily enough, we had a tie for the most points by a defender this season on the Aurora with Jay O’Neil and Christian Kinsinger both getting 51 points. However, it was O’Neil who laid out the body several times over this season with 135 blocked shots. Another Winnipeg lifer, O’Neil has 1300 blocked shots in his SHL career and has the opportunity to reach 600 career points with just 15 needed for that milestone. Next season will also bring his 800th career game. O’Neil is what many would call a power play merchant, but I prefer to think of him as a special teams weapon. O’Neil has 92 of his 160 career goals on the power play and had 45 shorthanded points over his career. If trends continue, another milestone that could be reached for O’Neil would be 100 power play goals and/or 50 shorthanded points. Look for O’Neil to likely remain as one of the top pairings on defense for the Aurora next season as these individual marks are in reach.

Christian Kinsinger, for his part, is one of the younger older players, having joined Winnipeg in S65, another piece of the Winnipeg roster that has never been moved. (We see that many Aurora players have been in Winnipeg for their entire careers). Kinsinger had a bounce back year after it looked like regression could be taking its toll. With 51 points, 23 of them coming on the powerplay, the Winnipeg special teams is doing wonders for the defenders and the system has allowed Kinsinger to be instriking distance of two big points-based milestones. Kinsinger is only 18 goals from 200 goals and with 17 last season, it is certainly a possibility. Next is the 600-point mark which he is 10 points away from. With just a few more games to 800 played, 600 points as a defender in that timeframe is very impressive.

Spack Jarrow had a bit of down year with only 50 points this season after getting 60+ the two season before that. However, the last time that Spack Jarrow scored 50 points exactly in a season, Winnipeg went on to win the Challenge Cup. Will history repeat itself? Spack is only 28 assists from 500 career regular season assists, but Jarrow has made a name as a great two way forward and is very close to having a plus minus above 300. Spack may not have scored a ton this season, but he made his goals count with 5 game winning goals. In terms of physical play, Spack is only 36 blocks away from 500 in the SHL and had 99 hits last season. Jarrow is one of the possible players that could be a top line player for the Aurora next season, but will have to wait for future us to see.

One of the youngest members of the Aurora and perhaps one of the hardest to figure out, Johnny FourStar has been trending upward in points over the past three regular seasons, but interestingly has apparently gotten a screw knocked loose this season with 42 penalty minutes, by far the most of any of his three seasons in the SHL. After getting 49 points this season, Johnny FourStar is only 13 goals from 50 in his career and 8 assists from 100. Johnny has had consistency in the physical side of the game with over 100 hits in each of his first three seasons and stepped it up in blocking shots with 58 this season. Some would say that Johnny is the future of the Aurora, but they would be dead wrong (clearly its Langston Hardison-Laurent).

Melvin Majestik-Moose had a rough year as the massive moose had 44 points, the lowest point total since they were a defender in New Orleans back in S65. That being said, MMM played a controlled, physical game that was a net positive for the Aurora and great for their depth. MMM is only 10 goals away from 300 in the SHL as well as 3 blocked shots from 800. With 107 hits and only 21 penalty minutes, (for a player that used to earn 60 in a season) MMM has been able to play smarter while keeping that physical aspect. While the points are not as high as they would like in the regular season, MMM has 7 points already these playoffs.

Duncan Mackenzie finished his first season with the Aurora with 39 points in the regular season, still building chemistry with new teammates after coming from Baltimore and before that Calgary. However, Mackenzie immediately made his presence known to the Aurora’s opponents, with 123 hits and 53 blocks, earning career totals of 1576 and 509 in those statistics. Duncan also has a chance to hit 600 career assists soon if he gets back on previous paces and if he sticks around, could be knocking on 1000 career points. All in all, this was a successful first season with the Aurora for Duncan as their playoff performance has been above expectations with 8 points.

The oldest member of the Winnipeg Aurora, Noel Blanchet was originally a member of the Baltimore Platoon before coming to Winnipeg for 8 seasons (one of which was the Cup winning season of S72) before leaving after S74 for the New Orleans Specters. Blanchet would actually play a role in eliminating the Aurora from the playoffs in S75 before the Aurora management realized what a mistake they had made and brought him back in S76. Though older, Blanchet’s advanced numbers immediately improved from where they had been in New Orleans with a PDO of 101.2 and a Corsi For of 51.1%. While playing on the third line, Blanchet would score 37 points this season, exactly 1 point away from 1000 career points. With a desire for one more point, Blanchet will likely be running it back with the Aurora as he also has the chance for 400 career goals and 1500 hits. This old bear seems to be right back where he belongs as Aurora and he both seem to click better when he is around.

The former icon of Chicago, Ben Jammin completed their second season in Winnipeg with maybe a few less points than they would have liked with 34 with and average time on ice of 22:03. Granted that some of this time was spent shorthanded, but what really stood out was the immense physical toll Jammin was willing to take with 113 shots blocked, only 33 away from 1500 career blocked shots. Because they are such an awesome locker room Presence, Jammin has instantly become a fan favorite in Winnipeg, especially as one of the few Canadian born players and a mainstay on Team Canada in international play. Ben Jammin is only 13 points away from 500 in their career and 39 assists from 400 career assists. This season, Jammin had one of their highest PDOs ever with 102.6 and corsi for of 54.3%. Expect Ben to be back blocking bullets for the Aurora next season!

Marcel Beck is the oldest and longest tenured Winnipeg player, being on the team since S63 and a stalwart defender. Beck actually had his best season since S74 points-wise with 33 and had the second most blocked shots on the team with 132. Now, we are talking about a player that once had 206 blocked shots in a season, but getting back up to over 100 is great for a player at Beck’s age. Moreover, Beck has continued to be a leader in the locker room and contributing immensely to the culture of the team, as he has for years.

Grogu Mandosson, in what will be their last season in the SHL might be the first to tell you that their regular season stats were not where they have been in previous seasons as age has definitely become a factor. Mandosson only recorded 24 points on the third line of the Aurora. However, we are going to cut Grogu some slack as he transitioned to be a defender in their last season, having played forward the rest of their career. A player that found their way to Winnipeg after being in Calgary and Montreal, Mandosson arrived just after the Winnipeg Cup win but has one last chance for glory as the Aurora fight in the Western Conference Finals this week.

With 13 points this season, Borje Samuelsson is an older player but a new member of the Aurora, having spent the majority of their career in New England and in San Francisco. Maybe the new scenery made it difficult for Borje to find their footing this season as they finished last on the team in points, but let’s not say that Borje was just out there as a traffic cone. One of their two goals was a game winning goal, and they still had a PDO of 98.5. While some other key stats were down this year, one that was about the same was the number of blocked shots. Borje was more than willing to layout for their team, earning respect in the locker room very quickly.

Rhett “Shaggy” Carpet is from the younger class of players, the same season as James Ward-Prowse, but is emerging as one of the premier goalies in the league. After many games played in Toronto as a rookie, Carpet made their way to Winnipeg where they were slotted into the backup role for two seasons before trades gave Carpet the starting job this season. In S76, Carpet recorded a .910 save percentage with a record of 32-20-2. Currently at 81, Carpet will hope to tally their 100th win this coming season. Carpet was the clear number one over the grizzled veteran netminder Hank Stopper who did manage to get their 150th career win this last season.

Now to small recap of the Aurora’s playoffs so far in S76:
First Round against the New Orleans Specters.
The Specters defeated the Aurora in the first round in last season’s playoffs and needless to say that the Aurora were looking for revenge. The regular season record was not promising for Winnipeg as the Specters dominated them. However, in the playoffs anything can happen, and it can happen four times in a row as the Aurora swept aside the Specters. The first game was 5-1 win as visitors before the Specters battened down the hatches, but not enough as the second game was 2-1 win for the Aurora. Winnipeg then had an impressive home stand with two home wins with 10 goals in those two games. This series was won by the pivotal Winnipeg special teams with the important road win in game 2 being decided by a shorthanded goal and a powerplay goal for the Aurora.

Second Round against the Texas Renegades.
Next up was the central division champions and heavy favorites to make it to the Conference Finals Texas. However, no one told Winnipeg the odds as they came out as the visiting team and stunned Texas in a 6-3 opener. Texas then took one right back with again with the score being 6-3 as the two teams traveled to Winnipeg. Texas won another game as people began to wonder if the magic in the underdog Aurora had worn out. However, the Aurora would have an authoritative win in Game 4 5-2 before going back to Texas. When both teams decided defense was for suckers, Winnipeg won game 5 7-5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series with game 6 being on home ice. But with a 2-3 record for both teams when at home this series, no one knew what to expect. The game would be tied 2-2 after three periods, but the overtime hero was wearing dark colors as Marcel Beck, one of the old heads in Winnipeg, would bury the puck for the win. This series really showcased the Aurora’s adaptability and defensive prowess as the Renegades came out swinging with top scorers and lots of puck possession. However, the Aurora may have bent, but they never broke as they moved on to the face the San Francisco Pride.

And finally, the last topic: Who on Winnipeg can you trust in Fantasy in SHL Fantasy next season? With an aging roster, it’s hard to know exactly who a sure-fire bet can be, but I’d have to go with Lias-Ekholm Gunnarsson as my number one pick from the Aurora. When in doubt, grab a first line center. Last season, LEG finished in 18th place in terms of fantasy points by a forward, and looks to have enough in the tank to still be a top 24 pick. LEG might have a little bit of trouble at the start of the season since he will need to build chemistry with a new linemate with Farquaads leaving, but I expect that to be resolved very quickly, especially with plenty of chemistry with other remaining players. The other position you can take from Winnipeg is the goalie tandem, no matter who is the backup, Carpet will be a force to be reckoned with between the pipes for the Aurora. As a team that near consistently finishing near the upper half of the league in points, getting the points from wins will be huge. No one else really jumps out as a sure thing as a top 24 player or a top 16 defender with all the regression hitting the Aurora and the influx of rookies. Mikko Rashford, the next highest scoring Winnipeg player was close to the top with a 26th place fantasy finish so you could hedge your bets on his consistency for guaranteed points. In terms of fantasy points, Jay O’Neil was the highest finishing Winnipeg defender, but was 23rd in his position. However, if you find yourself in my group, please pick Ben Jammin. It would make James very happy.

That will do it for this rambling media article. I hope this gave you a brief summary of what is happening individually over in Winnipeg as they play a solid team game. Reminder that you can catch the Western Conference Finals this week between the San Francisco Pride and the Winnipeg Aurora as the Aurora will attempt a third upset in a row after conquering the Central Division in the Playoffs. The Pride, on the other hand will attempt to devour another team from the Central having beaten the Syndicate in the first round before trading home ice wins with last season’s champions Los Angeles Panthers, putting an end to their title defense. Winnipeg and specifically this roster of Winnipeg has the pedigree on their side, having beaten the Pride multiple times in the playoffs over the last couple of seasons. In S71, Winnipeg swept the Pride in the first round of the playoffs. In S74, the Aurora would again win, this time in 5 games in the Western Conference Final. However, we can honestly say that the Pride has never looked like this before, with one of the strongest regular seasons and an extremely effective offense that seems to score goals at will. Fun Fact: no matter what happens in either Conference Finals, the Challenge Cup Finals will be mascot matchup between a carnivorous mammal (polar bear or lion) versus a bird (eagle or a hawk). There is also still a chance for an all American final or an all Canadian final. But anyway, I digress. Go Winnipeg! (but if SFP loses to BAP in the final, that is great for my bracket.)

Until Next Time!

WC: 3341

JT3 · 05-13-2024, 05:20 PM

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