CowboyinAmerica

Glad to see the two winning are the two I was deciding between. Thought Helsinki got a hell of a return for a few players, and they didn't even sell everybody off. They're reloading, not rebuilding, pending the goalie situation. And while most of the contenders had to pay a steep price for talent, Stockholm giving up first overall, two picks in the 7-11 range, a depth forward (especially with Karnage moving) and their backup goalie for three highly-prized pieces is a hell of a deal.

The Rookie Goalie Breakdown Roughly one-sixth into his rookie season, it’s safe to call Hans Wingate’s output a mixed bag. On the positive end, you have a .922 save percentage in nine games, good for third-best in the VHL, despite playing the Bears twice and the Meute and Vikings once. But then, on the other end, you have an ugly 2-6-1 record and a 2.89 goals against average, thanks to very little help from the offensive side of the team. Hans Wingate – Calgary Wranglers (S43) 9 GP / 2-6-1 / 0.922 SV% / 2.89 GAA / 0 SO It’s expected that many rookie goalies will struggle coming out of the gate. However, just how much do they struggle? Seven of the league’s other starting goaltenders, excluding Jax Barnstormer, started at least half of his team’s games as a rookie. Here’s how they did, as a comparison, from most recent to earliest. Season 42: Callum Sinclair, HC Davos Dynamo Regular Season (S42) 64 GP / 26-32-6 / 0.903 SV% / 2.88 GAA / 3 SO The second overall pick in the S42 Draft, the Dynamo are perhaps unique on this list in that they were making a distinct playoff run with a rookie goaltender. While it might not have turned out the way they hoped, that increased skill level gave him 26 wins and three shutouts, both the highest figures among all rookie goalies on this list. Sinclair started the season with just over 200 TPE, however, which is reflected in a save percentage that is the lowest for any rookie goalie on this list. Season 42: Fedir Okranitz, Toronto Legion Regular Season (S42) 41 GP / 18-21-2 / 0.905 SV% / 2.52 GAA / 2 SO Originally a Season 41 draft pick, Toronto elected to keep their since-traded “goaltender of the future” down for an extra season in the VHLM. With his results, it’s not hard to see why. Okranitz’s .905 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average look solid when compared to fellow rookie Callum Sinclair, but those statistics pale in comparison to much-maligned Kimmo Salo’s 24-7-0 record, .923 save percentage and 2.01 goals against average with the exact same Toronto lineup. And, given Okranitz’s recent lack of growth, it’s not tough to see why Toronto shipped him off to Helsinki before the season. Season 41: Niklaus Mikaelson, Seattle Bears Regular Season (S41) 64 GP / 12-45-7 / 0.913 SV% / 3.69 GAA / 2 SO Mikaelson’s situation is perhaps the polar opposite of Sinclair’s. The first overall pick in the draft, Mikaelson entered Seattle with a large amount of TPE in the bank. That pure skill allowed him to earn a .913 save percentage, a solid total for a first-year goaltender. Without much help on the rest of the team, however, Mikaelson totaled just 12 wins and a 3.69 goals against average. If Wingate were to compare his first season’s totals to any other player, Mikaelson is a likely place to look. Season 39: Brock Waldron, Quebec City Meute Regular Season (S39) 64 GP / 10-51-3 / 0.914 SV% / 3.31 GAA / 0 SO Waldron came into Quebec City in perhaps the best position imaginable for a young goalie; David Poulin and his .884 save percentage the previous season had been so bad, anything was going to look like an upgrade. It’s safe to say Waldron delivered, as his .914 save percentage, while still only seventh in the league, ranks higher than any of the rookie goaltenders who came in the three years after him. And while his 10 wins and no shutouts may look ugly, you can see the pieces being laid for his future Season 42 playoff domination. Waldron is another that Wingate can look to as inspiration. Season 37: Martin Brookside, Calgary Wranglers Regular Season (S37) 47 GP / 5-39-3 / 0.919 SV% / 4.15 GAA / 1 SO His beginnings seem to have been lost to the ether since emerging as an absolute force in the past season-plus with Calgary, so it’s tough to remember that Brookside actually did not fully supplant Rock Star as Calgary’s full-time goalie until Season 38, two seasons after his “draft” date. In part-time play in Season 37, it seems that his agent/GM Jason Glasser was right to hold him out, lest he become even more beat up. Brookside’s stats are an even more exaggerated version of Waldron – his .919 save percentage is strong, but an absolute lack of talent around him resulted in five wins and a 4.15 GAA. While Wingate would cherish the high save percentage, being beat up on this scale may be a bit much. Season 36: Mike Szatkowski Jr., Riga Reign Regular Season (S36) 64 GP / 14-49-1 / 0.909 SV% / 3.62 GAA / 1 SO The first real season of the Grand Riga Rebuilding Plan, Szatkowski was just one of multiple rookies who would take the ice for the first time with Riga this season. It’s safe to say, too, that he played like it. Even among rookies, Szatkowski’s .909 save percentage was just middling, and his 14 wins and 3.62 goals against average inspired no confidence either. Taken out of context, it’s tough to see the player that would later win the Aidan Shaw Trophy for top goaltender in Season 41. Season 36: Brick Wahl, New York Americans Regular Season (S36) 64 GP / 25-34-5 / 0.911 SV% / 3.23 GAA / 3 SO Similar to Davos in the Sinclair example, New York featured a team capable of actually winning a few games, finishing just five points behind Seattle for the final North American playoff spot. But it wasn’t just solid surroundings that gave Wahl a better rookie season than contemporary Szatkowski; he finished with a higher save percentage and more shutouts as well. Wahl is perhaps the opposite of Szatkowski in that he started strong and has had much team success, but he has never won a Shaw Trophy and is struggling early in this, his final season.

Read a good review somewhere (AV Club?) that made the case for the deaths. Think about: Who really gives a fuck about Meereen? I don't, you don't, nobody does. Even in the books this was the point where readers started to check out and wanted Dany to get on with doing something already. One way to change that and actually give Dany some motivation to change her ways/character building, though, is to have some people close to her die. Ever since Drogo and Season 1, what all for her has really gone wrong before this, other than some random charred children in a field? If anything's an impetus for revenge or change, it's this. Plus, with Jorah/Tyrion presumably heading there, it's not like she's going to be without other major characters for long.

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I do what I can. Which is apparently shootout losses.

Number one pick ftw?

It = A permanent spot on the bench

Hooray for First Star?

GOALIE CAPTAIN!

I'm hoping they do. Because it probably means they're trading the next two drafts, some stadium vendors, and a few cheesesteaks for him.

All of the receivers! Hoping that Melvin Gordon somehow slides to the Cowboys, but I'm skeptical.

I think I'm headed down to Draft Town tonight. I'm just hoping someone trades for Mariota so everyone can go crazy when it happens.

Finishing touches man, finishing touches.

(A1) Montreal vs (A2) Tampa Bay Winner: Montreal # of Games: 6 (M1) New York Rangers vs (M2) Washington Winner: New York # of Games: 6 WESTERN CONFERENCE (C3) Chicago vs (W1) Minnesota Winner: Chicago # of Games: 6 (P1) Anaheim vs (P3) Calgary Winner: Calgary # of Games: 6

Eh, Streetlight with that player wasn't any better (though IR, who I believe we got back as part of the deal when we traded Toriyama, was a nice add)

I really wanted that to happen in the S33 Draft, perhaps would have helped my activity further down the road as well. I'll blame Noah.