VSN Presents: S92 Junior Showcase Tournament Recap

[LucyXpher 1,578]

Graphic credit: @Triller

 

 

On Monday evening, the VHL’s Junior Showcase Tournament wrapped with Game 6 between the Warriors and the Steel.  With the Warriors already in control of the series at three games to two, they clinched the Season 92 Junior Showcase Tournament in a 4-3 victory that featured a three point performance by Connor Simard @Alex99 and a stellar night in goal by Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu.  While the Steel managed to keep the Warriors’ top line off the scoresheet in game 6, it was the second line players of GM @Nathan_8’s squad that pushed them over the top in this game as Simard, Bruhmaninho @BigBruhman, and Robinson @isaak combined for 3 of the team’s 4 goals.  6:04 into the 3rd period, Simard would bury the game winner on the powerplay from de Trueno @Thunder and Robinson.  The Steel would draw back to within 1, but the Warriors would seal the Steel fate with an empty netter by Jillian Woods @jacobcarson877 and that was all she wrote.  In the ensuing celebrations, an ecstatic Nathan had only two words for any who may have doubted his managerial pedigree, “I’m him.” 

 

It’s hard to argue with the confidence of a manager who clinched World Junior Championship gold with Team World and the Junior Showcase Championship on back-to-back nights.  Safe to say, his managerial career is off to a hot start and he’ll be carrying this confidence into his first season as general manager for the Mississauga Hounds in the VHLM.  And while the Warriors’ triumph may be the top story of the tournament, it was far from the only one.  

 

 

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www.hitsfordays.jst - Okay, here’s a random fun fact for you, would you believe that the top three hitters in the JST were Wladyslaw Mintus @mintusaurus, WWumbo @Fire Tortorella, and Walter Jinn @Adrest245?  Welcome to the world of weird and wacky... or maybe that's just my tired brain getting overly excited about the letter W.  Did I mention that the Warriors won the JST?  Sorry-- on with the article!

 

 

Fire Brigade

 

At one point in the regular schedule, the Brigade were the class of the field.  In my preview article, I had the Brigade ranked 5th in the early roster power rankings and it seems that @samx's squad took that to heart.  From days 11-25 of the tournament, the Brigade were unbeaten– 11-0-0 during that stretch, outscoring their opponents 32-15.  Unfortunately, the Brigade cooled off immediately following this hot streak and lost their next 6 in a row, finishing the season 3-4-4 in their next 11 games.  For the Brigade, it was perhaps a case of peaking at the wrong time.  Though they still finished the regular season in 2nd place behind the Warriors, their late struggles seemed to shake their confidence in the playoffs as they fell to the Steel in 6 games in the first round, despite having home ice advantage.  

 

Notably, Tyler Lawson @Nyx was the Brigade’s leading scorer throughout the regular season and the playoffs.  The 14th overall selection of the Helsinki Titans scored 26 points in the 30 regular season games and followed that up with 9 points in the Brigade’s 6 playoff games.  Defender, Lucy Leitner @LucyXpher, and winger, UghSike @UghSike, both led the team and were among the tournament’s top scorers during the Brigade’s 11 game tear, but both cooled off considerably down the stretch, finishing with 22 and 21 points respectively.  The team boasted a strong two-way game with players like Goncalves @leandrofg, Reynolds Jr @Crstats23, and Bouchard @Gaikoku-hito leading the way in that respect, but seemed to lack scoring punch at times, conceding points in a tournament high 6 shootout or overtime losses.  Though they led the tournament with 212 shots blocked, the Brigade conversion rate of 9.91% on the powerplay was nearly 5% lower than the league average.  

 

While goaltending was thought to be a question mark for this team entering the tournament, it proved to be a strength as Da TypThond @Erik and Kendra Cavill @Firekiss both posted solid numbers in the regular season, highlighted by Da TypThond’s .918 SV% and 1.84 GAA.  In the playoffs, however, Cavill struggled to a .877 SV% and 4.75 GAA in all 6 starts for the Brigade.  Though it would be unfair to pin the Brigade’s playoff disappointment on Cavill who performed well during the regular season, it was certainly a performance to forget.  

 

 

Solid Steel

 

In my preview for the Steel, I suggested that if they chose to play Kolesinska @chikn and Swift @lilchrist on the same line along with Artav @jake, they could boast one of the most complete starting lineups in the tournament.  While Swift and Kolesinska didn’t play together all season on the Steel’s top line, they did play together on the team’s tournament best powerplay.  Perhaps the team I was most accurate about in that preview, the Steel placed a solid 3rd in the tournament, never losing more than 3 games in a row or winning more than 4 in a row.  The Steel were consistently a solid team throughout the tournament with Benjamin Abenduct @Schnee leading the way from the blueline, notching 34 points in 30 games.  He was also tied with Trimiskez Artav with 13 goals, which was the second highest goal total in the tournament.  

 

Despite the Steel’s consistency, there were some anomalous numbers on their stat page, including Abenduct and Dukat @MSouthworth both being a minus rating throughout the tournament at 5-on-5.  For the Steel, the statistical performance of goaltender, Ondrej Vencko @Mutti, was also a bit mystifying.  With a .904 SV% and 2.07 GAA in a tournament-high 17 starts, Vencko’s numbers were respectable, though perhaps not as impressive as his closest rivals from this past season in the VHLM.  Vencko, however, did claim the distinction of the tournament’s most victorious goalie, claiming 12 wins with only 5 losses on his record.  In the playoffs, however, Vencko was arguably outperformed by his backup, Austin Goulet III @Tuchy, who posted a .919% compared with Vencko’s .903%, though both goalies held a record of 3-3.  

 

For Steel GM, @dstevensonjr, this tournament has to be considered a success.  Entering the playoffs as the 3rd seed and knocking off the Brigade in the first round, the Steel were in the final with a chance to win it all. Despite losing the first two games of the finals on the Warrior’s home ice, the Steel pulled off two wins in their own barn to draw even at two games apiece.  Unfortunately, they lost a close game 5 to the Warriors 4-3 which was punctuated by a Jean-Pierre Devote @eagle_3450 hattrick, and then the 4-2 loss in game 6.  While they didn’t achieve their desired outcome, the Steel proved to be a formidable opponent throughout the season and measured up competitively against the eventual champions.  

 

 

No Rush

 

If it wasn’t for the performance of Jorgen Lovstrom @Pifferfish, I’m not sure where this team might have finished… Where have I heard this story before?  Lovstrom paced the field of netminders with a .931 SV%, a 1.44 GAA and an impressive 4 shutouts in 15 games.  Compare those numbers to his counterpart, Connor Hellebuyck @HockeyFan4Life, who is no slouch between the pipes, and you start to see why Lovstrom was so important to his team.  For his part, in an equal sample of 15 games, Hellebuyck posted a .902% and 2.51 GAA.  While he won the same number of games as Lovstrom, it’s clear which goalie gave his team the best chance to win.  In the best of 5 play-in round, Lovstrom still managed a respectable .906, despite a shocking 4.50 GAA which likely reflects more on the team’s performance in front of him as the Rush would fall in 4 games to the Royals, who were the tournament’s weakest team through the regular season.  

 

Offensively, the Rush were led by 2nd overall selection in the S93 VHL draft, Gianfranco Del Rocco @Victor, who finished the tournament with 24 points in 30 games, followed closely by Oliver Loo @Misty with 20 in 30.  Notably, Loo was a net 2nd in the tournament at +11 in 5-on-5 play and tied for net 3rd in goals, also with 11.  In the play-in round, Nathan Ecker @Nathan_8 led the team with 6 points in 4 games, though the team seemed to lack scoring throughout that series against the Royals, managing to score only 2 or fewer goals in three of the four games.

 

The Rush never really seemed to get going in this tournament, losing three consecutive games on four separate occasions, while only managing a three game winning streak at one point during the schedule.  Having the second fewest total goals in the tournament with 62, the Rush were asking a lot of their goaltending tandem– and not to put too fine a point on the goaltending disparity in the Rush crease, Lovstrom only allowed 22 of the team’s 66 goals against.  With a goal differential of only -4, the Rush were not so far off the mark that they weren’t competitive game to game, but they did seem to lack the offensive spark that would have put them in contention for the JST title.  In the end, the overall result was not what the Rush would have hoped for, though the tournament still provided a spotlight for some of the team’s brightest stars.   

 

 

We’ll Never Be Royals…

 

Okay, maybe that subtitle is a little harsh, but I’m trying to keep things light so allow it... please?  Finishing last in the regular season with only 9 wins in 30 games, the Royals never really got going in the Junior Showcase Tournament.  Going 9 games without a win in the middle of the season certainly doesn’t help the cause either.   After their top goal scorer and point getter, Steve French @Seabass, who had 11 goals and 10 assists in 30 games, the next highest goal scorer on the Royals only had 7 goals and 17 points. You might be surprised to learn that this player was selected 1st overall in the recent VHL and VHLE drafts, and also went 1st in the VHLM draft a season ago.  While I don’t think for one second that this JST performance is indicative in the slightest of what Antonia Bucatini @CowboyinAmerica is or might become, it is a surprising outcome for a player and a team that I had among the favorites to win the tournament.  

 

Revisiting this Royals roster, it’s frankly shocking how poorly this team performed in the tournament, despite featuring the likes of Annie Oaks @Noodle Enjoyer, Forum Content @frescoelmo, The Phantom of the VHL @Hogan, Maple Dogwood @dogwoodmaple, Felicia Hardy @JCarson, Toby Cooke @KRZY, and the aforementioned Bucatini and French.  With the tandem of Wazinski @samthemancub and Benson @Benson, two proven goaltenders at the VHLM level, it’s even more puzzling that this team allowed the most goals in the tournament– 77!  With a goal differential of -18, they were in a class of their own at the bottom of the table.  Look, I don’t want to pile on a team that had a run of bad luck so I’ll reiterate what I said before– I don’t think their record is indicative of the quality of the players on the roster.  Chalk it up to bad puck luck, chemistry, low morale, or just speak the unspeakable name.

 

Here’s the thing, whatever the Royals were in the regular season, they were a different team in the playoffs.  Take Forum Content, for example, who scored 17 points in the regular season, but 18 points in the playoffs in 20 fewer games!  Oaks and Bucatini experienced similar scoring bumps, both recording 15 points in 10 playoff games.  The Royals would dispatch the Rush convincingly in the best-of-five play-in round, and matched up quite competitively against the eventual champion Warriors, losing in 6 games.  If nothing else, the tale of two teams that was the Royals in this tournament is just another example of how fickle the game can be at times– or perhaps we just give the devil his name… Simon.

 

 

The Warriors are… them?

 

If their GM, Nathan, is him, then they are them, but let’s not get bogged down in semantics.  The bottom line is that the Warriors were the class of the tournament.  The only team with more than a +1 goal differential, the Warriors lapped the field with an absurd +20 in 30 games, finishing the tournament with a record of 21-8-1. In the regular season, Yermolai Nabokov @fonziGG led the way with 16 goals and 30 points in 30 games, while Jean-Pierre Devote pitched in 20 assists to go with his 8 goals.  Jillian Woods and Ray Stanton @horoscope were standouts on the back end, logging 23 and 21 points respectively, but it was the Warrior’s goalie who may have really stolen the spotlight.  Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen played an unbelievable tournament, recording 11 wins with only 4 losses in his 15 starts, a .924 SV%, and a 1.51 GAA.  In the playoffs, AKK continued his strong run of form with 8 wins and only 3 losses, a .920%, and a 2.72 GAA.  While Lovstrom may have had slightly better percentages and Vencko, more wins, AKK played the most consistent tournament of those 3 top goalies and deserved every bit of his team’s victory.

 

Throughout the tournament, the Warriors never really struggled and, unlike the Brigade, managed to heat up at just the right time.  Down the stretch, the Warriors racked up 11 wins in their last 12 games and went into the playoffs flaming hot.  In the playoffs, they would never face elimination and took care of business against the resurgent Royals and the consistent Steel. While the Brigade came the closest in the regular season to reaching the level of the Warriors, they seemed to lack the bona fide starting goaltender that the Warriors had to go along with a strong blueline and a frightening forward corps.  This was a well constructed Warriors team that found a way to win most nights and delivered on the lofty promises made by their GM before the tournament started.  Fair play and congratulations to the Warriors on a dominant Junior Showcase Tournament!

 

 

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 Players of the Tournament:

 

Goalie: Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen @Snussu

Regular Season (11-4-0, .924%, 1.51 GAA, 2 SO)

Playoffs (8-3-1, .920%, 2.72 GAA)  

 

As I suggested earlier, I think AKK was the most consistent goalie throughout the tournament and played a huge part in his team’s success.  While his last season in the VHLM may not have played out the way he hoped, his JST performance reminded us why he’s considered among the best goalies in his draft class and was a highly rated prospect in the recent VHL and VHLE drafts.  Congratulations to Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen on a fantastic tournament.

 

 

Skater: Benjamin Abenduct @Schnee

Regular Season (30GP, 13G, 21A, 34P)

Playoffs: (12GP, 9G, 13A, 22P)

 

There’s really not much debate when it comes to the top skater of the tournament and who I would consider the tournament MVP.  Abenduct led the tournament in points as a defenseman, scoring the second most goals, and recording the highest assist total.  He was also 3rd in shots blocked, 6th in hits, and played the 4th most minutes of any player in the tournament.  In the playoffs, he led the tournament in points again, had the 2nd most goals, 3rd most assists, and was 2nd in shots blocked.   It was an absolutely dominant performance by Abenduct at this tournament and there’s really no other player who performed at the same level throughout both the regular schedule and the playoffs.  Though he came up short in the finals with the Steel, it wasn’t for lack of effort.  Congratulations to Benjamin Abenduct for his incredible individual performance and a great run to the final.

 

 

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And that concludes my coverage of the S93 Junior Showcase Tournament!  Thank you to all the players and managers for giving us an entertaining showcase, as well as the simmers and commissioners who made it all happen behind the scenes… despite a few hiccups and a false start.  I wish the best of luck to all the players continuing their careers-- some returning back to the M, while others are moving up to the E, and even potentially the VHL as early as this season.  We’ll see what the future holds for this generation of players, but if this JST was anything to go by, the future is bright!

 

 

 

LucyXpher for VSN

Claim 03/24/24 - 2676 words

Claim 03/31/24

Edited May 28 by LucyXpher

[Pifferfish 597]

Løvstrøm got sold. can't do it all... Smh

[Snussu 135]

Loved the cover of JST! I appriciate naming me the Tournaments best goalie! Finally something Løvstrøm couldent do.

[Misty 73]

The format, the graphic, the flow of how well the sentences led into one another... this was an exciting read! Well done!

[AJW 2,196]

Beautiful stuff Lucy! Really good read

[LucyXpher 1,578]

2 hours ago, Misty said:

The format, the graphic, the flow of how well the sentences led into one another... this was an exciting read! Well done!

Thanks  

[dstevensonjr 445]

Awesome recap as always!

 

Proud of the Steel bunch, they had us right in it until the end!

[HockeyFan4Life 11]

[Triller 1,688]

I've not seen coverage of the JST done so well and be so thorough!  Beautifully written and something that could help with retention even.  New members getting the spotlight is sometimes all it takes!

[LucyXpher 1,578]

40 minutes ago, Triller said:

I've not seen coverage of the JST done so well and be so thorough!  Beautifully written and something that could help with retention even.  New members getting the spotlight is sometimes all it takes!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!