Claimed:Bears Rookies Contributing to Success [Final 6/6]

[nikkurri17 109]

The Seattle Bears have not been very successful in recent years. That is all changing this season as Seattle has seen a huge turnaround. The Bears have begun the season with a record of 13 wins and only 6 losses. The teams start has propelled them to the 2nd best record in the VHL.
  

 A huge part of the teams success has been the play of the teams second year players. Brady Stropko is 2nd in the VHL with 16 goals, Rift Pajodcast and Jakub Rhinehart are averaging over a point per game. Perhaps the biggest key to Seattle's success is the play of former #1 overall pick, Niklaus Mikaelson. The goaltender is 3rd in the VHL with a save percentage of .920%. Newly acquired defenseman Phil Villeneuve has been a great addition to the teams locker-room and has definitely stabilized the blue-line on the ice as well.
 
   With the success of Seattle's sophomores, the play of teams rookies may be being overlooked by people around the league and in the media. The Bears roster features 5 rookies, Defensemen Borje Samuelsson and Nicklas Karlsson, Centers A.C. Savage and Niklas Kurri, as well as the 3rd overall selection in the most recent entry draft, winger Wolfgang Strauss.
 

  A.C. Savage and Borje Samuelsson scoring goals.
 

 Perhaps the most impressive player among the Bears group of rookies has been Swedish defenseman, Borje Samuelsson. Samuelsson has scored 5 goals and added 14 assists through Seattle's 19 games. The towering defenseman who stands 6'7" has averaged over 25 minutes a game and blocked 31 shots. Samuelsson is also 2nd on the team with a plus/minus rating of +8, only fellow rookie Nicklas Karlsson has a better plus/minus.
   

 You could make an argument that Karlsson, another young Swedish defenseman, has been the most impressive player among all of the Bears defenseman. Karlsson has been paired with Villeneuve on the teams top defensive pairing and has averaged over 27 minutes per contest and has not looked out of place in the process. As previously mentioned, Karlsson leads the team with a plus/minus rating of +9. Karlsson also leads the team with 34 shot blocks. Nicklas has also managed to stay out of the penalty box, taking just 7 penalty's so far this season.
    

While they may not be producing at the same level as the clubs rookie defenseman, Seattle's trio of rookie forwards have all been solid contributors for the team. A.C. Savage has 13 points and is a plus 6 plus/minus rating. Last season's Yzerman trophy winner (VHLM's two way forward award), Niklas Kurri has put up 11 points and registered 39 hits, but the club has played Jakub Rhinehart on the PK over Kurri despite Rhinehart's suspect defensive game. Wolfgang Strauss has put up 11 points as well and played a key role in the Bears attack. The "true freshman" has averaged nearly 25 minutes a game and should continue to develop into one of the top forwards in the VHL.
 

 Nicklas Karlsson and Wolfgang Strauss celebrate a goal.
 
The future is bright in Seattle!

[CowboyinAmerica 2,889]

Content: 3/3 - As a 7-season Bears man with my previous player myself, makes me very happy to see Seattle be up near the top of the conference. Good breakdown, and go Bears!

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Just a few minor things, not enough for me to take off. Make sure in particular to watch out for the possessive "team's", needs an apostrophe when it's referring to something that belongs to the team (its rookies, its second year, etc.)

 

teams success... teams second year = team's success... team's second year

goals, Rift = goals, and Rift

teams top defensive = team's top defensive

7 penalty's = 7 penalties

trio of rookie forwards have = trio of rookie forwards has

 

Presentation: 1/1 - This is good.

 

Total: 6/6

[CoachReilly 688]

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