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Top 3 Candidates for the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy


a_Ferk

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Dakota Lamb - C - Warsaw

 

If you’re choosing the Stolzschwieger Trophy based purely off of points, Dakota Lamb has the strongest case out of anyone to take it home. Drafted 10th overall by Warsaw in S73, Lamb became a crucial part of their team in S74, scoring 43 goals and racking up 47 assists for a grand total of 90 points. He even cracked the top 10 in goals for the league, coming in at number 8. To my knowledge this has to be the best statline for a rookie in a very long time, however it probably won’t hold as much weight due to the recent expansion which has driven up scoring. Dakota Lamb scored 7 game winners for his club, which accounted for more than a quarter of Warsaw’s wins in S74. Lamb also managed to maintain a +/- of exactly 0, which is impressive for a player on the 14th ranked team in the league.

 

John Merrick - C - Toronto

 

John Merrick is the only rookie here that didn’t play for an expansion team in S74. This doesn’t mean that he didn’t have a great rookie season with what he had to work with, however. He finished the season with 38 goals, and 46 assists for a total of 84 points. Merrick had a much better +/- than Lamb, but this can be attributed to Toronto’s success. To judge how well he played, you first have to keep in mind how good Toronto was in S74. They finished 6th in the standings, and Merrick was the third best forward on the roster. Both Lamb and Merrick played first line minutes for most of the season, but unlike Lamb, Steve Merrick was never relied on to carry the team. It has been proven that STHS rewards good players on bad teams with an inflated statline, just look at Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s stats from last season. Voters might argue that the 6 point difference does not mean a whole lot when these factors are taken into account.

 

Matty Socks - D - Chicago

 

Unlike the first 2 candidates that I feel have a chance to take home the hardware, Matty Socks is a defenseman, not a forward. This makes it more difficult to judge quality of performance. Socks had a campaign that produced 25 goals and 46 assists, and the more impressive 181 shot blocks. In fact, Matty Socks led the entire league in shot blocks. Being in the top 10 in a stat category, let alone first, is almost unheard of for a rookie. This will be the biggest driving force behind Socks’ case for the Stolzschwieger Trophy, if I were to guess. Much like Lamb and Merrick, Socks benefited immensely from being one of the best players on the team at their respective position. Socks finished the season with a +/- of -24, which is less than ideal for a defensive player. This is more due to Chicago’s 12th place finish more than Sock’s performance, however.


TL;DR: Lamb had a heckin lot of points, Merrick did well in spite of the engine, Socks needs new shin pads

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Great article about three outstanding rookie players for this season! I am assuming the Christian Stolzschweiger trophy is the rookie of the year award as I am still very unfamiliar with trophy names for this league. Excellent formatting and structure. Easy to read. Could have added player TPE stat line as an addition to possibly show contrast between players. Could have provided personal opinion on who you think wins it all. 9/10

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