Brian Dinosaur Season Review

The Brian Dinosaurs have completed yet another highly successful regular season. 64 wins and 133 points ensured their place at the top of their division, conference and the league. This is the second season running the Dinosaurs have finished with the best record in the farm league. Many of the big players from last years team have moved on, or stepped up to the pros, and those that came in their place have stepped up their game.

The Dinosaurs finish the season having scored a league best 372 goals, while only conceding 189 goals, the 4th best defensive record in the league. The goals for/against ratio was also the best in the league.
Special teams played an important role in their success, 24.16% on the PP is good for 4th in the league and 84.85% on the PK is the best of all teams.
Some have speculated that there ice is titled in the Dinosaurs rink, a massive average of 43.71 shots per game was comfortably the most of any team, all while only giving up an average of 26.64 shots, which was the fewest of any team.
The Dinosaurs were one of the least physical teams in the league, letting their skill do the talking. They took the 2nd fewest PIMS and delivered the 2nd fewest hits.
The Dinosaurs finished with 5 players amongst the top 10 for +-. 3 of the top 10 face off percentages (all four C were over 55%) and were the only team with two goalies amongst the top 10 for wins.


The Following are the official player ratings given by GM J-Iggy:

Jeremy Williams: 10/10
61 Goals (3rd highest), 120 points (3rd highest), +53 (league best) 17 PP goals, 10 game winning goals, 14.7% shot accuracy.
Jeremy has doubled his production from last season, all while playing on the 3rd line. All our young guys look up to Jeremy to lead them. We couldn't have asked for any more, he has exceeded every expectation. We expect Jeremy to remain on the farm next season and continue to lead this team. He will be rewarded with more ice time. Jeremy's contract is up at the end of this season, a pay rise has definitely been earned.

Nicolas Kerdiles: 10/10
80 Assists (2nd highest), 111 points (2nd amongst C's), 55% FO, 7 Game Winning Goals.
Kerdiles has shown steady and consistent improvement right from his first ever game last season. This year he has continued that development, almost doubled his previous seasons points total and has a very bright future. Were looking for Kerdiles to have a big impact in the post season.

Naik Yakopov: 9/10
50 Goals (7th highest), 95 points, 3 Hat Tricks, 9 game winning goals, 2 short handed goals.
Nails has continued where he left off last season, consistently finding the back of the net! This is his first 50 goal season, and we firmly believe he will have many more, at all levels of the game. Nail needs a strong post season, and a pro team spot may be within his reach, although he will need to develop his defensive game during the off season.

Ryan Strome: 9/10
28 Goals, 71 Assists (3rd highest), 99 Points, 59% FO.
It's easy to forget Ryan is only 19 years old. Having now completed 3 seasons in the farm league he has some much experience for such a young player. Ryan is on the verge of making the pro team. He needs to show his work ethic and commitment in the post season. Ryan's points totals have always been consistently high, has been a key part of our excellent PK and has developed his all-round game.

Ian White: 9/10
22 Goals, 53 Assists, 75 Points (7th best amongst D), +33.
Ian was a free agency pick up. Many thought we overpaid for his services, but I have worked with Ian before and know how much he brings to the team. Ian has stepped up his game and lead our D all season long. He will be critical If we are to have a long playoff run.

Adam Erne: 8/10
65 Points, +42, 142 Hits.
In his rookie season, Erne has surpassed expectations. He was selected for his abilities as a defensive forward and his +42 is a demonstration of that. 65 points is a great return for any defensive forward, and his physical presence has been key to letting our high skilled players play their natural game.

Marc Newyakar: 8/10
51 Points and a team high 80 blocked shots.
Marc was overlooked by many other GM's in the draft as a "novelty player". We had faith in Marc's skills and were willing to invest in him. Marc has paid us back for that investment and has seen his ice time increase as the season has gone on. Injuries have caused him to miss a few games, but that just makes his points total more impressive. Marc has a few areas he needs to continue to improve in, but we strongly believe he can become a top defensemen at the Pro level within a year or two.

Ryan Hartman: 7.5/10
29 Goals, 59 Points, +23.
Hartman had a great start to his career. Scoring goals for fun early on in the season. Ryan was another who was drafted for his defensive play, but he has proven he can find the back of the net too. Ryan had a slow finish to the season, and that is often to be expected from young players. Were looking for Ryan to contribute a few goals in the post season, and come back next season stronger then ever.

Mark Injay: 7/10
17 Points, +17.
Mark spent the first have of the season with the farm, playing 46 games. Like Newyakar, Mark was considered a "novelty player" but his defensive upside was far too good to ignore. Mark plays well within his abilities and knows his limitations. He has great work ethic and found him self playing for the Steve halfway through his 1st ever season. Mark will stay with the Steve for the playoffs and we will review his position over the summer. Mark has performed well for the Steve and has every chance of a long carer in the pro league.

Brooks Laich: 7/10
52 Points, +42, 228 Hits, 61.52% FO.
What more could you want from a 3rd line centre? He hits hard, he wins face offs and teams don't score when he's on the ice!

Derek Pouliot: 7/10
52 Assists, 61 Points, +45, 190 Hits.
Pouliot has a special ability to make those around him play as a unit. We tend to float him around different lines because of this, and no matter who he plays with the chemistry works. Nicolas Kerdiles was struggling early on with his defensive play, Pouliot was put on his line and we saw an immediate improvement in the play of both Men. Kerdiles went from being the only minus on the team to a +20. Pouliot value to this team can't be measured by stats.

Phillip DiGuiseppe: 7/10
50 Points, +24, 160 Hits.
DiGuiseppe has had a solid season, 50 points is a great return and his physical play is valuable to the team. DiGuiseppe needs to push on now and start climbing the ranks, he has the ability to be a top 6 forward in this team, but he needs to work hard to achieve this.

Chris Drury: 6.5/10
39 Points, +38, 2 PIMS.
Drury was another of our free agency pick ups. 39 points is about what we expected when we signed him. In that regard we can't fault Chris, he's discipline is a great example to our young guys and along with Laich, they form a formidable 3rd line pairing. However when you have a guy scoring 120 points on your line, you need to step up your game, or you will be left in the shadows.

Calvin De Haan: 6/10
Pro: 50 Games, 18 Points, -10
Farm: 28 Games, 31 Points, +21
Calvin Struggled to settle into the pro team this season. He was sent back to the farm to regain his confidence and his play has improved. Calvin will need to continue to work hard and impress the coaches if he wants to get back to the pro league. Calvin is a very talented player and we are confident he can bounce back.

Luca Sbisa: 6/10
30 Points, + 21.
Luca has had a solid season. There is a lot of competition for places on D and rotation has been needed.

Anton Stralman: 6/10
29 Points, +21.
Like Sbisa, Anton has had a solid season. Both players are competing for a limited number of places and unfortunately only one can be picked.

Brett Festerling: 6/10
18 Points, +12.
Festerling brings great experience, and is always reliable when called upon. We need Brett to continue to show the leadership qualities he has, and help coach the younger defensemen.

Kamil Kreps:
18 Points, +30, 62.14% FO.
Solid as ever on the 4th line. Kreps is our go to guy whenever we need to win an important face off. Hes worked hard with our other centres, and that shows in their stats with all four C over 55% in face offs.


Goalies:

Simeon Varlamov: 8/10
26 Wins , 2.31 GAA, 9.16 SV%, 4 Shut Outs.

Benjamin Conz: 8/10
29 Wins , 2.34 GAA, 9.04 SV%, 2 Shut Outs.

Henrik Lundqvist: 8/10
9 Wins , 1.90 GAA, 9.24 SV%, 1 Shut Out.

All 3 goalies have been in great form all season long. Varly and Conz have battled it out for started duties, but even now there is nothing between them. Henrik has been critical with the number of back to back games this season. He has stepped up and performed every time we have needed him. Who starts game 1 in the playoffs will be a game day decision. Wee confident that whoever gets the start will do well, and there is plenty of support on the bench if its needed.