Simon Goaltending Stats - Mr. Commissioner Why Does My Goaltending Stink?

 Good day everyone!  Now you've probably gathered based on the title this will be a blog about goaltending stats and why they are quite frankly so low in our league.  

I've had several people over the last year or two ask me why the Simon simulator hates their goaltenders.  It's a funny thing because I've asked myself that same question.  Is it the settings?  Why are they all vastly underperforming despite having superior ratings to those of the skaters?  

It's an issue as old as time since we adopted the Simon T simulator just under three seasons ago.  It's one I've never had an answer to until this week!  

What's that you say?  You're probably sitting there and adjusting your glasses to make sure you've read it right.  He has an answer?  Tell me he just said that!  

Relax, I do indeed actually have an answer but you might not like it.  In fact, you may throw something at your screen when I get into a potential fix or improvement shall I say.

The reason why our goalies collectively underperform is the CCHL itself.  Nope, it's not a setting in the simulator but rather our league itself.  

I recently (starting in January) joined a 31 team league that runs off of Simon and the goalies on the disk they are using have vastly lower ratings than those in the CCHL.  Despite the weaker ratings, the goaltenders are performing all at NHL league averages or above if they are an upper-echelon goaltender.  

How can that be is likely what you find yourself saying right now and well, I'm here to say that it's the 22 team league vs. the 31 team league.  

In the 22 team league, you have guys that are playing on our second or third lines in the case of deep teams where those players on are the first line.  In the bottom-six forward group, you have guys in the lineups in a 31 team league that are sitting in our free-agent pool.  

Looking at my team in that league, I have four forwards playing in my bottom six that aren't even signed in the CCHL.  My defence core has 3 guys in it that are number six defenders in the CCHL and one that isn't even able to get into the lineup in Fort Erie in Justin Holl.  Now before you think man that team must suck - it leads its division and is second in the conference.  

Obviously, there are different rules to that league but at the core, the depth issue becomes significant when the goaltenders are facing skaters on the third and fourth lines that aren't nearly as talented as what most CCHL teams are marching out daily.  

Prior to this, with the NHL growing, I've had a concern for a while now that our rosters are becoming too deep and expensive because there are more players getting an opportunity now and seizing that opportunity.  Look at Vegas alone and something tells me Seattle will end up doing alright for itself as well upon their inception.  It has, honestly, had me thinking about expansion a lot to try to thin out things a little more across the league.  

After doing the review over the past month and really digging into it this week, I've also thought that we might have to go to 24 teams to try to make our goaltending more relevant as well.  

Have you thrown something at your computer yet?  I think we're at that part of the blog but again I ask that you relax before getting angry at expansion without seeing the process.  

It's something that we've been discussing at the executive level for almost two weeks now; a proposal that benefits our teams and does not cause them to lose anyone significant off of their roster.  It'll be unveiled in the coming week as a vote.  We promise there is a lot to like about it for our existing members so don't blast out a message to the league complaining about it the idea until you've seen it. We aren't talking a Vegas scenario here at all.   

One of the questions might be a concern about General Managers but this acts two-fold in that we will be offering a league incentive program for our existing GM's to help in the search and my extensive research shows that leagues have a much easier time finding somebody to take over a new franchise than clean up another person's mess.  

In any event, more details will be forthcoming but we as an executive believe that this proposal benefits the CCHL on a number of levels.  We hope and anticipate that you, as a group, will feel the same.  

Peace and pucks,

Matt

Springfield has a MVP problem

 

On February 13th, The official Springfield Isotopes account tweeted out a joke about Nikita having MVP buzz after he had a 3 point (1 G, 2 A) game against the rival Amos team.  It seemed all in fun as the 'Topes were riding high and heading for 3rd in the Canosa Conference.  Then on February 15th, the Calgary Chinook took Zaitsev out and everything started to go wrong in Springfield.

Since the injury, Springfield is 1-4-1, with some serious blowouts against some teams they were hoping to compete against.  These games have been a trying time for the team as they slipped back into 4th and although they locked up a playoff spot this week, this isn't the way teams want to enter the postseason.

Does this fall have something to do with playing against tougher competition or is it that Zaitsev is the Isotopes MVP?  Let’s look at the stats. If we ignore the games where Zaitsev has been injured the Isotopes would be 5th for Goals against average (GAA) and 10th for Shots against (SA).  Instead the Isotopes are 13th and 16th.  For context the in the games before this injury the Isotopes had a GAA of 3.12 and averaged 31.7 SA, in the 6 games without Zaitsev the Isotopes have a GAA of 5 and 40.5 SA, both these stats would place them comfortably in last place.

Zaitsev is expected to return soon, will he bring about a change in fortunes for the team?  If so, does it mean that the slightly overpaid defensive defenseman with 28 points for the season is the team and potentially league MVP?

Time will tell, we know the voting committee can be a little iffy and not always open to new ideas but Zaitsev is going to get my vote.

Isotopes Unofficial Blogger/Biggest fan

Commissioner's Corner - The CCHL Draft/Coronavirus Conundrum

 Hello everyone,

While the season speeds ahead towards the playoffs, we at the office of the Commissioner are starting to think about the off-season ahead and the turbulence surrounding the CCHL Entry Draft usually held in June.  

Now we know the NHL draft is to be held in July but they are talking about pushing that out to December or even the following year.  Personally, I do not see that happening because there are a ton of other issues that come from moving the draft.  

Would they still be eligible for Unrestricted free agency status at the same time?  Is it the best thing for the Seattle franchise entering the NHL to not have any players to start developing?  NHL teams would also only have one year to decide if they are signing a CHL player rather than the two years they presently have to evaluate if they are worthy of one of 50 precious pro contracts a team can offer.  

The challenge though is that the WHL will only begin play shortly, over a 24 game season.  The OHL still does not have a firm date to return after their latest proposal to do bubbles was rejected by the Ontario government because it lacked detail.  The QMJHL started on time but had a long pause and is now only just starting again.  

European teams and the NCAA have managed to play and I would suspect that this year's draft will heavily favor players from those leagues rather than the CHL.  In conjunction with that, when the CHL leagues can start play regularly next fall, I would suspect that we will see a ton of players taken at 19 in that draft because of their seasons as an 18-year-old.  

The problem with all of this for the CCHL is that we have to try to determine what is best for our draft.  Do we forge ahead in July even if the NHL does not conduct a draft?  At least with last season when we did forge ahead, we had 50 games of reference point to read on and form evaluations rather than potentially zero games played for some draft-eligible players.  

Do we wait until the following June and conduct two drafts?  Would 2021 draft picks still be able to be traded during the next CCHL season or would they become frozen assets?  

Personally, I'm not a fan at all of conducting two drafts at once.  The draft is an absolute grind and if you have never updated the prospect page after the draft you will not have an appreciation of what updating two drafts would be like. Therefore I really do not believe pushing it out until the following summer is an option.  

I don't claim to have the answer today but I am certainly hoping the NHL manages to hold the draft in the summer like they initially planned.  If the OHL can get approval on a 24 game season, I really think that the draft will go ahead as planned because everyone will have played some hockey to be evaluated on.  However, until then it will wait and it is something that we'll have to discuss in the near future.  

The Nickel Report – Evaluating the 2020-21 Sudbury Miners: Volume 8

 CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

 

Up to games ending on February 17, 2021

Miners 10-Game (Double Nickel) Record:  9 wins, 0 losses, 1 OT loss.

Miners League Standing:  44 wins, 16 losses, 8 OT Loss = 96 points total.  Currently sit in 2nd place in the Canosa Conference, 3rd overall in the CCHL.

Miners Special Teams:  Power Play – 21.7% (5th); Penalty Kill – 83.5% (1st)

Miners Scoring Leader:  Winger Johnny Gaudreau (34G – 48A = 82 pts; 7th Overall in the CCHL)

 

Rolling….rolling….rolling……and clinched!

They are definitely not playing like a “Limp Bizkit”, but there is no other way to describe the Miners play the past few weeks, as they continue to be one of the hottest teams in the CCHL right now and have now locked up their playoff spot early, going into the final stretch of the season.

“We are playing with a lot of confidence right now”, stated Coach Derek Sutton.  “It seems like we have some line combinations that are working, and guys are playing up to their potential.  It’s still a balance and guys have to be prepared to face some adversity come the playoffs, but this is a nice stretch, no question”.   

One of the keys to the Miners surge has been the improvement of their special teams.   After spending most of the season in the middle of the pack in both power play and penalty kill percentage, the Miners have surged to top 5, in both categories and now lead the league in penalty killing.   Both areas will be key, if the Miners wish to have a long and successful playoff run.

The top seed in the Canosa Conference is still very much in play for the Miners, as they continue to chase down the defending Kehler Cup Champion Siberia Ice-Cats.  With no more regular season games versus Siberia left on their schedule, the Miners will need some help from other teams and keep their winning ways, in order to overtake the defending champs.

 

MINERS PLAYER PROFILE OF THE WEEK:  Jaden Schwartz

The recently acquired, veteran forward is incredibly quick and can make highly skilled plays in while in motion.  While he can play the center position, he is best suited to flying up and down the wing. Despite his smaller stature, he is still quite aggressive and with his high-tempo style, he has been prone to injuries.  He could stand to get bigger and stronger (since he regularly needs to win more battles against bigger, stronger opponents), but there is not denying the skill and creativity he has to be a top-6 winger.

 

MINERS PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW:  Lassi Thomson

When scouts talk about Thomson, they see him as an offensive-minded, big-shooting defenseman with upside.  He moves the puck well and owns a cannon of a slap shot (making him a very good option on the power play) and is also a very good passer of the puck.  He does lack the ideal size for the CCHL, but this is becoming less of an issue in today’s game.  He also needs to become a more consistent defender in order to fully realize his potential.  Projected CCHL arrival:  2023-24.

(Siberia) CCHL Standings Analysis – Day 118 - The Corfield Conference

 

Hello sports fans. Let’s turn our attention to the ever-tough Corfield Conference and see where things are as of day 118. Your faithful Siberia reporter went behind the scenes to check-in on the playoff races!

                As we saw at the third-of-the-way point in the season, the top 2 teams are still holding the same positions. The defending conference champs, the Falcons, are pushing to get back to the finals this year. They have a strong team as always, with a strong balance of offense and defense. They have the highest scoring team as well as the stingiest defensive team in the CCHL! That is a dangerous combination! Can they find that extra gear in the playoffs?

                Second in the conference is Team Sweden… I mean, the Donuts. The Donuts have kept up a very strong pace throughout the year, having been in first place for part of the season before relinquishing the conference lead back to the Falcons. Can the Donuts get themselves back in shape and overtake the Falcons? They currently sit 7 points out of first, but there is plenty of season to go.

                The surprise team of these last few months is the Bismarck Ibex. GM Condon has made some key trades to strengthen the Ibex and has them currently sitting in 3^rd place, 1 point behind the Donuts, but with two very important games in hand. GM Condon is no stranger to the playoffs, having previously won back-to-back championships. He certainly seems to have the Ibex poised to try to dethrone the Falcons.

                The Chinook are exactly where they were when we reported earlier in the season, still holding onto 4^th place thanks to other-worldly scoring from “Pasta”. This guy just knows how to score and score in bunches. With the Tkachuk brothers reunited in Calgary, we know that they won’t be an easy game for anyone in the Corfield. The Reign and the Owls are fighting hard to climb the standings and are holding on to 5^th and 6^th place respectively. The Owls had previously been 3^rd but have struggled a bit these past 4 months. The Tampere Lynx, with new owner Scott Smith, are solidly in 7^th place. Can Scott keep the Lynx in position for the playoffs?

                Just as with the Canosa Conference, the real race is for the final playoff spot. Four points separates the Orrsmen, Thunder and Crackerjacks for that final an elusive playoff spot. None of 3 teams have had a winning record in the past 10 games, so they will have to ratchet up their games to push for that final playoff spot. While the possibility of facing the Falcon, Donuts or Ibex may seem daunting, getting hot in the playoffs can be all a team needs to surprise everyone! Just ask the Niagara Falls Thunder who won the 2012-13 Kehler Cup as a #6 seed in the Corfield, taking down the Donuts and Falcons along the way? Could we see a similar Cinderella story in the Corfield this year?

                The playoffs are just around the corner and if history has taught us anything is that the final stretch of the season will be intense and dramatic. Stay tuned until next time, sports fans!

(Siberia) CCHL Standings Analysis – Day 118 - The Canosa Conference

 

Hello sports fans. Before the new year, your faithful Siberia reporter provided an update as to how things were shaping up in the Canosa Conference. We are back again with a little more than two thirds of the season done at day 118. How have things changed? What are the hot races right now? Let’s take a look.

                The Canosa Conference sees several very tight races at the top and at the bottom. The Icecats and the Miners are battling it out for first place. Sudbury has been on a tear and have soared up the standings, anchored by an 11-game winning streak. Sudbury acquired a name that is very familiar to Icecats fans, Zach Parise. Zach appears to be providing the Miners with some scoring and leadership. The season series between these two teams is done, but this race won’t be settled until the end of the regular season.

The Amos Comets streaked through the standings early but have fallen back down to earth recently. They have been in a heated battle with Springfield for 3^rd and 4^th place. The Isotopes have owned the last several games between the two teams. Recent acquisitions John Tavares and John Carlson seem to be paying dividends for the Isotopes. Can Amos turn things around? Will either of these teams challenge the Cats or the Miners? The Aces appear to have settled into a comfortable spot in 5^th place but could give the Comets a run for their money if the Comets continue to slip.

                The most interesting race is for the final 3 playoff spots. Currently, only 8 points separate 6 teams for those final 3 spots. Previous champs, the Norsemen, have torn down their team in a rebuild but are currently in 6^th place. Former champ, Richard Poelker, has the Tigers on the cusp of a playoff spot. The Cinderella story of the early season, the Express, are holding tight to 8^th place. Not far behind them is “Don Paulo” himself, mere percentage points out of the final playoff spot. The last two spots are held by the Millers and the Freezing Bears. Both teams are rebuilding so it’s no surprise to see them near the bottom. Both have built up a collection of prospects, but even with the tear down, they are not completely out of the picture.

                With the change in playoff format this year, the 2 extra playoff spots are certainly driving some competition amongst the Norsemen, Tigers, Express, Ronin, Millers and Freezing Bears! Who will prevail and make it to the CCHL playoffs? Can the Canosa Conference retain the Kehler Cup? Stay tuned sports fans. It should be a heck of a finish to the regular season!

Hamilton could be on their way to Denver?

 

The Hamilton Tigers were taken over by new management this season. Subsequently a major house cleaning took place with many new faces coming into the organization. The moves were necessary to right the ship financially.

Some of the bigger names outgoing were E.Karlsson, Horvat, Dadonov, R.Strome, Petry, Pearson &

Alexander Holtz (p).

 

Players of some note coming into the organization were Olofsson, M.Roy, Howden, Nichushkin, Justin Barron (p), Will Cuylle (p), Sampo Ranta (p), Conor Timmins (p) & Dylan Holloway (p).

 

Surprisingly the Tigers currently find themselves in 7th place in the Canosa Conference. Whether they can maintain a playoff spot come the end of the regular season remains to be seen. If they were to do so, just making the playoffs would be a successful season for this squad.

 

Currently leading the Tigers in scoring by quite a margin is the surprising blueliner Jared Spurgeon on the strength of 58 points. He has 24 goals and 34 assists to date.

Trailing him is Max Domi with 14 goals and  31 points good for 45 points.

Rounding out the top 3 in scoring is another blueliner, Matt Dumba, 10-31-42.

Boone Jenner & Victor Olofsson are second on the team in goal scoring with 16 each. The veteran Kovalchuk, the greybeard of the Tigers, comes in next with 15. While his glory days are in the rearview, he presents a good example of work ethic to the youngsters.

 

The goaltending duties are  handled by veteran Mikko Koskinen 3.04, .905 and youngster Tristan Jarry

3.21, .900.

 

Rumors abound that the Tigers franchise may be re-locating to the Mile High City after the season. The  new owner, GM, Coach and chief bottle washer resides there and wishes to relocate. It all depends upon permission of the CCHL Board of Governors and  procuring an arena for play in the Denver metro area.

Currently being considered are the Denver Coliseum and the newly named Ball Arena. Ball is the modern, more desirable venue but the cost of the lease may be prohibitive for the cash strapped franchise. Right now if permission for the relocation is obtained, play would probably be in the Coliseum next season. It has been used in the past by a number of minor league hockey clubs over the years. One which was called the Denver Spurs, who were actually a franchise in the CCHL a number of years ago and won the CCHL Championship one season (2008). Chances are if the move occurs, the franchise will be re-named the Denver Spurs.

 

20 Thoughts That Are Really Five Thoughts by the CCHL Commissioner

 Hello everyone and welcome to another 20 Thoughts that are really just five, simple things that I've been thinking about as commissioner of this league we call the CCHL.  

A lot going on as usual in the league and I'm just going to jot my thoughts out here at random like I normally do.  

1)  I am happy to have the Tampere situation figured out once again and want to extend a hearty welcome to Scott.  In talking with Scott, I billed the CCHL as the best league I've been in throughout my 25 years of the simulated puck and I'm really hoping that we as a group will continue to back that claim up as time goes on.  

Before Scott came on there was talk about potential contraction in the league but that's really not the way I want to go.  I'd love to see the CCHL conduct expansion after the following season which would add $30 million to each existing team's bank account but we need to see consistent ownership for our current teams and find two great people to take expansion teams on.  

Am I dreaming?  Probably but as Walt Disney once said, "If you can dream it, you can do it" so why not take that philosophy on for the CCHL?  

2)  If you haven't been following the commissioner's Twitter account (why aren't you?), you likely heard that Spatula City failed to exercise the renewal option for CCHL video sponsorship.  That means the upcoming draft lottery video will feature new sponsors and the league continues to meet with potential organizations about that sponsorship.  

This morning the league informed the Teddy Ruxpin team and the Lite Bright team that they are no longer under consideration for sponsorship.  The league continues to narrow down the list and have some absolute beauties to meet with this week before rendering a decision.  

3)  The league was on pace for most of the season to set a record for lineups submitted but the change to email submissions has slowed that pace down and it looks like this season we'll finish second or third for most lineups submitted.  

We do have a few teams that will not qualify for the lineup bonus including one that has more lineup violations than actual profiles submitted.  It's a concern mainly related to technology that the league is working with the team on but would like to get rectified right away as that team is leaving points on the table by allowing the simulator to populate the lineup.  

Otherwise, we're in great shape for violations and it's good to see.  

4)  In other bonus money news, it really appears like just two teams are on pace to qualify for bonus money for writing blogs this season.  It's left me to do some thinking on this and am considering putting forth a notion to have Twitter posts replace the blog submissions as there is far more activity on there regularly for our teams.  It also creates more interaction between teams as well - who hasn't been chirped with a box of shame by the Loons? - so perhaps 30-second snippets and more of them are the way to go to qualify.  

I'd be interested in hearing some feedback on this potential change and if it's worth the league executive potentially changing.  

5)  I'm really happy that we as a league decided to make the playoffs the top eight teams this year in each conference rather than the six we've had in past years.  It's allowed an extra 6 teams to be involved in a race and help get some playoff money.  

Also as a team that has traditionally got a bye for the first round, it's kind of a letdown to play for the playoffs and then have to sit on the sidelines as they begin.  I'm sure I'll feel different if Fort Erie gets upset in the first round but for now, I'm loving the inclusion.  

That's all for this week's 20 Thoughts that are cut down into five thoughts.  Have a great week and enjoy the race for the playoffs.