Sunday, February 2, 2025

State of the Loons: Best Loons team yet?

 Last week Simon threw us a curveball. When sending in our lines we looked ahead a few games in order to set up our goalie rotation and were shocked to see that the Loons were about to embark on 3 games in 3 days, and overall 7games in 9 days. The initial 3 game stretch saw us matched up against the top three CCHL teams in order of points: Wisborg, Falcons and Calgary. Coming off of two straight losses to conference rivals things were looking bleak. Low and behold the Loons pulled themselves together and swept through the CCHL elite. We won't get into the following two games since we like to focus on the positives today. However after the 5th game the Loons have clinched a trip to the playoffs, tied for 2nd in the Corfield and tied for 1st in the Patrick Division.


Also during this murderous stretch Jack Eichel scored his 50th goal and 100th point. Eichel is the first Loon to accomplish both of these accomplishments not to mention in the same season. All this got us to thinking if this is the best Loons' team of all time. 

Capeside entered the CCHL in the 2018/19 season and stunningly finished 1st in the Corfield Conference and 2nd in the CCHL with 110 points, just 2 behind the Norsemen in the overall CCHL standings. After a first round bye, the Loons were embarrassingly bounced right out of the playoffs by the Falcons. Unfortunately the stats from that season are seemingly lost forever in the old website but my memory recalls that Loons team was more lucky then good. 

2020 saw the Loons make the playoffs as the 6th and final seed in the Corfield, losing in the first round to Seattle 4-2. Dubois lead the way that year for the Loons in both goals and points (27/56). 2021 was by far the worst Loons team finishing dead last in the Corfield with a measly 53 points, Mikeal Granlund led the team with a whopping 21 goals and 45 points. 2022 saw the Loons move up on spot to 10th in the Corfield with 81 points, Eichel lead the team with 30g and 67 points. 2023 brought the Loons back to the playoffs as the 5th seed with 96 pts only to be swept out of the first round by the same Seattle Reign. Joel Farabee lead the way that year with 31 goals and 68 points. And last year, 2024 , saw the Loons finish with 112 pts good for 4th in the Corfield and more importantly our first playoff series win against the same Seattle Reign, only to be swept in the second round by that Donut juggernaut. Captain Kreider lead the team in goals with 34 while Eichel put up 83 points.

With 14 games left in the 2025 season the Loons record book looks to be under attack, Granted due to an aggressive front office in previous years and a lot of player turnover during the season only points recorded in a Loons sweater have been tracked. This year has been our lowest turnover year to date which helps but both Eichel and Kreider could both be 50 goals and 100 points. Eichel, Larkin and Matthews (all Americans btw) should go down to the wire for the CCHL scoring title: 50,50, 45.

This is only a look at our own team but brings up a few questions like does less in season moves translate to team results as the Loons were by far and away the least active in our history this year? Is scoring up in the CCHL as a whole with much less parity throughout the league? 

How the Loons fair in the post season will ultimately answer the question if this is the best Capeside team yet but as far as individual stats go the answer is yes.

Capeside Loons records (minus 2019 RIP)

Goals                                         Assists                                       Points
1. Eichel       50* 2025            1. Makar      59  2024            1. Eichel        101    2025*
2. Kreider     40* 2025            2. Eichel      57  2024            2. Kreider        86    2025*
3. Kreider     34  2024            3. McAvoy    53  2024            3. Eichel         83     2024        
4. Vatrano    33* 2025            4. Boldy        52 2025*           4. Boldy          77    2025*
5. Schmaltz 32   2024            5. Eichel       51 2025*           5. Makar         73    2024
6. Farabee  31   2023            6. Hanifin      50 2025*           6. Farabee     68     2023
7. Eichel      30   2022            7. McAvoy    48 2025*           7. McAvoy      68    2024
8. McCann   28  2023            8. McAvoy    48 2022            8. Eichel          67    2022
9. Caufield   27* 2025            9. Kreider     46 2025*           9. Schmaltz    65    2024
10.Garland  26   2022           10. Eichel     41 2023            10. Eichel        64    2023

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