The Season 4 MVP Award

There were 7 nominees for this year's award.  Each nominee certainly had an outstanding season in their own right but when the votes were cast it was Unanimous that one player had the credentials to be Most Valuable above all others this year. 

 The Winner is San Francisco Orcas RW Keegan Ramkema  

Ramkema led the Orcas to a 43 Win season Playing in all 80 games registering 49 Goals and 52 Assists to be the leagues first player to exceed 100 points in a regular season.   The Orcas captured their first division title as Ramkema was the driving factor.  His next closest teammate was 23 points behind him.  It's clear he was the biggest factor offensively for his team.   He led the league in Goals,  and was among the very best in the league on the Power Play as well as Game Winning Goals.  

Congratulations to Keegan Ramkema, the San Francisco Orcas and their GM Jason Karutz. 

In 2nd place was C Jarred Kennelly Miami Trident, 3rd place was BJ Keogan Cape Cod Stingrays 

Our expansion plan for next season, is moving forward.  We received more interest for new teams than we have space for in this expansion.  Nice to know that others see our league and want to be a part of it.  So this morning I notified all the GM candidates of our selections.  The two GMs selected have already been sent invitations to join the slack group so when you see them added in there don't hesitate to introduce yourself.  Some of you may know them already.  Now that we have selected the GMs we will work on getting them settled in Cities, Selecting Team Names and Designing Logos.   

Our first selection is Sean Souliere.  Sean is new to STHS but is a longtime fantasy hockey player.  He came in with a strong interest even having thought out multiple options for cities, team names and logo designs.  Sounds like he's ready to get at it.  

Our second new GM is Andre Dittman.  For those of you that were in the RPHA Andre ran the Daredevils for something like 10 seasons.  In addition he has roughly  20 seasons of other sim hockey experience.  Andre lives in Germany so once again we have a GM on a different time zone but I have no doubt it will work out.  

We will continue to keep you all updated as we get these new franchises developed and incorporated into the league.   

TUCSON, AZ – The Tucson Muertos made their intentions clear at the Season 5 LTLHL Entry Draft, selecting highly-touted defenseman Marcel Kacmarik with the 9th overall pick. The 18-year-old blueliner, known for his offensive prowess and strong two-way play, is expected to make an immediate impact on the Muertos' roster.
Kacmarik's draft stock soared after an impressive junior season, where he amassed a remarkable 63 points in 82 games, tallying 9 goals and 54 assists. His ability to quarterback a power play and contribute offensively from the backend has drawn comparisons to some of the league's top defensemen. The Muertos coaching staff has high expectations for Kacmarik, signaling that he will be slotted into a top-line role, partnering with veteran defenseman Luke Vanni. This pairing is anticipated to form a formidable duo, providing both offensive firepower and defensive stability for Tucson.
"We're absolutely thrilled to have Marcel join the Muertos family," said General Manager Nissen. "He's a player with exceptional talent, a high hockey IQ, and a drive to win. His offensive numbers speak for themselves, but it's his complete game and leadership potential that truly set him apart. We believe he'll be a cornerstone of our defense for years to come, and his chemistry with Vanni should be exciting to watch right out of the gate."
Kacmarik expressed his excitement about joining the Muertos. "It's an incredible feeling to be drafted, and to be going to Tucson, a team with such a passionate fanbase and a clear vision for success, is just amazing," he shared at the post-draft press conference, holding up his new #8 Muertos jersey. "I'm eager to get to work, learn from Luke and the rest of the guys, and help bring a championship to Tucson."
The addition of Kacmarik is a significant move for the Muertos, who are looking to solidify their defense and add another offensive threat to their lineup. With the regular season fast approaching, all eyes will be on Marcel Kacmarik as he embarks on his LTLHL journey with the Tucson Muertos.
 

Pick 30: Marcel Blazik - C: Marcel is a puck possession beast and an offensive dynamo. He finished 5th in scoring last season with 91 points and absolutely carried his teammates offensively as the 2nd highest scorer on the Islanders is a whopping 35 points behind Blazik. The 19 y/o czech will surely go back and dominate the junior league next season as the Trident likes to take their time with their prospects. Since he is not good enough at taking faceoff to be a centerman in the pro league, he projects to be a top-6 winger in the LTLHL in 2 or 3 seasons. 

Pick 39: Caspar Reichelt - RW: Caspar "The German Monster" Reichelt is an absolute unit. At 6'10, 250 pounds, he is the tallest and the heaviest player in the draft. He has some good numbers but it will take a few seasons before he can make the jump. He could turn out to be a middle 6 scoring winger at the pro level. 

Pick 44: Erwin Haberer - LW: Haberer is a well rounded two-way winger that projects to be a middle 6 forward in the LTLHL. He will need a few seasons in the farm system, but he should see plenty of ice time with the Wolverines and should be paired with good enough teammates to see his offensive production take a step forward. 

The Trident had the 15th overall pick in the season 5 entry draft and they selected the Czech defenseman Lubos Gebauer. Playing with the Sherbrooke Raiders, Gebauer put up a very impressive season. Amongst the the 236 defensemen that played in juniors last season, he was 4th in takeaways (78), 16th in shots blocked (116), 28th in +/- (+11), 2nd in points (69) and 1st in goals with 21, which is a league record. He projects to be an elite two way defenseman. His play and attributes are very similar to a well known Trident supersar : Arnt Pfeffer. 

"We had Lubos very high on our list amongst other names, but the appeal of maybe having a 2nd Pfeffer in our hands was too tempting to pass up. We know Lubos is his own player, but we think having another young similar defenseman like Pfeffer in the organisation will be beneficial for his development as Arnt will be able to mentor him. We are really excited with our pick."