ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION FEAT. GB, ŽG + NR

SEASON REVIEW PART 2:

Should they stay or should they go? 

Many thanks to the roundtable boys for their time (they were compensated, don't worry 🍻); their responses have been edited for clarity and anglicised a bit. Any errors are my own. This took 3 hours to talk through in person and over 5 hours to write up, in addition to various delays. I hope you find it worth the wait - please enjoy!

HURT FEELINGS DISCLAIMER:

I want to preface this article by saying a few things. Hockey is one of the tougher sports out there. I have tremendous respect for everyone who plays in the Olimpija jersey, who puts their body on the line for the team. I am so grateful to be able to watch live ice hockey for the first time in my life and I truly appreciate the efforts of the entire squad and coaching staff this year, even if it didn't end the way any of us wanted it to.

With all that said, it is a privilege to play at this or any level of professional hockey - not a right. If players underperform, it is within the rights of fans to comment on that. I hope I don't receive any particular hate for the opinions I've collected below. In the immortal words of Ilya Bryzgalov (a former NHL goalie) that I have quoted previously, "Is only game, why you have to be mad?". I'll be fine if I do, though, as it won't be any worse than some of the stuff that some parents continue to say to me as a school teacher! 

I couldn't find the top-tier "nothing personnel, kid" misspelled meme, so you'll have to have this one. 

Finally, if all that hasn't convinced you, I'll put it the most bluntly, as I've had to do with some of those aforementioned parents: Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, said that "truth is the foundation of all virtues". There's no place for massaging egos when we're trying to win playoff rounds next season; average isn't good enough if that's our goal. If you don't like what we've said about you, play better next time :)

P.S. People have been interested, so let me subtly introduce the roundtable boys. There's obviously me, your normal writer. GB is an occasional guest writer for OHB. For context, I was mostly introducing the talking points and then furiously writing everything that was said down for three hours straight. That doesn't necessarily sound fun, but it was incredibly enjoyable and rewarding to talk hockey with such a great group of passionate and intelligent fans of the team. We've already agreed to meet up again for a season preview in August/September, once the coaching staff and squad have been finalised.

ŽG is my leading 'insider', like Ian Rapoport or Adam Schefter in the NFL. I get lots of useful information from him. Lastly, NR was invited to attend thanks to his frequently insightful DMs after games (and his particular bombarding of one player, which you shall see below...). When you see EDIT, that is me (SA) adding extra pearls of wisdom in (by pearls of wisdom, I mean highly tangential references to other sports/eSports).

THOUGHTS ON PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT FOR NEXT SEASON (PER ELITE PROSPECTS)

LUKAŠ HORÁK, SIGNED TILL 26-27

SA - 39 GP, 2.68 GAA, .917 SV%. 23W 15L, 1SO. Playoffs 1.96 GAA and .935 SV%.

This is an easy one. Horak is such an electrifying player to watch and it feels like a real privilege to do so. Unfortunately, OLL's modus operandi when things get tough is to leave Horak on an island of greatness, where he's playing out of his mind trying to keep the team in the game but isn't getting the defensive or goal support we need to win. Still, it is worth celebrating what a sensational player we have here and I hope the team fairly compensated him in his most recent contract. I hope I can bump into him some day and thank him for his efforts in person, as I've been able to do with a few players now!

NR - we couldn't really ask for any more from 61 this season. He was the sole reason we didn't have even heavier defeats (e..g. 7-3 losses). He single-handedly carried our defence by limiting goals allowed. Very glad he's signed through two more seasons.

ŽG - Agreed. We shouldn't play him for as many games next year though - I don't know if it's smart to have him play in the 40+ game region.

GB - I think with the coaching situation in turmoil, it was decided to use him as much as possible. Kolin should get more games so we can plan for the eventual life after Horak in net. Dukarić and Kavčič are two excellent-looking goalie prospects, so we should continue to hold this area as a strength and hallmark of the team.

 

TIAN HEBAR (JUNIOR CONTRACT?)

SA - 29-0-3-3. -2 and 2 PIM.

I liked watching Hebar play this year. I am not sure if his junior contract means he will automatically be with us next year, but I certainly hope that is the case. I would like to see him get more playing time next year so he can continue his development. He didn't flash as much as his counterpart Rožle Bohinc (more on him later), but he did well and deserves to play over the likes of Crnović (also more on him later). 

GB - He played excellently - it's hard to replace the injured Pavlin. He reminds me of Kristjan Čepon - lots of blocks and shots that players like Pance tip in. I'd rather have him playing than Ege, for example.

ŽG - He played well, needs more ice time to develop and stop making rookie mistakes. For his age he played really well and I am excited for his future. 

NR - From what we saw and taking into account his age, he did well. Like the others have said, he needs time and space to develop. I don't think he was ever a liability. With development, he could be a decent player for us.

BINE MAŠIČ 25-26

SA: 45-6-18-24. -4 and 14 PIM.

Our second top points scorer and possibly the most controversial player we discussed all evening. I called him a "Rolls Royce player" in my Season Preview, after he had greatly impressed in his first half-season with the club. I don't feel he lived up to that billing this season. When we really needed a spark of offense, he couldn't provide it (like the rest of the team, to be fair). He was also occasionally quite shaky defensively, although I'm higher on his capabilities there than some of the others below...

NR - Bench him! He's been put into a role he cannot play. Hebar fits his role, but Bine does not. He has had much more playtime, development opportunities - he's been first pairing, PP1. He's always making amateurish mistakes, killer turnovers, penalties. He's simply trying to do too much for his level right now. He obviously has potential, but he can't be costing the team wins by being a total defensive liability.

(EDIT - Having just watched a great Valorant eSports interview with Foxy9 from GenG in VCT Pacific (stay with me!), I think Mašič could learn from Foxy9. The latter mentioned that he'd been underperforming due to feeling like he had to stand out and make flashy plays to prove he belonged on the team. Perhaps Bine could take a leaf out of his book - Foxy9 stated that, after a period away from the team, he came back simply focused on intelligent play within the team's structure, doing what the team needed. He looked fantastic today and I am sure Mašič can look fantastic again for us in the future.)

ŽG - Honestly, I mostly remember his mistakes. Lots of blueline, last man turnovers come to mind. This kind of pressure could be solved by a simple pass, but these were not taken. 2nd in points is not that impressive on this team. When he played for the U20 Slovenia team, Kranj's coach and all the international coaches were saying how promising he was. We didn't see positive development from him this season.

GB - The main aspect of all this is Karhula's game plan with defence was splitting them into one attacking D-man and one stay-at-home D-man. He did that with Mašič and this led to a lot of counter-attacks allowed by his pairing. Basic mistakes were being made for a first pair.

To be completely honest, I feel Jan Ćosić is better than Mašič. He made fewer mistakes under pressure and showed similar offensive potential. We need a purely defensive player next to Mašič if he's going to work (EDIT - I suggested like Jaccob Slavin next to Tony DeAngelo for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes a couple of years ago). Powerplay mistakes were common, too - although the entire team was guilty of looking for the perfect pass instead of taking what the PK was giving them.

LOVRO KUMANOVIĆ 26-27

SA - 22-0-0-0. +/- 0, 0 PIM.

The master of zeroes, statistically! In all seriousness, I felt that Kumanović showed well in limited ice time and is a strong option to have as the 13th forward. He was getting into good areas and making impactful hits. He was unfortunate with injuries, such as a despicable hit to the head that went initially uncalled (because of course it did). I'd like to see more from him next year. I was surprised to see him signed to the same length of contract as Horak, but presumably this is a contract that can slide him down to the likes of HK Celje if needed.

GB - He's not going to have an offensive impact. He checks hard, skates hard, makes sure he's in the right places. He should spend some time in Celje and try to show more of his potential. He's got a long contract to evaluate that. He's a solid backup player for now.

ŽG - He needs some time to play and develop in Celje next season and then maybe come back in 26-27. He showed some potential but isn't good enough right now. If we want to place more highly next year then we need better than him. 

(With apologies to Lovro, we went slightly off-piste here. GB chimed in that we need more of a winning mentality and Olimpija is not used to that, neither are the Slovene players. NR went on to say that a full team of Slovene players would not go anywhere; we need to recruit imports if we want top 6 finishes. I found this interesting, as ŽG has said to me that he doesn't see any sustainable future without supporting and developing a strong core of Slovene players, as they are far more likely to stay. I think there's a clear compromise to be had here, where you try to improve the environment sufficiently to keep import players around (like VSV have done with John Hughes), while also focusing on homegrown player development. GB said that if we had a Graz budget, we'd only keep 5-6 Slovene players. This is all speculative, of course, but it's something interesting to consider!).

NR - I don't remember his games ^^

ŽIGA PANCE 25-26

SA: 39-10-4-14. -3 and 42 PIM (second on the team).

Pance, to me, is pure silky skill combined with the kind of fire you want every player to have. He's a voracious penalty killer and somehow also the provider of the most 'wow' moments of finesse. The other guys had a lot more nice stuff to say, so I'll leave it to them again.

GB - We need him even if he scores 0 points. He makes his 4th line counterparts, Beričič and Sodja, feel safe to play hard and be a bit dirty because no. 13 has their back. His 4th line bailed us out repeatedly during difficult moments in the season, such as in December (which saw the Karhula loss streak and subsequent firing).

ŽG - We need him because he's the only player who knows how to fight for the jersey. His mentality is irreplaceable and he's someone the team needs in the locker room and on the ice. He has a nose for the goal and he forces a lot of turnovers.

NR - I feel similarly. You can see his age catching up to him a bit - he's not prime Pance anymore. But with that comes wisdom. Together with Pavlin, he is the voice the team needs. Not the flashiest points total this year, but he did what the team needed.

 

SHOULD THEY STAY (🙏) OR SHOULD THEY GO (⛔)? FREE AGENTS (PER ELITE PROSPECTS)

GOALIES

LUKA KOLIN

SA: 11 GP, 3.15 GAA, .912 SV%. 2W 8L.

🙏 I thought Kolin was generally very good and deserved much better than his 80% loss rate. I got into a little bit of playful trouble with Horak for suggesting that Kolin should have been starting more games later into the season. I think it's clear that goaltending is the best part of our team, so we should lean into that and prepare for longer playoff runs by rotating our goalies more consistently and thereby keeping them both fresh for longer. Horak does seem to be a Hellebuyckian type who wants to start every single game, but there must be some form of compromise to be made where Kolin doesn't just sit and watch most of the year. Like Horak, he was a joy to watch this year, which cannot be said for many of the skaters on the team.

GB 🙏 We need to keep him for sure. Our tandem of goalies is top 3 in the league. I would play Horak and Kolin 60:40 ratio and then go to Horak-only for the playoffs. 

ŽG 🙏 I want him to stay. If we want to push further in the playoffs, then we need him playing at least 20 games in the regular season to take some of the load off Horak. We need him to be fully prepared if Horak gets injured and that won't be the case if he barely ever plays. However, if Kolin doesn't maintain his good play into next season under this arrangement, by December I would be looking to get a temporary replacement. 

(EDIT - we pointed out that this isn't easy, though, judging by some of the calamitous goalies we saw come in to play for other teams in the league. Seems like there's a lot of bad goaltending out there! Thankfully, Horak and Kolin help keep us naive on this subject (although Robin Rahm brought some cold reality to us last year, lol).)

NR 🙏 I want him to stay. He's our only option for a decent goalie right now after Horak. The 8 losses are a defence problem, not him. With elite defence, Horak and Kolin would be able to prove that they belong in the top 3 tandems in the league.

 

LAN KAVČIČ

SA - 0 GP. We didn't end up discussing Kavčič, who backed up Kolin a few times but never saw game action. See above for a mention of Dukarić and Kavčič. 

  

DEFENSEMEN

ARVIN ATWAL - 40-2-7-9. -6 and 74 PIM (most in team).

SA ⛔ I think he should go. Like Ege, he didn't follow up his dazzling pre-season with anything impressive. Although he eventually found the appropriate line not to cross, he was a liability with his penalty minutes for much of the season and did not offer enough on offense. For someone so willing to fight, he barely ever threw a hit in open play, which I found confusing. I did appreciate how active he was in defending his teammates, at least. I wish him the best with his recovery, but for me it's a clear 'thanks, but no thanks'. I'd rather have Gregorc play on his off-side with Hebar or Bohinc on the left than Atwal return.

GB ⛔ Most penalties and many of those were not even for defending - just mouthing off at the opposition or the refs. He was painfully bad on the PP2 earlier on in the season, which is not what you want to see from a presumably expensive import player.

ŽG ⛔ The only good thing about his game was his injury bringing in Shawn Lalonde, who looked much better. (EDIT: Even I thought this was pretty harsh, even if I do agree that Lalonde looked rather more effective. Tell us how you really feel, ŽG! 😜 In all seriousness, though, I wish Atwal the very best in his recovery. He never followed the blog or even looked at an Instagram story until he got caught supporting Pustertal in our Pre-Playoffs games, but I'll be the better person here 😉.)

NR ⛔ He built up a reputation that started to earn penalties on its own, even when they weren't really justified. The refs were certainly on the lookout for him. He scored a couple of lucky goals, but didn't show anything offensively and isn't a skilled D-man in my opinion. I liked him for his fights, though - this boosted the crowd and everyone else in the game. 

 

WYATT EGE - 48-3-16-19. +3 and 16 PIM.

SA ⛔ A similar evaluation to Atwal. He showed some Ronkainen-esque (a Finnish player from the previous season who started well and faded. He now plays in Poland) technical lock-up defending, but but not much else. I liked his big-screen goal celebration, dual-wielding machine guns.

 GB ⛔ His stats are average. Ćosić and Mašič play similar styles - we do not need three of the same player. Let's get some size on this roster outside of Žiga Pavlin. Ege was helped by not being on the first pair, where I think he would have done worse. Ultimately, he is a foreign player who was brought in to make a difference and he did not do this. 

ŽG ⛔ Not noticeable on the ice. One of the import players who didn't show up for us; Olimpija really has a problem with this. Are there any memorably good OLL import defensemen since 2007-8?

NR ⛔ The defence did not live up to expectations. It's very similar stories for Atwal and Ege. Both brought in to boost the team and neither did so. Ege did half a job. If I didn't know hockey and watched the whole season I would not know he was a well-paid import.

  

ROŽLE BOHINC - 26-0-3-3. -2 and 2 PIM.

SA 🙏 I've written about Bohinc extensively by this point (and he still hasn't followed the blog, smh) - you know I think he has the size and tools to be a real force for us for years on the blue line. I'd love to see him get a lot more starts and ice time next year. He didn't get many points, but he was doing the right things and definitely has more to offer offensively.

GB 🙏 I want him to stay, but it's a tough decision - both Hebar and Bohinc need time but I don't think this should be at the same time if we want to drastically improve our fortunes. 

(EDIT - I am very happy for both to be starting on different pairs next season. Perhaps Bohinc on the 2nd pair LD and Hebar 3rd pair? Gregorc could flex to play his off-hand on the 3rd pair and Mašič could do the same on the 2nd. Then you pair Ćosić and someone like Lalonde on the first, with Pavlin as 7th D/ assistant coach). 

ŽG 🙏 He could be the future for us and the Slovenia team. He needs time and shouldn't be rushed into a bigger role right away. He has a bright future ahead of him. 

NR 🙏 He definitely should stay and play a bit more. It's difficult to balance this need for development time with the desire to bring in import players. 

 

JAN ĆOSIĆ - 32-2-7-9. +1 and 14 PIM.

SA 🙏 I like Ćosić a lot. He's a bit of a bulldog out there, always ready to forcefully compete. He started off the season looking like his hero, Quinn Hughes, but injuries derailed his offensive campaign. I tend to agree with GB that Ćosić should be on the first pairing over Mašič.

GB 🙏 I like him a lot. The only thing he needs to improve is his shot. He has great skill, skating and decision making. A potent combo! 

ŽG 🙏 He's really good offensively but can be guilty of trying to do too much. He showed great PP potential with his strong start to the year. His injury was really unfortunate. I'd like to see him get PP QB time next year.

NR 🙏 Ćosić should get Mašič's role from last year. He is what Mašič wants to be. By point total, 72 > 14, but from what we've seen of both, Ćosić is clearly better. He's strong in the OZ and DZ and still has more to give offensively. We've seen Mašič's offense but his defence is lacking. He's a rare defender for this club - he's Slovene, a good fit and has the capability to perfectly balance defensive and offensive talents.

  

ALJOŠA CRNOVIĆ - 41-2-3-5. -6 and 24 PIM. 

SA ⛔ I was a big believer in Crnović earlier this season. He was showing off his flowing skating style and was carrying the puck into the OZ to good effect. Both of these evaporated later in the season, where we saw some sloppy and frequent penalties and not much else. I think he should play down a league next year. We can do better for 7th defenseman.

GB ? Bohinc could be the 7th D and Crnović could be 6th. He's a bit of a bland player, there's no grit or emotion to his game. Just the grey man in the background. When Pavlin went down, it seemed like the team expected Crnović to step up. He didn't.

ŽG ⛔ If we bring in 2-3 new defenders, he can go back to Jesenice like Jaka Šturm did this season (and he's doing well). At this level, I don't think he has a future.

 NR ⛔ You could argue that the carry-ins were not necessarily a good thing - he was just the only one doing anything! I didn't really see anything positive from him and don't see a benefit to the team in keeping him. If we can get anyone better, we should. 

 

BLAŽ GREGORC - 47-3-13-16. -8 and 14 PIM.

SA 🙏 I think in an ideal world he would be 3rd pair/7th D next year, but he was solid and dependable this year and that's not something you could say of many of our defenders. He was also the most consistently available, alongside Wyatt Ege, which counts for a lot. He follows the blog, so you know he's a good guy to have around 😆

GB - If we don't have any new defensive signings, then 🙏. If we can find better, then ⛔. He's so slow. Good at clearing the puck, though, and his DZ breakouts helped what little offense we had. Otherwise he was average or below. 

ŽG ⛔ To be honest, I don't know how he got to play in the German league. He wasn't really noticeable. I would suggest he retires or goes to the Alps League. I expected much more from him.

NR - If it's possible to upgrade, then ⛔. If not, 🙏. He was consistent, but consistently average. Is this enough for a team wanting automatic playoffs next year? We need a different mentality and that means we'll have to move on from some of our our decent players.

 

SHAWN LALONDE - 3-0-1-1. -3 and 0 PIM.

SA 🙏 He hit like a freight train in his short time with us, so you know I want him back. He exhibited a heavy shot and looked comfortable running a powerplay. Unlike our other import defensemen, he was constantly impactful in his ice time. That's what we need more of next year - people who pop. 

GB 🙏 He brought some much-needed variety to our defensive corps. He absolutely destroyed guys in 1v1 situations and had a powerful shot. Atwal was meant to be like this guy actually was.

ŽG 🙏 He showed a lot of physical play. I don't know about his offense, but defensively he could be very good for us if he comes back. 

NR 🙏 He's something we don't have, an aggressive D-man who will clear the puck and legally enforce his will on opponents. He has more offensive potential than we could see in the few games he played. His style of play was very beneficial for us.

 

ŽIGA PAVLIN - 21-2-9-11. +4 (joint 2nd) and 16 PIM.

SA 🙏 I want him back with the organisation, but I think he might be better suited to being an Assistant Coach at this stage. He looked the part when he was injured and helping AT out on the bench. If he comes back to play, he should be a 3rd pair/7th D. I love him as our captain - unlike Sabolič, he had the air of a real leader. 

GB 🙏 If possible, I'd like to keep him for another season. The team defence looked much worse without him. (EDIT: This is backed up by how good his +/- was early in the season, pre-injury).

ŽG 🙏 I heard he might be retiring, but he'll announce for sure after the Slovene Cup. I also like the idea of him as an assistant, someone like that is very important to have in your locker room no matter what.

NR 🙏 I want him back for one last season. We've talked about upgrades in all senses, but can we upgrade on Pavlin's spirit? He's like the LeBron James of Slovene hockey, the voice of the team and a reasonably good defender even at his age. What he brings in stature and size to the team remains important.

UPDATE: A source tells me Pavlin is retiring after the Slovene Cup and joining the team in a front office role. 

FORWARDS

RUDOLF ČERVENY - 25-10-9-19. +3 and 16 PIM.

SA 🙏 Another easy one - everyone was in instant agreement that Červeny should come back. He provided an offensive spark, helped balance out our lop-sided powerplay and was simply our best goalscorer. He also threw some choice hits, which I appreciated. I ran into him recently and he said he hopes to be back next year - I told him Olimpija would be insane not to bring him back and I stand by that statement.

GB 🙏

ŽG 🙏 (gave a thumbs up ^^)

NR 🙏 More creative with his shots than Sabolič, most productive on offense, a real danger. Good replacement for Trevor Gooch, 

 

MIHA BERIČIČ - 47-6-8-14. +4 (joint 2nd) and 10 PIM.

SA 🙏 I really like watching Beričič play. He has a loping skating style that I enjoy and he is a ravenous penalty killer alongside his partner in crime Sodja. I would love to see him develop more of his game and move off the 4th line, but even if he doesn't, he is a key cog that we cannot afford to let go.

 GB 🙏 100%. His faceoff win % is good. He lifts the entire team with his high-energy forechecking. 

ŽG 🙏 He's not afraid to battle, he fights and stands up for his teammates. Maybe we could see him upgrade to the 3rd line next year? His development has stalled a bit - his first time with OLL saw him on the 3rd line, then he went down to the 4th. 

 NR 🙏 (NR claimed he was biased because he'd played with Beričič)

UPDATE - A source tells me Beričič has re-signed on a 3 year deal. Woohoo! Congrats, Miha!

 

MARIS BIČEVSKIS - 35-4-11-15. +8 (highest on the team) and 12 PIM.

SA ? I'm honestly not sure. I think he's a good defensive centre, but he doesn't offer enough offensively. When he played alongside Trevor Gooch, he had to rely on the American to do a lot of the heavy lifting in play-driving terms. I wouldn't be sad to see him stay but I wouldn't be sad to see him go. Somehow he has the highest +/- on the team, which surprised me. That probably reflects his good defensive tendencies and relatively sheltered minutes compared to last season on the top line.

GB ⛔ He's in his 30s, a foreign import and his faceoff % isn't good.

ŽG ⛔ If he was Slovene, I'd keep him. But he's not. Last season his point total was heavily inflated by playing with Gooch. 

NR ⛔ If an upgrade is possible, he's got to go. If there are budget issues, he can stay. He's consistently average. In critical moments, he tends to give away penalties.

 

NICK BONINO - 22-6-11-17. +2 and 10 PIM.

SA 🙏 This one isn't really a question of if we want him back, but more of whether he wants to come back. I spoke to a former Toronto Maple Leafs coach who now works in Finland; I had assumed that Bonino would be snapped up by a rich Swiss league team, but he thought differently. He said that Swiss teams look for fast skaters and that Bonino would be better suited to the Finnish league, with it's smaller rinks and slower pace of play. I would love to have him back, but it seems very up in the air whether that'll happen. 

Now, he didn't annihilate the opposition like some might have hoped or expected for someone with the 'NHL last season' tagline, but he did all the little things, the details of pro hockey, exceptionally well. I think the team will have learned an enormous amount from having him around and I hope that continues next year. Everybody I spoke to in and around the organisation said what a humble and helpful guy he was; I have met him and his family and they are the type of people you want to stick around in your organisation. 

GB 🙏 He had a calming effect on everyone and gave us a real edge on the PP with his play around the net. He had a slight dip in form after a barnstorming start, but still played very well.

ŽG 🙏 If he returns, we need to bring in players who can accept his passes and understand his high-level thinking. His level was a bit high for the rest of our players.

(EDIT - agreed. Lavoie looked like he would sync up well with him initially, but it ended up being Kapel who benefitted most.)

NR 🙏 If possible I would love him to stay. His experience is tremendously valuable to the team and the way he reads the game is so advanced. As we said, Olimpija players were guilty of wanting the perfect pass - Bonino was actually able to execute it.

  

ROK KAPEL - 47-6-8-14. -10 (3rd worst) and 6 PIM.

SA ⛔ His late-season resurgence playing alongside Nick Bonino belies the fact that this was another disappointing season overall for the right winger. 14 points in 47 games, often on the second line, is not good enough. Maybe he gets one more chance, but I would look to demote him to the Alps League and upgrade (even though he did gel well with Bonino).

GB 🙏 I would keep him, but relegate his role to 13th forward. I liked him at first, but he was bad this year. There are at least 4 better 3rd line players on this roster. He does have a wicked wrister, though.

ŽG ⛔ Bonino made him look better than he is.

NR 🙏 To be fair to him, he was the clear top-scorer in hitting the bar and post. I still see his potential. It's worth querying, though: is he about to fall off or pop off? I simply don't know. 

 

KALE KERBASHIAN - 34-9-11-20. -11 (2nd worst) and a very impressive 0 PIM.

SA 🙏 Disclaimer - I am definitely biased here, as I met Kale just as I was starting the blog and he was extremely kind with his time and very supportive of my efforts. I subsequently bought his Onkoman charity jersey. I've met his now-wife (congratulations, once more!) and he's met my Mum. With all that said, I definitely want him back and it's not just because he is a fantastically nice guy. To me, he was our only real play-driving centre and truly creative forward for much of the season. 

So many of the other forwards were just waiting for things to happen in the OZ. He was the only one really busting a gut to make things happen offensively. His rapid start was unfortunately curtailed by a lengthy injury layoff. I would love to see him come back and have a full season. He spoke to me recently and said his point scoring and the general team offense hadn't been as high or effective as he wanted. Let's give him the chance to make that happen next year.

GB ⛔ I don't want him back for team chemistry reasons. We have too many similar players: Kapel, Kerbashian, Lavoie, Sabla... They're all low centre of gravity, wrist shot-type guys. Also, when it mattered most, he was nowhere to be found. Sabla is at least physical when he's not making an offensive impact. I was really disappointed, to be honest. His only big game was the 2nd away game of the season. He's very good on the puck, but given he's an import player, absolutely not. The problem is, who do you get to replace him? At least we know how he plays, I suppose.

ŽG ⛔ I would get someone else for the money we pay him. He was decent, but I'd prefer someone like Jan Muršak or Jan Urbas. 

NR 🙏 I agree with the play-driving point, but we need to do more in terms of team play and not rely on individuals as much. We must figure out an offensive team chemistry that works. Maybe putting KK on the wing with Bonino at centre would be beneficial for both of them?

 

ALEXANDRE LAVOIE - 41-5-16-21. -3 and 2 PIM.

SA ⛔ This is my turn for an 'absolutely not'. To me, he was brought in to be the replacement for the illustrious Trevor Gooch. Admittedly, this is a hard act to follow. However, Lavoie brutally underwhelmed. He couldn't buy a goal for half the season after being the top scorer in the French league last year. Then, character issues emerged as he got demoted and benched entirely for stretches. The final nail in the coffin was him being left out of the Pre-Playoff game squads. I'm sure he's a decent enough guy, but no thank you whatsoever. Not everything works out and this is one of those that didn't. 

GB ⛔ I'd rather have Kerbashian than Lavoie and put KK on the wing instead. Rumours of a bad attitude really put me off Lavoie. 

ŽG ⛔ If he was playing with Gooch, he'd have got 50+ points. He didn't have any support; there were no consistent goalscorers he could set up (or vice versa).

NR ⛔ Very similar to Ege and Atwal - he's an import player, brought in to make a difference and he did not. With the apparent attitude issues, it seems he has absolutely no future with Olimpija.

MARCEL MAHKOVEC - 48-11-12-23. -1 and 4 PIM

SA 🙏 An instant clean sweep for Mahkovec. I would have liked to see him score more, but this was another good year for the young man. 

GB 🙏

 ŽG 🙏

 NR 🙏

  

ŽIGA MEHLE - 43-3-6-9. -3 and 10 PIM.

SA 🙏 I liked seeing him get some PP time. I think he can be a Tkachuk-esque player for us, but he hasn't shown the kind of progress you want yet. 

GB 🙏⛔ Comparing Beričič and Mehle, the former has made more progress and impact than the latter. I would keep Mehle in the organisation but send him down to the Alps League on a loan. He's not quite breaking through. We've already got a set 4th line in Pance, Beričič and Sodja. Is there space for Mehle next year? We can't have players who aren't making a useful impact.

ŽG 🙏⛔ He's not getting a lot of ice time. We have a lot of forwards. I'd say let's see how the Slovene Cup finals go for him and judge from there.

 NR 🙏⛔ A loan makes sense. Give him some time because he doesn't fit in the current team, but if he can develop on loan and come back the year after he could fit. If there isn't a positive change then that's that, if there is then he has a future with the team. 

 

ROBERT SABOLIČ 46-13-20-33. -8 and 20 PIM.

SA ⛔ Possibly a bit harsh here for our top points scorer, but aside from a few good goals and great penalties, he was a bit of a passenger in this team at times. I didn't like him as Captain and he's getting on the older side. Maybe I'm unfairly conflating Sabla with the very poor powerplay setup; I know for certain that I do not want another season of watching extremely-telegraphed slapshots from the right circle into the goalie's chest over and over again. I'd rather get younger and more consistent on the top two lines. 

GB 🙏 For me, he was a constant contributor. He never gets rattled. His hits are impactful and his ability to hold the puck under pressure is unmatched on our roster.

 ŽG 🙏 He was trying to step up for his teammates as Alternate Captain and actually ended up playing more softly with the C on his chest. He scores impactful goals (e.g. against VSV). 

NR 🙏 If we do not keep him, Červeny is a ready replacement. Sabla is an offensive danger and teams have to plan for him. He opens up a lot of space in the OZ. I don't know if an upgrade is realistic.

 UPDATE - a source tells me that Sabla has re-signed with the team. 

NIK SIMŠIČ 48-11-7-18. -6 and 14 PIM.

SA ⛔ Is it really Olimpija without Simšič? I'm willing to find out. He scored some occasional clutch goals, but he was another passenger in the team for too many games. I am sure he will be back, but I think his role is eminently upgradeable. He flatters to deceive, as we say in English, far too often. 

GB 🙏 Another constant contributor. You can rely on him for 20 pts a year no matter what.

ŽG 🙏 Put a good import player next to him and he'll shine. He has some games where he looks like a star, then is gone for the next 10 games. 

NR 🙏 We have to keep both Sabla and Simšič. Similarly on and off players, but they could and should stay.

 

JAKA SODJA - 41-5-5-10. +4 and 4 PIM.

SA 🙏  Another instant clean sweep, like for Mahkovec. We're all big fans of Sodja's game - particularly his penalty killing and energy on the forecheck, both dovetailing with Beričič.

GB 🙏

ŽG 🙏 

NR 🙏

 

BLAŽ TOMAŽEVIČ - 33-4-4-8. -15 (team worst) and 8 PIM.

SA ⛔ I feel for him with his concussion issues, but he did not look particularly effective out there and we can definitely upgrade at his original 2C centre spot, as we already did mid-season through the Bonino signing.

GB ⛔ Before his concussion issues, he was crap. He seemed to be treating it like a 9-5 office job, he was not good (GB put his head into his hands at this point, LOL). Maybe it was just one bad season but all he seemed to do was go to the same corner on the forecheck and lose the puck. I don't want to see that repeated every game for another season. He was comfortably our worst player.

 ŽG ⛔ His original season with Olimpija was much better. As he played this year, I wouldn't want him back. If he steps up like 2-3 years ago, then I would. But I think for now it's a no. 

NR ⛔ The train has long left the station, he's not the player he was and it's not possible to get back there. 

 

LUKA VODLAN - 18-0-0-0. -3 and 0 PIM.

SA ⛔ I wish him the best with his recovery, as someone who has also had shoulder surgery before, but I don't think he showed enough to warrant staying with us. A good Alps League season might see him return the year after as a reserve forward, but it seems Kumanović has that role. Unlike Lovro, Luka did not make an impact in his limited ice time. For that reason, I doubt he returns.

GB ⛔ I think he got scared after his original shoulder injury and then unfortunately ended up reinjuring it. For his size, he lacks physicality. I think he was just bigger and faster than other kids as a junior and that carried him to this high level. Now that he's at an equivalent size to other players, his lack of true skill is exposed.

ŽG ⛔ He should go to another Slovene team.

NR ⛔ He was ok, but he didn't show enough - or anything, really - to stay on the team. 

 

COACHING

AT - 13W (5OTW), 6L. Pre-Playoffs: 2L.

SA 🙏⛔ I think he would be a useful assistant to a new Head Coach. I do not want him back as HC, though. I'd like to see an offensive-minded HC who can significantly improve our team offense, defence and PP. Not much to work on for the new man in charge, then! 😂

GB ⛔ If we want to achieve extra, we need extra. Previous OLL coaches have all had the same mentality - let's just dump it in and forecheck because we don't have the skill for anything else. AT is a good coach early in his post-playing career but he currently lacks the knowledge to translate scenarios to players - and the ones he wants to teach them aren't good. Our initial winstreak with him was just simple stuff done well. When we needed more complex strategies later on, the results dropped off significantly. As a result, I see him as good for the basics and lower down the league. It takes quality to do extra. Personally, I am hoping for Matjaž Kopitar, who has had coaching training from the LA Kings. Maybe Nik Župančič, too.

Whatever the case, we need a coach with experience.

ŽG ⛔ Maybe we need a non-Slovene coach. If we import a coach, we are taking players outside of their comfort zone. I think that's a good thing. AT currently lacks experience and that is a big reason why we did not progress past Pustertal (EDIT: who comprehensively out-coached us).

NR ⛔ I don't think OLL is a top 4-6-8 contender if we just focus on Slovene players and coaches. It's a sad reality. If we're trying to improve with import players, why not a coach, too? It's worked with Olimpija's basketball counterparts. They are much improved with a foreign coach taking the reins.

A competent, experienced coach will elevate the team across the board - especially defensively and on the PP. If we get even a little bit better in those areas, it will make a big difference to our chances. Good defence and PP win you games consistently and that is why we have been unable to do that over the past two years.

RODMAN

SA ⛔ He's not worth the trouble. Demote AT or find a PP specialist. Keep Miro Seppänen as goalie coach, though - he's clearly done a great job with how our goaltenders have played. He's also a classy fellow who follows the blog 😎.

GB ⛔ I don't really have an opinion, what is there to opine on with him?

ŽG ⛔ I do not know why he was brought in. He was a good player but not for OLL fans. If he's not on the bench, does it make a difference>

NR ⛔ - AT can take his spot. He can't be a Jesenice secret agent, because he didn't do anything!

 

 

AWARDS 

(based on the NHL's awards)

Hart Trophy (MVP)

SA, GB, ŽG, NR = all Horak, zero discussion at all.

NR - it's sad how easy it was to make this decision. I'm not putting down 61's efforts at all, but no one was close to him and that's sad. An MVP forward would be pushing 60 points and nobody was doing that. 

 

Rocket Richard (technically goals scored, but best goalscorer)

SA - top scorers were Sabla (13), Mahkovec + Simšič (11) and Červeny + Pance (10). Červeny is my choice because he scored at by far the highest rate (10 goals in 25 games). He is the player I would be most confident to score with the puck on his stick.

GB - Červeny. His technique is advanced and he scored in a repeatable fashion, while never being predictable.

ŽG - Červeny if he was here the whole season. 

NR - Červeny or Mahkovec. Both are proven goalscorers.

 

Vezina (best goalie)

Obviously Horak 😇

 

Norris Trophy (best D-man)

SA - tougher than you'd expect. Mašič didn't look as good as last year, Atwal and Ege disappointed after blazing preseasons, Pavlin was injured, Crnović showed flashes and then faded. I liked Lalonde's huge hits but we didn't see tons from him, either, although that was only over a very short period. Hebar developed and Gregorc was probably the most reliable (and available) overall, but my favourite is Bohinc. He just has all the tools to be a brilliant defenseman and he's already showing he can make a positive impact for us, with hits, good distribution and shots. I was excited to see him play every time he stepped foot on the ice, which I certainly can't say for all the defenders we had this year. 

However, given that this trophy is for best defenseman right now, I will still give it to Blaž Gregorc for being Mr Reliable on the defence this year and playing through some tough situations with other defenders in and out of the lineup and exhibiting inconsistency when they did manage to play. Gregorc was always there and always trying to manage suboptimal situations as best he could. You've got to respect that, even if you'd prefer to have a more outstanding candidate.

 GB - (EDIT - GB made me laugh here...) "It's gonna be f***ing Gregorc isn't it?". If Pavlin played the whole season, then him. 

ŽG - I would pick 17, too. No one stood out. In the games Pavlin played, there were fewer mistakes and he stepped up when needed. We clearly need more good D-men next season with how difficult choosing the recipient of this award is.

NR - Gregorc didn't do enough to deserve this, he was just there. I'd rather choose Lalonde, at least he did something. I'll go for Ćosić because he played better than expected given his age/experience.

Selke Trophy (best defensive forward)

SA - Sodja. If Bonino had been here all season, then him.

GB - Sodja. I liked Bonino's unique faceoff style though. Even the refs were a bit flummoxed!

ŽG - Sodja for his blocks. I also enjoyed Bonino's faceoffs, particularly his one on a PK that went straight to the far end of the ice. 

NR - Sodja for the energy he brings to the team.

 

Lady Byng Award (best sportsmanship)

SA - Atwal LOL - In all seriousness, I think Pavlin and Pance are the two main role models of the team. 

GB - Sabla for his leadership. 

ŽG - Bonino or Sabla. 

NR - Horak - he didn't have any negative incidents this year, even when people did (painful) stuff to him. 

 

FINAL QUESTIONS

Biggest overperformer/surprise?

SA - Rožle Bohinc. I thought he'd be a nameless reserve player and instead he was the shining light of our hope for a better future defence.

GB - Mahkovec or Bohinc. 

ŽG - These are two different things. Overperformer would be Hebar and surprise would be Bohinc. 

NR - Mahkovec overperformer, surprise Bohinc.

 

Biggest underperformer/disappointment?

SA - How long have you got? Lavoie, Ege, Atwal, Tomaževič and Kapel all come to mind. I'll go for Lavoie as, fairly or not, he was highly touted as a transfer signing and nothing of any value came of it. 

GB - Underpeformer is Atwal, disappointment is Tomaževič.

ŽG - Lavoie. 

NR - Underperformer is all the imports that didn't boost our hopes and disappointment is Atwal for being visible in a bad way with all his penalties. 

 

Who do we need more from next season?

SA - I'd like to see what Kerbashian can do with a full and healthy season.

GB - Simšič and Kolin (he needs opportunities). The big picture is that only coaching will truly help us to improve what we already have. 

ŽG - Mašič and Simšič.

NR - Coaching - all sorts of players can work if the coach is competent.

 

What do we need more of next season? Biggest transfer needs?

SA - I'd like Lalonde back for starters. Proven quality goalscoring on the top line would help a lot, too, as would better centre depth (even if KK and Bonino return).

GB - Power forward, coach, good D-man like Lalonde. Someone like Luka Maver of BWL would be great, but he's just re-signed there.

ŽG - Coach - someone that will help players want to play for us. A sniper, powerforward and defender(s) would be good. 

NR - Most important is coach - get a good one and they'll work with what they've got.

 

Favourite moment of the season?

SA - the wins to start the season. It made me dream of an automatic playoff position. Sadly, it was not to be.

GB - the away game vs VSV where we had a comeback from 4-0 down. 3-2 loss vs RBS at home had an incredible atmosphere, too, with everybody standing. The pregame shows were far better this year, too.

ŽG - The start of the season when we were flying.

NR - I brought a lot of friends to the games (EDIT: ok, showoff! 😒😂) and introducing them to hockey was really rewarding. I also enjoyed the comeback from 4-0 down. Atwal's first Smash Burger goal was certainly a moment, too. New management was a big part of all this, as well. The production quality of the gameday experiences was massively improved this year. We need better speakers for the refs, though!

Why didn't we go further?

SA - the AT resurgence post-Karhula mega loss streak is deceiving when you see the stats. Kapel seemed rejuvenated and much more dangerous, but he still only finished with 6G 8A in 47 games. Our team offense is the problem here. You could see that in the pre-playoffs, where Horak kept HCP to 2 goals or fewer and we couldn't score. Now, you'd think that, ok, if we don't score, surely we play a very tight game defensively, we don't give up many high danger chances. That's all we seem to do! Horak is the MVP and it's not even close because of his elite talent and our style of play! We don't create much offense but we still give up regular 2 on 1s the other way that Horak has to make magic out of if we have any hope of winning. It's the worst of both worlds. Kolin is great, too - imagine if we had average goalies? We would have been bottom 3, easily!

GB - I didn't like Karhula. He refused to change his system and it's no surprise it stopped working. It didn't work for 20 games and he played the same players in the same system. We waited too long to replace him. You can't fix anything if you don't change it. I get that we were trying to build for the long term, but we could have limited some damage by getting rid of him sooner.

He wanted the RBS kind of system, where players rotate and need to know all the roles so they can seamlessly interchange and confuse the opposition. This is why I think they brought in similar-sized and styled forwards. 

ŽG - There were issues with Karhula from the start, well before the loss streak. At 5 Ls in a row, he should have gone. We could have got a better coach sooner, starting in December. Maybe that was the original plan and blaming injuries dragged things out? He didn't have any fire or emotion. We need a fiery, non-Slovene coach.

NR - A competent coach will work with the team he has, not the team he wants. A bad coach will force-fit his system inappropriately. This is what happened, it seems. The basics are defence and PP - both are down to coaching, ultimately.

Honestly, there were lots of close games. Maybe with better luck, things go differently. We can ensure we go further with coaching that targets our team defence. We only came as far as we did because of Horak. Lots of close early wins gave us false hope. Last year, our offense ran through Gooch. With him gone, the offense largely evaporated.

Ending comments

GB - it's a shame we lost to HCP again. We need to beat them to form greatness!

NR - I hate HCP (EDIT: me too, man)>

ŽG - we need to avoid playing in the Pre-Playoffs and go straight to automatic qualification! This year, we looked like a 10th place team playing HCP.

NR - it was painful to watch the Pre-Playoffs after that first early goal. Overall, we are moving in a positive direction. We are trying to bring more people in and have already created a better atmosphere.

GB - more games should have the RBS game atmosphere.

NR - we need to hate the opponents more for that kind of atmosphere ^^

SA - thank you for reading - what a leviathan of an article! If you've got this far, I salute you! Thank you for 5,000 site views, too - it passed me without my knowledge even before this article went up! 

Let me know what you think in the comments. Who would you have given an award to? Is there someone you desperately want to stay/go?