Yet it goes further, a peer-reviewed analysis of the NHL concluded that after a fight, that period is likely to see a 66% increase in violent minor penalties compared to periods without a fight ( source). This makes sense and is something you’d expect, as we have seen from Jake Bricknell breaking his hand fighting Dyson Stevenson. Studies have shown that historically that more fights on the ice correlates to having more injuries on your team ( source). But to what extent is that actually true? The argument for having a goon is that they protect the team from cheap shots and injuries. This suggests that these tough guys are often not adding a lot to the game and that the team is regularly getting dominated on the ice when they are on shift. But comparing other teams from this season Mattheiu Gagnon’s was -15, Mark Louis was +11, Dyson Stevenson’s was -17, Brandon McNally’s was +8 and finally Cole Fraser was 0. Rosehill from the 2017 season was not recorded. This suggests that the quality of enforcers from a skill perspective means that they play almost exclusively on 3rd and 4th lines and are unlikely to have a positive +/- score. One definition of an enforcer was set by Adam Gretz and when looking at NHL players highlighted that the tough guy was someone who plays fewer than 8 minutes a game but averaged 1.2 penalty minutes. With Chays Ruddy having filled that role for 13 games and providing us with entertainment as he went toe to toe with Davey Phillips, Brandon McNally, Scott Allen, Matheiu Gagnon and Mark Louis.īut does having an enforcer really make a difference and do we need one next season? What Value Does An Enforcer Add? In the supporters forum there’s often been the call that we need an enforcer to keep the opposing players in line and make it less likely that our outstanding players are targeted. This meant that stars such as Jesper Ohrvall and Ryan Barrow, alongside Cameron Critchlow, Zac Herrmann and Chase Harrison were benched for weeks, months and even to the end of the season. During November and December 2022 the team were riddled with injuries following a series of poor and dangerous checks from opposing players. However, the season was not without it’s trials. The 2022-2023 season for Manchester Storm was a great one, we managed to attain the playoffs for the first time in 4 years and despite being knocked out at the quarterfinals attendance for the season was up.
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