Peering into the SHL Crystal Ball for the homestretch of the 2023-2024 season shows a multitude of colors. There’s green, for sure, but is that New Trier or Glenbrook North? There’s some yellow that could be Loyola or Glenbrook South. And some blue could be Saint Viator or Lake Forest.

Picking the winner of the SHL regular season is just not possible, yet, as the 2023 slate of games has ended.

There are five teams hovering near the top spot in the league and several others at or near .500 but also loaded with talent and positioned to cause chaos in the late-season standings and the playoffs.

The SHL action resumes on Saturday, January 6, following the holiday break – and that’s when every team makes its final push for points and a better position in the regular season standings.

“It’s real competitive this year and very interesting because I feel like everyone has a chance, and it’s not always like that,” said Glenbrook South forward Zack Freimuth, the league’s leading scorer: 18 goals, 19 assists in 17 games played. His 37 points are two more than Charlie Baine (12 goals, 23 assists in 22 games) of Loyola Gold.

“There are so many great players in the league. You have to show up every night and that makes it so much fun. There are no gimme games. This year is more competitive than it’s ever been.”

A four-year varsity player for the Titans, Freimuth has 4 powerplay goals and 6 powerplay assists. GBS is in fifth place entering the 2024 slate and has the biggest opportunity – or potential disaster – in January. The Titans are 13-4-1, thus have only played 18 league games so far. Every other team has already played 22, 23 or 24 games.

The Titans schedule in January includes two against Saint Ignatius, two against Lake Forest, plus battles against Stevenson, Loyola Gold, Saint Viator, Glenbrook North and New Trier Green.

“The league has grown so much since my freshman year. The level of play has grown each year, and that means you have to show up and perform at your best every night.

You have to show up every night, period,” Freimuth said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were upsets in the playoffs this season, perhaps (by) Ignatius, York or Lake Forest; they can do damage.”

            The holiday break came at a perfect time for Carmel Catholic as the Corsairs have lost 8 of their last 9 games, including a 3-1 setback to York on Friday, December 22, in Addison.

            “You have to show up with your A-game every night. If not, you will get embarrassed,” said Carmel head coach Paul (PJ) Eberhardt, in his 25th season coaching, his 8th at Carmel and his 4th as the varsity head coach. “The level of play in the SHL is excellent. I’m thrilled with the level of play in the league, and I’m sure all the coaches would say that.

            “There is a high talent level and a high compete level. There are impact players on every team who, at any moment, can embarrass you if you don’t pay attention to them.”

Max Vavra and Deacon Rose have been Carmel’s top forwards with 17 and 16 points, respectively, in their 24 games (6-18).

            “I want to see us get our hot streak; we haven’t hit one yet,” Eberhardt said. “We’re finally healthy; I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do for the stretch run.”

            Eberhardt said predicting the SHL winner this season is impossible at this point. “Every team at the top has a shot,” he added.

            New Trier Green (19-3) sits in first-place and the Trevians’ 38 points are three more than Loyola Gold (16-3-3), four more than Glenbrook North (16-5-2) and five more than Saint Viator (16-6-1).

York and Saint Ignatius have 26 and 24 points, respectively, and Lake Forest is in eighth place with 21 points.

“The top five or six teams are really competitive. It’s very close and games can go anyway,” said Loyola forward Cole Joubert, who has 7 goals, 13 assists in 20 games played. The Ramblers are led offensively by Charlie Baine (12 goals, 23 assists) who is second in the league (25 points) behind Freimuth.

“You cannot take a game off. You have to bring your all to every game. If you don’t it can really get you.”

The Ramblers stumbled into the end-of-the-year break with a 3-3 record in their final six games of 2023, including losses in their last two games: 2-1 to New Trier Green on Dec. 15, then 4-3 to York the following night.

“There’s a lot of talent on a lot of teams. We just have to peak at the right time,” Joubert said. “Overall, we have a very skilled team and if we can pick it up at the right time, we will have a lot of potential to make it super far in both the SHL playoffs and the state (tournament).”

The Ramblers topped the Trevians in their first meeting, winning 5-0 in Lincolnwood on October 29. The rubber match between Green and Gold is set for Wednesday, January 10 in Winnetka.

“We have all the pieces. It’s just a matter of, can we put it all together at the right time,” Joubert said.

Saint Viator is the hottest team heading into January, riding a 7-game winning streak, including W’s over Loyola Gold, Glenbrook South and Saint Ignatius during that stretch.

Viator is the only SHL team to have beaten every other league foe in regulation time.

“This year has the most parity throughout the league that I’ve seen, even dating back to my playing days,” at Glenbrook South, said Saint Viator head coach Tim Benz, an all-state player for the Titans who graduated in 2005.

“We are as deep as any team I’ve had a Viator.”

Charlie Hoffman and Jacob Voris are the Lions’ go-to forwards as they have 25 and 24 points, respectively, in 22 games played.

“The level of play this season in the SHL is so high; that’s why there’s so much parity,” Benz said.

Lake Forest can’t be overlooked as the Scouts are 6-3 in their last 9 league games, with three 20-point players: Jackson Drum, Zach Shoemaker and Demetri Fallidas.

Lake Forest plays its first three January league games at home.

Fenwick has five regular season games remaining and the Friars are focused on W’s in all. Fenwick’s lone victory to date in SHL play was a 3-1 home win over Glenbrook North. William Pabst scored the game-winner for the Friars, assisted by John Moore and Giovanni Sena.

Glenbrook North had to be thrilled to have a three-week break from play as the Spartans lost their last two games in 2023, falling to York and Glenbrook South. GBN resumes SHL play on Saturday, January 13, facing Stevenson in Buffalo Grove.

The Patriots ended 2023 with a 3-20 record and their 8 points put them in 10th place only 3 points ahead of Fenwick.

“The skill level throughout the SHL this season is great; the depth is there too,” said Stevenson first-year head coach Dan Wood. “Plus, the defensemen this season in the SHL are outstanding; there really are some incredible defensemen in the league.

“The crop of talented defensemen is among the best I’ve seen in years.”

The Trevians, for instance, feature star defensemen Christian Randle and Jack Savino. The Ramblers are anchored around Chris Sipe and William Steele.

“The parity in the league this season is insane,” Wood said. “We are not that bad of a team and yet we’re getting run out of the rink in some games.”

The Patriots have only scored 50 goals in SHL play, second fewest in the league, and their 119 goals-against is the most.

“As you get into the playoffs, a lot of it comes down to game preparation, good defense, a hot goalie and being healthy,” Wood said.

Loyola scores some gritty goals, while the Spartans have solid defense, as usual.

Saint Viator is one of the state’s top forechecking teams, not just within the SHL, thus the Lions are “very hard to play against,” Wood said.

York heads into January with wins in four of its last five SHL games. “I don’t think (the Dukes are) a team that anyone will want to play at the end of the year,” Wood said.

Saint Ignatius no doubt welcomes the holiday break as the team has been skating in both the SHL and the Chicago Catholic Hockey League. Tiernan Ryan is the Wolfpacks’ showcase player: 17 goals, 13 assists in 23 games. “Tiernan is incredibly talented,” Wood said.

Wood predicted New Trier will win the SHL regular-season crown, followed by Loyola, Glenbrook South and Glenbrook North. But Loyola will claim the crown as the league’s playoff winner as “the Ramblers are built for playoff hockey,” he said.

Viator will give a lot of teams trouble in the playoffs, Wood said.