The Colorado Raptors and their strengths... Really, they have strengths!

1. Surging Sophomores

Last season Colorado surprised quite a few people by finishing 3rd in the regular season and comfortably making it into the playoffs in what many had considered a rebuilding season. The team had traded away multiple veteran players for draft picks at the start of the season, and the young rookies that those draft picks were used on weren't expected to do much damage. And while many of the youngsters instantly exceeded expectations, it was clear that the team wasn't built for last season. It was built for this season and possibly next. Now all those rookies have grown into seasoned sophomores, many of them with the maximum amount of training hours possible and a great retention rate for last years draft class in general. Now the Raptors cup window is expected to really open up and the team has to prove that they can't just surprise people as the underdog, but also not falter when taking on the role of the favorites.

2. Young Leadership

Many teams are carried and led by their seasoned veterans. Having lots of people in their second or third send-down season can pay big dividends, as can having proven recreates who know how to build a player and who are unlikely to go inactive. But Colorado is a team who doesn't just rely on that but has developed organic young leadership from within as well, showcased by some of last seasons best first-generation rookies such as Andrew Martin and Alex Winters who have instantly turned into fan-favorites and who are expected to wear a letter this season. On top of that, Colorado will go into the season with a rookie-GM duo who is bringing some experience from other sports organisations, but is taking on its first management role in the SHL/SMJHL. Having both veteran leaders and young guns who are always ready to mix it up could be the perfect mixture for a deep run.

3. Proving Them Wrong

While players such as Alex Winters and Andrew Martin jumped quite a bit in the rankings prior to the draft and ended up being drafted in the first round or early second, many other Raptors saw the opposite happen to them. Philipp Winter was considered a Top-3 pick and dropped to #7, Ignatius Blunt was among the top-TPE earners in the class and didn't even make it into the first round, Sulak O'Hritea, already frustrated with his low SMJHL-draft position dropped to #24 again and, maybe most criminal of all, one of the best rookies in Gvidas Kazlauskas ended up falling all the way to the 4th round. All these players weren't happy with their draft position and all of them have something to prove now. The four were already among the top of their class in training hours but expect them to work even harder now in their effort to prove GMs wrong and make them regret not picking them earlier! Colorado will sure be happy to see that kind of drive and anger carry over to the ice!