Login

TheNextGreatOne · 05-18-2016, 06:52 PM

SAME THING AS LAST SEASON, YOU CAN GET TPE FOR DOING EITHER THE GFX PT OR THE WRITTEN PT #1's, NOT BOTH.

There is a PT cap of 35.

THIS PT IS FOR SHL AND SEND DOWNS ONLY, NOT SMJHL ROOKIES

[Your Task]
Power rank all the SHL/SMJHL teams, and give an explanation for each ranking.

[Must Include]
300 words.

[GAIN]

3 Capped - Poorly written/clear lack of effort
4 Capped - Well written
5 Capped - Exceptionally written

RULES

Don't be an asshat Wink

I don't want to bring in rules that in my opinion are unnecessary, but people want to find loopholes.

[DEADLINE]

Wednesday, May 25th, 3PM EST

AS ALWAYS, NO PLACE HOLDERS PLEASE!

THE GLOBAL CLAIM THREAD CAN BE FOUND HERE.

NJBadApple · 05-18-2016, 08:07 PM

Disclaimer - These rankings are not based off of last season's performance; strictly on my projection of their performance this upcoming season.

14.

Buffalo Stampede - I mean, does this really surprise anyone? One has to know at this point that the teams fighting for last place & potential first overall would be Buffalo & Portland, and the Stampede win this time. With their highest TPE player all but inactive, there are sad times to be had up north.

13. :admirals: Portland Admirals - Look, they're not last anymore! After a huge off-season & at least one player projected to break the 1k TPE mark this season, Portland is finally recovering from GCool's devastating breach of the rules.

12. Rage

Manhattan Rage - Sadly, the Rage will fall in the power rankings this year. With the exception of Creller, they lack any true star power. Furthermore, their prospect pool is entertaining at best... look for them to fall shortly.

11.

LA Panthers - Despite how much I respect LA, they're falling as well this year. They traded the majority of their star power away to Texas in hopes to kick start a rebuild and that's exactly what's going on in southern California.

10. Riot

Seattle Riot - Lots of respect here as well, and this time has some serious talent behind Jesster, Leonidas, Koskinen, Urbo... but they lack goaltending. Without a serious starter in Seattle they'll be strugging for the forseeable future.

9. Jets

Winnipeg Jets - L4E has done an excellent job at driving the ship in Winnipeg through recent years, but with the decline of Onoprienko and Wikstrom, the Jets are looking to make a last ditch effort for the cup this year before a potential rebuild.

8.

Edmonton Blizzard - Last season's cup winners fall right in the middle of the pack, oddly enough, as fading star goaltender Aittokallio enters the twilight years of his career. They might squeak into the playoffs again, but I wouldn't expect a strong run.

7.

Texas Renegades - Putting aside my hatred for Texas, they will once again ice a strong team offensively. Defender Vladimir Lidstrom will be given the #1 job and hopefully have a breakout season.

6. Platoon

West Kendall Platoon - As always, the Platoon will ice a very strong team as well. Many of their players are approaching regression and will push for the cup again, led by "Big Z". This could be their last shot for a while though, until phenom goaltender Matt Lewis-Flood arrives.

5. Chiefs

Minnesota Chiefs - Minnesota is in a perpetual state of competing and rebuilding at the same time, as their goaltender Robert Andersson will hope to repeat his incredible rookie performance. Star defender Alonzo Garbanzo will hope to change his success from last season.

4.

Hamilton Steelhawks - Hamilton is still a very strong team on paper, and will once again attempt to cement their modern dynasty with a 3rd cup win in 5 seasons. Many of their players enter their final prime years.

3. Dragons

Calgary Dragons - Surprisingly enough, Calgary climbs into the top three for me. Not only do they sport some of the highest TPE players, their goaltender Hunter Wong has meteorically risen to elite status. Expect him to make a push for goalie of the year.

2.

New England Wolfpack - And here's our black horse. I could see the Wolfpack making the finals with relative ease. They have several post-Season 22 players already surpassing the 1k TPE mark; could this be the end of Hamilton's golden years and the start of New England's? Goaltending could hold them back.

1. Stars

Toronto North Stars - Call me biased, but the numbers don't lie. By the time regular season starts, Toronto will have nearly 10 players over 1k TPE, most of which are dead smack in their prime. Led by a myriad of talented forwards and active participants, the Stars will once again make the playoffs and probably the finals.

Code:
Words: 600+

Eggy216 · 05-18-2016, 08:15 PM

<div align="center">Rainbow Dash's S29 Power Rankings</div>

14.

Buffalo Stampede

Let's be honest here, how can you put any team but the Buffalo Stampede in this final position? The team dressed exactly zero active players last season, and it doesn't look like this season is going to be any different considering they did absolutely nothing in free agency. There's a difference between rebuilding a team and just not doing anything to build one. Buffalo, since being founded in S25, is certainly a case of the latter, and it really doesn't paint expansion in a very good light.

13. :admirals: Portland Admirals

I almost didn't put Portland here. They're a team that's definitely trending upwards, and, unlike Buffalo, JP has shown twice now that he knows how to properly build a team. So long as he doesn't get screwed by a co-GM who doesn't understand the league's rules again, look for Portland to be part of the pack this season rather than trailing far behind (like Buffalo will be) and in S30 look for Portland to be one of the teams right on the edge of a playoff berth, especially with other teams starting to fall off after this season due to retirements.

12.

Los Angeles Panthers

The future is bright in Los Angeles. The present. . .well, not so much. After trading away half their team to Texas, Wastlund retired and they traded away Kudleychuk. Take note, Buffalo, this is how you rebuild. With the way things have been going for Los Angeles this should be one of the quickest rebuilds the league has ever seen, and fans should expect to see the team contending extremely soon. They have some crazy depth, and in 2-3 seasons when their younger players become veterans and their prospects become SHL mainstays, LAP is going to have to readjust to short offseasons.

11. Rage

Manhattan Rage

The Rage really haven't shown much of anything. Ever. I don't know what things were like before Merica ran the team, but as long as I've been on the site they've been a really unimpressive team. When Merica handed off the reigns it seemed like maybe, just maybe, this team could start to make some strides towards the future. But thus far, not so much. Hopefully the return of Mook signals the breathing of new life into New York's team, because if not this team could be moving down further before they start to move up.

10.

Hamilton Steelhawks

As much as I love Dangles, it's no secret that Tanner is one of the greatest GMs in the SHL. His prowess with making lines in STHS is arguably second to none, and it's often made up for a lack of depth on the Steelhawks roster. But with Tanner announcing that he will be stepping away from the team this season, questions about whether the team's success will continue are certainly on everyone's minds. I think we're going to see a hard fall from grace for the old Eastern powerhouse this season.

9. Stars

Toronto North Stars

This is a really weird pick and I'm well aware of that, but in my mind Toronto are a team that could really find themselves anywhere from 1-13 (because nobody is going to end up below Buffalo). They're a team that never really changed personnel-wise, but can never get it done at the end of the postseason. Something has to give if the organization is going to make that final push, whether that's a GM change or some crazy move with the roster or whatever, but unless something is done soon this won't be Toronto's year.

8. Jets

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are another team that really never sees any personnel changes, but unlike Toronto that lack of change has led to success. Unfortunately for them, the rest of the league has caught up to them and I think they're going to see some difficulties trying to move up in the standings this year. We could be seeing the end of an era in Winnipeg now that McJesus has announced his retirement and no doubt many others in the organization have an eye towards hanging up their skates. Will the Jets remain competitive after S29, or will they be forced into a rebuild? Only time will tell.

7. Riot

Seattle Riot

Outside of the Portland Admirals, the Seattle Riot had the greatest success in free agency this season. They added some great depth to a roster including stars such as VLAD McZehrl, and with a true starting goaltender they'd probably find themselves top three on a list like this. It'll be interesting to see what happens if they manage to swing a trade for one or sign one in free agency down the line to fill the hole until McFadden comes into his own.

6. Chiefs

Minnesota Chiefs

We haven't seen very many good things out of the GMs of the Minnesota Chiefs. While they've got pieces there, they just don't seem to be able to put together lines that click too well. Player-wise they probably track relatively close to the New England Wolfpack, but they just haven't seen the same success. They project to be a playoff team this season, but will probably only see 4 or 5 games of action before going home in round one.

5.

Texas Renegades

Retirement after retirement after inactive announcement plagued the Renegades this offseason, so unless they can win that elusive Challenge Cup this season they're going to be really hurting for the foreseeable future. I don't foresee them pulling it off this season, however, as they came up well short this past season going out in five games. Losing Weekes is going to really hurt them as they don't really have a goaltender set to take his place. This isn't the same team as last year, so don't get your hopes up for a strong performance.

4.

Edmonton Blizzard

The Blizzard. . .just stayed the same. After winning the cup they really didn't see anything change, so they don't have much to worry about. They're going to do as well as usual in the regular season, and will probably have a good shot at winning the Challenge Cup. I'd say they're more likely to win it all than any of the Eastern teams, and they probably only have one competitor in the West.

3.

New England Wolfpack

The youth movement in New England has finally reached the other side as the younger players have just started crossing the 1,000 TPE mark. This team is going to surprise many as suddenly they rise to prominence and begin making waves in the league. Watch for them to win a playoff series for the first time since they won the cup in S23, and keep an eye on them for potential Challenge Cup Finalists if they can get through a rematch with the West Kendall Platoon.

2. Dragons

Calgary Dragons

Losing players like VLAD McZehrl and Steven Jalopski should cripple a team for seasons to come. But do you really think Esa would let stuff like that stop him? With players like Randy Randleman and Esa whatever his last name is on the roster, the Chicken Parm Eaters are going to be #1 in the West, and, in my opinion, probably have the best chance in the league to win the Challenge Cup this year.

1. Platoon

West Kendall Platoon

West Kendall is stacked. They're probably the most stacked team on this list. With Schmidt still in net, Maximova coming up as a blue-liner, and players like Big Z, Slappy McDoodle, Lundberg, Smirnov, Biscuit, Wert, and Pandar (blanking on your player name, sorry), this team is literally insane. They should have no problem winning the league this season and are the easy choice for #1 on my list. But will their regular season success translate to postseason success? Based on prior results, probably not. But hey, this is a list of regular season leaders, not playoff.

***WannabeFinn*** · 05-18-2016, 08:59 PM

14.

A team filled to the brim with inactives. A large majority of their roster is sub-500 TPE and their best player is a tad below 800 TPE. Not the makings of a team that will make any sort of impact.

13. Rage

The main difference between Buffalo and Manhattan is that their GM is a star player. While Manhattan does have a handful of quality players, a big portion of their roster is inactive and have low TPE builds. They have a bright future though with players like Rask, Laine, Bauer, Crutchfield, and Moleman entering the organization. The signing of inactive Luka Zaitsev should help them a bit.

12. :admirals:

Still in the middle of a major rebuild, but the Admirals added a bunch of quality this offseason. Svensson, Bjornsson, and Kjaerberg should definitely help this team improve in the short and long term. I think Bjornsson is an underrated goalie in the league and he should be a rock for the Admirals. Still, they finish at the bottom of the West.

11.

Another team in the middle of a rebuild, the Panthers find themselves looking for young players to step up after longtime veterans Morley and Wastlund retired. The LAP have plenty of young building blocks including Kekkonen, Karlsson, Wollker, Cartier, Holmberg, Fedorov, Ughaa, and Pellegrino. The LAP also have a group of veterans to lean on while the young players develop including Ruutu, Lundqvist, Skarsgaard, Boudreau, and O'Callahan. This Panthers squad is just too raw of a team to truly contend for a playoff spot. Look for them to solidify their spot as a perennial contender in the next season or two.

10. Jets

The Jets have a solid roster with a nice blend of youth and veterans. However, their goaltending is still somewhat unproven and their aging vets can't be relied on as heavily as they once were before. Leafs is a fantastic GM though, so don't count the Jets out of the playoffs just yet.

9.

The Wolfpack have a very active roster dedicated to improving their builds and working towards a playoff spot. However, with their situation in goal it is hard to have them any higher than as a bubble team in the East.

8. Riot

The Riot find themselves with a group of players from S19 to S25 who are all in the midst of their primes. The additions of Tsizling, Urbowicz, and Ratzon will help the Riot get the push they need to secure a playoff spot over the Panthers and Admirals.

7. Chiefs

The additions of Alexandersen and Kudleychuk this offseason will only add to the offensive firepower of the Chiefs. If goaltender Robert Andersson can keep up his performance in net then a playoff spot should be within reach of Minnesota.

6.

With most of their impact players, including their legendary goalie, coming from S21 or earlier, the Blizzard have seemingly one last shot at being true Cup contenders. Their infusion of young, elite talent should help make the roster transition go smoothly, but it's always a difficult task to replace a goalie such as Aittokallio.

5. Renegades

They lost star goaltender Jackson Weekes and weren't able to sign Bjornsson in the offseason. The Renes possess a very talented and experienced group of skaters, but their situation in net is less than desirable.

4. Dragons

Calgary's GM Esa always knows how to build a strong team, and the Dragons look to come out on top of the West this year. They might've lost Jalopski but they're still one of the top 2 threats in the West.

3. Steelhawks

On paper their roster isn't amazing, but somehow they get the job done every year. Look for Jakob Tanner to have a great year in net.

2. Stars

A roster very similar to the Dragons, but they're situated in the East where the competition isn't as fierce from top to bottom. They should easily be a playoff team and make some noise once they get into the postseason.

1. Platoon

The Platoon have been knocking at the door for many seasons now. GM Bojo Biscuit continues to draft well and retool the roster to make sure his team stays at the top of its game. I think this is the year that they break through and finally win the Challenge Cup.

Lunaro · 05-18-2016, 10:54 PM

14.

Buffalo Stampede

They suck. I expect they'll continue to suck this season. Kinda like the Atlanta Thrashers before they moved.

13. :admirals: Portland Admirals

They suck a little less than Buffalo but they're still gonna suck. Some potential to be seen but don't expect anything pretty this season for the Admirals.

12.

Los Angeles Panthers

They used to be good. Then Wasty retired and their stars all got traded away. Kinda like the Lakers in the NBA. Probably will be good before Portland though.

11. Rage

Manhattan Rage

After winning a cup the Rage kind of disappeared and have not made much of a splash. Creller and Jakobsen will still put up offense but you need more to win games. Razin is a solid offensive defenseman but they need more when you have a 500 TPE goalie.

10.

Hamilton Steelhawks

With Tanner stepping down as GM, I feel Hamilton loses one of their biggest competitive edges in the East. Tanner is like Leafs light he kinda just wins games that he shouldn't on paper. They have a solid first line that can compete with any other but they're lacking defensive depth which I seem to say every year about this team.

9.

New England Wolfpack

Still a young team I don't think they're quite developed enough to go deep but they should be able to contest for a playoff spot in the East. Ciarelli's getting to the point where they can win some games against tough opponents and Russell's gonna have to show off his star power if they want to go far.

8.

Texas Renegades

Texas has a really good 1st line and 1st pairing on defense but with a young goalie I don't think they're quite ready win consistently. Their second line and second pairing on defense is solid and makes it difficult to place them this low but it's a tough conference and I think last season's President's Trophy was a fluke.

7. Chiefs

Minnesota Chiefs

The Chiefs are a weird team. They're scary to underestimate but sometimes they'll just disappoint you completely. They've got plenty of firepower on offense with Garbanzo being one of the premier players in the league leading the way from the blueline. They've got a solid group of top 6 forwards and a very promising goaltender of the future. They are seriously lacking in defensive depth and their goals against show it. I've been burned before betting against them so I'm just gonna give them the benefit of the doubt that their offense can carry them to a 3rd seed in the East.

6. Stars

Toronto North Stars

Toronto is a head scratcher. On paper they should be one of the best teams in the league with Mark Harter in net and plenty of 1000+ TPE players. Stinson and Johnson are a great 1st pair on defense and Cunningham, Eriksson and Laflamme are great offensive talents. But they never do well in the playoffs and even int he regular season sometimes they falter. It's quite puzzling. But with San Jose going deep in the NHL maybe the Stars can turn things around this season as well.

5. Riot

Seattle Riot

Seattle is always dangerous and with McZ joining their already potent offense it may be enough to make it in the tough Western conference. Osgoode has developed into a starting caliber goalie and Ratzon gives the Seattle second line an advantage over most other teams. Seattle is a bit thin on defense with 3 top players on the blueline so that may hurt them in the playoffs.

4. Jets

Winnipeg Jets

Jets get another year older and that hurts in terms of McDavid retiring but they've quietly developed a good solid core. Wikstrom had a breakout year last season and carried them to some excellent regular season success. With the maestro, L4E, coaching behind the scenes you can never count Winnipeg out. I expect them to see them in the playoffs.

3.

Edmonton Blizzard

The defending champions lose a key piece in Ratzon but otherwise don't make too many changes this off season. Luckily they have no lack of depth at the center position with Kane, Berger and Scholz. Longford, Salmon and the young Koroviev are all quality wingers but Edmonton's strong defensive core is still there with Rogers-Tanaka, Goody, Mueller and Windsor will help out the aging Aittokallio who is still one of the best goalies in the league.

2. Dragons

Calgary Dragons

Calgary had a little bit of an off season last year but with Esa, Zoidberg and Pedersen count on them to bounce back. I expect them to be at the top of the league this season as Wong only gets better and their young players come close to hitting 1000 TPE. Hill is still a scrub though.

1. Platoon

West Kendall Platoon

WKP is a strong team on paper and after a strong showing last season where they came just short in the Challenge Cup Finals I don't see them getting any worse. Bojo, Big Z and Lloren lead this team with Schmidt taking care of things in net. They have a plethora of depth with Pettyfer, Birkavs, Lemar, Smirnov, Maximova, McDoodle and Wagner also above 1000 TPE. Scary team

Sigs by Kit, Maxy, Mook, LazyEye, Wasty, Ragnar, Bushito, Frank, 701, Pandar

Player Page | Update Thread
[Image: 263vaqs.png]

Atlas · 05-18-2016, 11:04 PM

<div align="center">SHL Teams ranked by Distance to Winnipeg, Manitoba</div>

13. West Kendall Platoon Platoon

: 1894 miles
The Platoon have been contenders for a while now, but still are unable to get the job done in the playoffs. Maybe this will be their year? Great core, prime players, amazing system for goaltenders, they seem to have it all right now.

12. Los Angeles Panthers

: 1532 miles
Meh team, overrated prospect pool, and bad franchise location all are contributing to a slump as of late. Hopefully they can get things together, especially after losing center Travis Kudleychuk in a trade or free agency or something. Not really sure, if I'm being honest.

11. New England Wolfpack

: 1348 miles
On paper, they should be better than they have been, which is unfortunate. At face value this roster boasts a good young core, solid forward group, the requisite superstar in Nathan Russell, but it isn't adding up for whatever reason.

10. Manhattan Rage Rage

: 1290 miles
A few promising prospects, mediocre in all other categories. Will probably not be a contender again for a while, as they need to draw in actives, which they can't do because they have no actives, which leads to a vicious circle of continued awfulness.

9. Portland Admirals :admirals: : 1222 miles
We all know what happened to Portland. There's not much to say here, other than I hope they rebuild successfully. Best of luck to the GM and remaining players.

8. Texas Renegades

: 1181 miles
I'm not going to talk about this team, because my opinions are charged and not important.

7. Seattle Riot Riot

: 1157 miles
I don't really know much about the Riot's situation, which is a shame. They have some incredible star power at forward, Leonidas McZehrl Jesster to name a few, and I guess the rest of their team isn't half bad given how they've been reasonably successful in recent years. This is also considering they were a lottery team not long ago, picking first overall in the S25 SHL entry draft.

6. Buffalo Stampede

: 994 miles
The Stampede have pretty much nothing going for them. They will be a failure in the SHL for the foreseeable future, and are probably first on the chopping block in the event of a league contraction.

5. Toronto North Stars Stars

: 943 miles
Voodoo magic keeps Toronto from being successful at all, it might come down to human sacrifice if things keep not working out for them. Poor guys and gals.

4. Hamilton Steelhawks

: 939 miles
Hamilton, the team that continues to defy odds and be the evil underdog. They won two cups in three seasons (namely in S24 and S26), when they seemed like they wouldn't be contenders. For whatever reason, elite goaltender Jake Tanner always plays better during the playoffs. Nobody knows why, but I think everybody knows why.

3. Calgary Dragons Dragons

: 749 miles
With a lot of players in their primes and a few key youngsters just entering their best years, the Dragons should be contenders for a while. Their goaltending situation is a bit worrisome right now, but their GM is shrewd and presumably has a plan in place.

2. Edmonton Blizzard

: 744 miles
They just won the cup, and nobody noticed. The site usually seemed to be abuzz with activity after the Challenge Cup is handed to the victor of the SHL playoffs, but this one just seems to be with less aplomb than in seasons past. Not sure why, but congratulations to Texas for finishing as the regular season champions. Anyways, the Blizz are probably nearing the end of their contender status, with their franchise goalie Aittokailo still playing extremely well but getting on in years, maybe things will start to decline for this franchise. Who knows, right?

1. Minnesota Chiefs Chiefs

: 386 miles
The Chiefs are in an interesting situation right now. They have a pretty strong roster, with regular award-winning defenseman Alonzo Garbonzo paving the way along with young netminder Robert Andersson, but things just aren't clicking so well for whatever reason. They're a tweener team I suppose, and will hopefully be a contender soon.

Noble · 05-18-2016, 11:52 PM

14 -

- This team is just god awful. I don't think I really need to say more honestly. Even the general manager retired his player just so he wouldn't need to be around to witness how terrible they are.

13 - :admirals: - While Portland got hit hard by the tampering scandal, they've regrown considerably and are gaining traction with prospects and free agents. The team will be able to build itself without giving away assets.

12 - Panthers

- Los Angeles might have one of the greatest talent pools in the league for prospects right now, but the development isn't quite there yet. Given another year or two, they will become an absolute powerhouse.

11 - Wolfpack

- New England lost a key member in Bubba Nuck this off-season, which will cause them to take a considerable hit. Despite this, they will still be fairly competitive.

10 - Rage

- Manhattan has shown signs of growth since their drastic decline from stardom. Recruiting a number of strong prospects into their rankings has proven integral to their success, and they are quickly returning to their old form.

9 - Steelhawks

This is one of the oldest teams in the league, and the roster is riddled with a seeming inactive spell. With only around five or six players who actively take part in the league on a daily basis (so it seems) they may find trouble staying as strong as they have been lately.

8 - Jets

- Not far removed from a Challenge Cup victory, the Jets have struggled more in recent years to put together strings of wins and find enough success to contend in the playoffs. Despite this, they can still compete in the powerful balanced West division.

7 - Chiefs

- Honestly not a bad team, but their problem seems to be finding post-season success. If they can carry over their relatively strong performances during the regular season to the playoffs, they will be incredible.

6 -

- The Texas Renegades should not have won the President's Trophy in S28. With a roster that honestly isn't even that strong and relies heavily on it's top line, their main weakness is in net. Upgrading their will be crucial to them finding more success.

5 - Stars

- Toronto is the cursed SHL franchise, destined to never win a single cup. It's odd how it happens, because the team is storied with tons of great players. A little bit more drive is all they need to crash into the history books.

4 -

- Edmonton's roster is in a very similar case to the Steelhawks, although it would appear the Blizzard are slightly more active. As well, they boast a stronger all-around roster in every part of the game. For these reasons they come in a fair deal higher on the list.

3 - Riot

- With a plethora of free agent signings this off-season and a very strong roster developed from inside, Seattle has one of the strongest rosters seen in recent times. Their main issue will be the lack of a strong goaltender until elite prospect McFadden comes into his prime.

2 - Dragons

- Calgary's roster is nothing less than stacked. With the addition of Bubba Nuck this off-season and a constantly strengthening team, their is no doubt they will run the West this year.

1 - Platoon

- The West Kendall Platoon. They were so close, for the second time. For the second time, they lost to the team of the simulator. But, they're is no doubt that this is the year for the team based out of Florida.

karlssens · 05-19-2016, 12:15 AM

14.

Buffalo Stampede - Despite 4 seasons of growth the expansion teams still seem to be in a *bit* of a rut. You could make a case for either Buffalo or Portland to fall to the bottom spot, but as an ex-Admiral the [dis]honor falls on the Stampede.

13. :admirals: Portland Admirals - Several off-season additions should give this team a boost, but sadly they just aren't quite there yet.

12. Rage

Manhattan Rage - Manhattan continues to trend in the right direction, but short of greatly exceeding expectations it will be difficult for them to best top tier eastern teams such as the Platoon and the North Stars, let alone other teams further along in their plan like the Chiefs.

11.

LA Panthers - Much like Minnesota out east the Panthers have a bevy of young and upcoming talent, but that's just it, they aren't quite there. Look for them to move up quickly, but out of the gate there are just too many more experienced teams in the running.

10. Chiefs

Minnesota Chiefs - The same applies to the Chiefs. They are stocked with potential all stars ready to breakout, but can they take that next step? If so they should quickly move up the power rankings, but for now they are middle of the pack at best.

9. Riot

Seattle Riot - The addition of Tsizling and Ratzon should help Seattle's deep tremendously, but with teams like Calgary, Edmonton and Texas in the mix I feel the Riot will be the odd man out of the play-off picture come season end.

8.

New England Wolfpack - Realistically the Riot are a better team, but the competition out east should prove to be a little less difficult this upcoming season and as such New England should be able to put together a better season. Look for them to steal the final play-off spot.

7. Jets

Winnipeg Jets - Many thought the Jets would be lost without HoF goaltender Prikulis, but they proved critics wrong last season locking up a playoff spot in the difficult west conference and eliminating the Challenge Cup favourite in the 1st round. Can they do it again? This guy thinks so.

6.

Hamilton Steelhawks - If Toronto is the definition of choke, Hamilton is the definition of clutch. Season after season this team puts together acceptable regular season numbers and excels in the play-offs. I expect similar results.

5. Dragons

Calgary Dragons - One season removed from being the Challenge Cup champions Calgary is deep with loads of offensive fire-power. Expect them to put up big numbers again in season 29.

4.

Edmonton Blizzard - The reigning Challenge Cup champions look largely the same minus the loss of 2nd line center Ratzon to free agency. Their guaranteed HoF goaltender gets 1 year closer to retirement, but this team is deep and should be able to have similar regular season success.

3. Stars

Toronto North Stars - An extremely deep team with no immediate weaknesses, yet year after year this team fails to crack the Challenge Cup finals. If the Platoon falter at all in season 29 look for the North Stars to take advantage.

2.

Texas Renegades - After a hugely successful season the Renegades were met with massive playoff disappointment to the hands of the Winnipeg Jets and rookie sensation Lukas Berger. Despite losing their #1 goalie to retirement the Renegades are still undoubtedly the deepest team in the SHL.

1. Platoon

West Kendall Platoon - Several successful seasons and deep play-off runs in a row now and don't expect it to stop. Although the Blizzard are the reigning champions, look to the Platoon as the team most likely to return to the Challenge Cup finals.

Muerto · 05-19-2016, 03:25 AM

WORST TO FIRST

-------------------------

Stampede

They have a long way to go to get competitive, they did have a decent draft nabbing the new Winter and a solid goaltender for the future in Casey Holmes. However, one look at their roster and you kinda have to wince. They would have a hard time being competitive in the SMJHL right now, imo!

:admirals:

Digging themselves out of the crater of their self-caused implosion from last season, the other expansion team made some solid moves to bring in FAs like Svensson, Bjornsson, and KjÃ¦rberg. However, there are still glaring holes that will take time to fill. Will do better than last season, but still lurking at the bottom of the West.

Jets

Somehow the Jets will do really well and probably make the playoffs and win a series. But they shouldn't! Their goaltender Berger is among the weakest of the SHL starters and their core, llike Onoprienko and McDavid is aging. But maybe there's some magic left.

Rage

Although they have some very good players, like Jakobsen, Creller, and Razin, after their top line they don't have much depth and are relying on a young goaltender. Another lottery pick is in the works!

Panthers

LAP lost 3 of their top players to retirement, and 2 more to trades or Free Agency and are looking to a young core to weather the storm while the next wave hones their skills in the SMJHL. They have a good goalie in Lundqvist who will need to steal some games if LAP wants to make the playoffs, behind a young and unproven defensive corps. Ruutu had a breakout season last year and needs to play at the same level, and players like Kekkonen and Svensson are thrust into prominent playing time, and need to learn quickly!

Wolfpack

They made the playoffs last season, but barely. They didn't make a lot of changes, and are hoping the natural progression of their core will be the key to improvement. Russell, Sherrill, Reid, Clayton, and O'Reilly are all top-tier players, but there are some question marks deeper down their roster. As well, their goaltender Ciarelli is in the lower tier of starting goaltenders in the league. Young players like MÃ¤kinen, Silverwing, and Jones will face baptism by fire and will need to perform to give their team a chance.

Steelhawks

With Tanner between the pipes, and players like Simons, Clitsome, and Colt leading the way, Hamilton has a chance to be competitive always, but they do have some serious questions on their 3rd and 4th lines, and their defensive strength is frightfully shallow.

Losing their top-tier goaltender Weekes to retirement, and the announcing of several other high-profile retirements or trades, the Renegades are not the same team they were last season. Scorers like Horvat, Kinsler, Boyka and Knight still give them some powerful offensive punch, and Bottas, Vliddy, and Palat are studs on the blueline, but their goaltending is a huge question mark. Should still make the playoffs but won't dominate like they did last season.

Chiefs

Minnesota made some big off-season moves, bringing in Alexandersson, and Kudleychuk to join their power trio of Garbanzo, Sarantez, and Banananov. Their defensive depth is not ideal, and their goaltender seems to not be improving at the same pace as his peers, but they should be able to overcome that with sheer firepower.

Riot

It is surprising a bit that Seattle has so many 1K+ TPE players, but look at their roster - Jesster, Burton, McZehrl, Benson, Bursyuk, Leonidas, Ratzon, Koskinen, Tzisling ... that is a powerful team hitting the ice. Will it be enough to overcome the less than average goaltending of Osgoode? I imagine it will, for the regular season, and they should make the playoffs for sure.

Platoon

This is a team with no glaring holes anywhere, and 1K+ TPE players too numerous to mention. Two top lines, 2 top pairing D, and a top-tier goaltender all adds up to success. Would not be surprised to see them finish even higher than this prediction

Dragons

Lookit all them 1000's when you look at their roster, sheesh. No wonder draftees can't crack this roster until they are in regression. Solid, solid, solid, up and down their lineup. Almost impossible not to make the playoffs

Stars

Eriksson, Stinson, Cunningham, Wartooth - S19 Knights

all the way. It's Toronto, though, so they won't win the Cup.

Blizzard

The defending champs, so automatically rated number 1, with pretty much the same roster as last season, apart from Ratzon and Vikstrand. Built to win, and have a realistic shot at repeating. Strength everywhere from goaltender out.

r1c3bowl22 · 05-19-2016, 07:28 AM

:admirals:
Stampede

Durden · 05-19-2016, 09:33 AM

14)

The Buffalo Stampede will fail again this year, and continue to make expansion teams look weak. With the recruitment less and less making SMJHL expansion look like a bad idea, so does the SHL expansion.

13) :admirals:

See above. They got themselves into the hole they're in (still think it's bullshit FWIW), but they're working to get out of it. Expansion was still a bad idea.

12) Jets

It's funny because I was a Jet once, although briefly. I still don't like the team. As historic as they are, I feel like they're a dying franchise despite quality leadership in Leafs. They don't have the hutzpah to keep people on the team.

11) Rage

I still don't know how Manhattan still has a team. They have what, two actives? Razin is the only good thing about this team.

10) Panthers

With scrubs like <a href='index.php?showuser=1163' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-10'>WannabeFinn</a>, of COURSE this team is destined to fail. That and they have some <a href='index.php?showuser=1680' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>BeanSnoodie</a> guy doing absolutely nothing for the team. :lol:

9) Wolfpack

Softpack are S-A-W-F-T, but for some reason, they have some okay players and will do... okay. Mediocre at best. But to them, that's okay! And who's to fault someone for having fun. I <3 <a href='index.php?showuser=1765' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-10'>Eggy216</a>

8) Steelhawks

Hamilton stays strong and continues to do well enough to get in the playoffs, but doesn't get much further than the 2nd round.

7) Chiefs

Minnesota is decent, and have always had the leadership of Argargargar and his stellar play on the ice. The acquisition of Flacko should help, but with him being inactive for the next TWO YEARS, I don't know if that was a good move on their part.

6) Riot

Jesster takes the reigns this season and works his way into top 3 scoring for the Riot. He pulls them to the 2nd round of the playoffs, and keeps Riot players hopes alive.

5) Dragons

Dragons breathe fire and stuff, right? I mean, who can compete with that on a game of ice? Dragons go to the conference championship and lose.

4) Stars

S-T-A-R-S STARS STARS STARS! They'll be fine. But in typical Toronto fashion, they'll choke when it matters the most.

3)

Speaking of choking... Ahem. That was last season. Joke all you want about a first round exit, they likely beat your ass all season. Despite the retirement of Jackson, we've seen what sub-800 TPE goalies can do in the playoffs. The Renegades will do their best to ride their top 3 lines to another President's Trophy.

2) Platoon

Even though Bojo smells, he somehow finds a way to win with his team. Maybe everyone just wants to be on the Platoon and see Pushkin? I know I wanted to be on the Platoon before...

1) Blizzard

You're the champs until you get beat. This will only last until the end of the first game as they play Texas, but come on now, to be the champ you've gotta beat the champ. Wooooo!

Gifter of Bikes · 05-19-2016, 09:59 AM

Power Ranking the logos, worst to first

Renegades

This logo is amazing, for a semi-pro American football team. For a hockey team, it's embarrassing.

Stampede

It's odd to me that the guy who designs some of the best logos [and had an article written promoting one of his alternate Sabres sweaters, no less!] designed this...thing. Immediately people compared it to the John Deere logo, and even did their own additions to it, so I can never take it seriously.

Panthers

I don't know why, but I just never liked it. There are elements that I like, but the combination just doesn't do it for me.

Steelhawks

If Hermes' sandals were a hockey logo, it would look like this.

Rage

It's ok. I'm still not entirely sure what polar bears have to do with New York City, but that's ok, I guess.

Jets

Much like LA, there are things I like about this logo, such as the skyline. Still, it's never going to be ranked higher until the team name changes.

Stars

It's simple, classy, and befitting of a storied franchise that has a tendency to never win the Cup.

Platoon

I'm not into the blind patriotism thing, so the Eagle logo for a team named the Platoon doesn't get my juices flowing in any positive way.

Wolfpack

The unique coloring scheme automatically puts it ahead of most of the logos behind it. Interesting team name, as well, which is befitting for a team toward the middle of the pack.

:admirals:
Look guys! Portland's not last at something! In all honesty, this is a pretty sweet design, with a nice combination of colors that is eye-catching in a good way.

The blue and white color motif is perfect for the Blizzard, and the mascot fits well with the team name. We're into the chunk of logos where the rankings are fairly interchangeable, by the way.

Dragons

It makes me think of some Division 2 European soccer team, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. For a hockey logo, it's pretty original, so points for that.

Chiefs

This is the simple, classic design that would be very popular in real life. Team history is overall pretty solid as well, and the logo has remained a consistent identifier.

Riot

I know I have a bias here since I helped design it, but I think the quantity of unique characteristics make this one of the best in the league: the flame-shaped logo, the city skyline, a Molotov replacing the letter "i" in Riot. A real life jersey of this would be kick ass.

bbp · 05-19-2016, 11:41 AM

1 - Texas Renegades
The Texas Renegades are the best team in the SHL. Last season they dominated, winning the president trophy. Sure they lost a handful of high TPE players but last time they lost a number of high profile players the team had breakout performances from Geoffrey Allen and other young talent. This season will see the same breakout performance from the likes of Kowalski and Rick James.
2- Winnipeg Jets
Easy pick. Jets is the line god and his team has progressed in the off season. They have a number of Scarecrow defensemen on the team which means they will succeed.
3- Edmonton Blizzard
Edmonton is a team with OG swag. This will help them in the trials to come. They have the best goalie in the league. Look for them to win a ton of games.
4- Calgary Dragons
Calgary won a championship recently but their window is closing fast. The loss of Jalopski hurt the team a lotâ€¦ they will never recover.
5- Seattle Riot
Seattle has struggled to make the playoffs in the stacked western conference. They will do so again, despite that they are still much better than anyone in the east.
6- Los Angeles Panthers
On the rebuildâ€¦ but they are better than anyone in the east because the west is better.
7- Portland Admirals
Portlandâ€™s goalie will help them beat everyone in the east.
8- West Kendall Platoon
Great team probably will represent the eastern conference in the finals but lose.
9- Toronto North Stars
A long building process has made a solid contending team in the east. Will fall before the western blade.
10- Minnesota Chiefs
This organization never recovered after JayTee stepped down. Clueless on the waters.
11- New England Wolfpack
Soft pack doesnâ€™t know what it takes to win.
12- Manhattan Rage
Manhattan honoring their franchise history with another long rebuild.
13- Hamilton Steelhawks
Change in leadership will lead to collapse and death.
14- Buffalo Sampede
Has their GM retired yet?

Words: 333

Abdeezy · 05-19-2016, 02:47 PM

One of the least competitive teams we've seen since, well there expansion season. This team is filled with inactives and mainly very young players.

:admirals:

Despite their self destructing last season, they have rebounded decently. This team has a reason to have such a hard time getting out of the basement, but they only have themselves to blame. However, they've made a couple interesting moves that could pay off in the long run .

Rage

The Rage are still re-building. They are being patient and are acquiring some good young players who should really propel them into a competitive era, much like the West Kendall Platoon went through a few seasons ago.

Jets

The Jets seem to be on the down swing, they've only got a handful of solid players, and half of them are aging. Einstein will be a force again however, and they've got some game breakers like McDavid and Ono. Goaltending however, is one of the weakest in the SHL.

Panthers

A good looking young team, they will have some great success in coming years, however for this year we still see a non-playoff season.

The Wolfpack are a bubble team, they have what it takes to be a dark horse, but they could also be a disappointment. It really depends on their goaltending, and their youngsters hitting their stride.

Chiefs

The Chiefs have made some good solid moves this season and they could be one of the 2 major dark horses this year.

Riot

The other dark horse is the offensive juggernauts, the Seattle Riot. Their offense was outstanding last season, especially for a non-playoff team. Now they've added Razton, and have addressed their defensive needs with Tzisling and Bursyuk switching. Their main question mark is Phil Osgood in goal.

Steelhawks

The Hawks have been way too good in recent years to have anything change this season. Tanner between the pipes, super stars like Clitsome and Simons and a ton more depth makes for another solid campaign.

Renegades

The gades have a super quality team, but they lost some key pieces, primarily their goaltender, Kevin Weeks.

Stars

Can they finally get it done? Lets be honest, the man who created STHS is a Habs fan. Nothing can be taken away from their roster, it's full of quality.

Platoon

One of the most well-rounded teams in the league, and the way they built it was just outstanding. Drafting well and making solid moves.

Dragons

One of the more complete teams around, they've got stars, they've got amazing depth and its very hard to pick out a hole in their roster. Could be a solid contender for the cup again this year.

Blizzard

The defending cup champs should automatically be the top team in power rankings. They haven't been beat in any 7 game series since the playoffs, so no one can say that they've dropped, especially since it's mainly the same squad as last year.

pizzarony · 05-19-2016, 02:51 PM

14.

There's so many inactive players plaguing the Stampede lineup, it's not even funny. They need to string together a couple solid years of good drafting, and maybe get lucky in Free Agent signing periods.

13. Rage

Signing Luka Zaitsev was the best thing the Rage could have done at this point in the off-season. GM, Mook, has a star in Creller, but beyond that, he's also in need of a desperate rebuild. While not quite nearly as bad as Buffalo, Manhattan should find themselves towards the bottom of the east, this coming season.

12. :admirals:

The lost first round pick hurt. Plain and simple. No, it didn't hurt in the immediate future, but down the road, the Admirals will always wonder "What kind of team could we have been..." Regardless, the Admirals do look to be on the upswing, finally. They've made some key free agent signings, and have made good draft picks in their other rounds. Now let's see if they can string together a .500 season or two, and then make a major push in the playoffs.

11.

Youth, youth, youth. If you weren't paying attention to the last SHL Draft, you missed out. The LA Panthers had draft picks galore, and they certainly made the most of them. Yes, Wastlund and Morley have retired, but they'll be a step above the worst few teams. It's yet to be seen if any draftees will make the jump right away, as some are close, but probably not close enough for this season. Next season, we anticipate ranking LA a bit higher than eleventh on our power ranking list.

10. Jets

The Jets are one of the few that I have on the bubble. They've got a solid GM, and they've got a pretty decent mix of players, young and old, but the old guys are slowly deteriorating, and are shells of their former selves. I wouldn't count on them making the playoffs, but they'll definitely be in the hunt, when we're coming down the last stretch.

9. Wolfpack

Hustle, heart, determination, hard work. All of these words can be used to describe the locker room situation in New England. The players are most certainly putting in the work, right now, but they too find themselves on the bubble. Hard work might get them far, but they could add a little more skill in their goaltending tandem, in order to really make it to the next level.

8. Riot

A budding team, with lots of promise. Players are either in their peak physique, or will be very shortly, as they have a lot of guys trained up just the way they want them. The Riot will most likely catch a couple bad breaks here or there, throughout the season, and find themselves falling to seventh or eighth in the overall SHL standings. I don't think they have enough in the tank to make it far in the playoffs, though.

7. Chiefs

Solid performance, between the pipes, has been key for Minnesota. They'll look to continue that, as well as flex their offensive firepower, this season. With unusually cold summer they've had up in Minnesota, we can expect most players spent the time indoors, probably on the ice rink, beefing up for another fantastic season.

6.

Coming off a huge Challenge Cup Championship last season, the Blizzard will most certainly find themselves in the playoffs this coming season. Age is starting to catch up to some of them, though, so it's possibly they find themselves with an early exit from the playoffs. Will their experience from last season be enough to carry them through? Or will the younger, faster teams blaze right by them? We'll have to wait and see.

5.

The Renegades seem to always be right in the thick of things. A missed opportunity during the free agent signing period won't exactly knock them down too far though. What might hurt them is goaltending, which seems to be something a lot of teams are missing, this coming year.

4. Dragons

The past few seasons have been very kind to the Dragons. They've got speed, they've got scoring ability, they've got toughness. There's no doubt the guys in Calgary have quite a bit of chemistry. I'd look for them to come out on top, or in second, in the West this year.

3.

While most write the Steelhawks off, every year, they have a knack for finding themselves in favorable positions. It was difficult to put them above Calgary, but after seeing so many predict them lower, year after year, it was time I put them where they'll likely end up -- Top 3 in the league.

2. Stars

Could this year be the year? Could Toronto actually see a championship? It's likely that they'll either be in the finals, or miss out after losing a 7 game series in the East finals. They've been building and building for quite a while, and it seems they may finally be ready for the Challenge Cup.

1. Platoon

Bojo Biscuit has built himself a monster of a team. They've got the star power necessary to win a championship, and they've had it for quite a while now, too. While any of the top four could win the cup, this year, we're gonna go out on a limb and say the Platoon will get the job done!

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us