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Grapehead · 02-21-2019, 06:57 PM

This offseason we have the following announcements:

1) 10th Anniversary Season
2) Offseason Acquisitions
3) S46 Rookies
4) Head Coach

1) 10th Anniversary Season

S46 will be the 10th season for the San Francisco Pride, and we’re planning to celebrate all season long with events and giveaways for our fans. Starting with our home opener, which will be free admission to the general public! Come to the rink early to get a spot in line to be one of the lucky fans admitted for free to see the Pride open the season in the bay. Then stay tuned during the season for further announcements about promotions, prizes, and local events. The team will also be unveiling a new alternate jersey, which is a throwback to the former Portland Admirals.

2) Offseason Acquisitions

Dionyz Vyskoc - The dynamic winger was acquired from the West Kendall Platoon in exchange for a 3rd round pick in a future draft. With the unexpected departure of up and coming sniper, Luke Thomason, the Pride had a hole in the lineup to address, and they needed to address it quickly. Vyskoc appears, by all accounts, to be a perfect fit for the Pride and their locker room, so the wait is on for fans to get their first look at Vyskoc on the ice.

Knute Knurtsson - Drafted 17th overall from the Colorado Raptors, Knurtsson joins a competitive group of center prospects for the Pride. Knute will be looking to battle for a spot one day with Andy Kerr, Ty Hoover, Steven Moyer, and Goku Muerto, but if you asked him he wouldn’t seem concerned at all. Knute Knurtsson is committed to his training, and has been adamant that he will be a star in the SHL. Pride management feels it won’t be long before other GMs will be kicking themselves for letting Knurtsson slip through the 1st round.

Nathan Explosion - At 33rd the Pride called out the name of Kelowna Knights prospect Nathan Explosion, a big power forward with a good shot. Nathan is a big boy, standing 6’4” 222lbs, and he has been able to utilize his size to his advantage thus far in his hockey career. It shouldn’t be long before he’s ready to compete against the pros in the SHL, but for now the young stud will head back to Kelowna for another season with the Knights. Watch out for this kid in a couple seasons.

Patrice Nadeau - With the 49th pick the Pride decided to bring in their goalie of the future. Chris Partridge has plenty of time left in him, but with the often slow development of goalies it’s always wise to have a prospect in your organization. In this case SFP went with Lethbridge Lions standout, Patrice Nadeau. Despite missing some training time due to off ice obligations, Nadeau had an impressive season as a rookie in the SMJHL, and according to GM Jeff Kirkstone Patrice was their preferred choice of the goalies in this draft. So coming up with your top choice in the 4th round is like winning the lottery. Kirkstone can relate to his new prospect, as he too was a goalie trying to standout in a large draft class of goalies, and he said that Nadeau’s determination reminds him of himself back in S31.

Yoshimitsu McCloud - In the 5th round at 65th overall, the Pride selected the Anaheim Outlaw’s Yoshimitsu McCloud. This is a raw specimen if there ever was one. He’s big (6’3” 210lbs), loves to fight, and has a little offensive flair to boot, but he lacks the training and experience. San Francisco can offer plenty of both to McCloud, and they hope to fine tune Yoshimitsu into a nightmare for their opposition. Early indications are that McCloud will be a fan favourite in San Francisco for many seasons to come.

Lee Marshall & Ricardo Cotalay - Neither player has reported to the team, and it is expected they are planning to remain with their respective SMJHL teams. The door is still open for either of them to come to San Francisco, but for the time being it seems the Pride will have to be satisfied with their RFA rights.

3) S46 Rookies

Steven Moyer- This season Moyer is the lone rookie for the Pride, and he’ll have all eyes on him as he looks to impress early on. Moyer’s got a fresh $3,000,000 deal, and dibs on the 3C spot, but what is still unknown is who will be playing on his wing. It will be new faces all around for him, but he’ll have little time to adjust as the team expects him to take on plenty of responsibility from the get go. Management had this to say, “We’re really excited to bring Steven up this season, he’s an extremely talented player who can break games open with his playmaking ability. He’ll give us the depth we were sorely missing last season, and hopefully solidify our center ice position.”

4) Head Coach

The San Francisco Pride have also hired a new Head Coach, meaning Jeff Kirkstone will no longer be pulling double duty. The search began a few weeks ago, and the decision was made a couple of weeks ago, but now is the time to formally announce that decision. We’re excited to bring someone on board who has the experience to help get this team to the next level. Riko Muerto sought the job early on, and then nailed the interview, making him our first choice for the position. We’re lucky to have the opportunity to work with Riko, and excited to see what systems he can put in place to elevate this team’s performance in S46.

@Muerto I’m really excited you took the position man, thank you Cheers