03-27-2018, 02:06 AM
<div align="center">14 Bold Predictions for S40
With the S40 pre-season coming to a close and the regular season soon to start, it's time for another series of 14 bold predictions! Thanks to TSN's 31 bold predictions for the 2017-2018 NHL season, I thought it would be fun to do yet another 14 bold predictions for the S40 SHL season. As the number suggests I’m going to give 1 bold prediction for each of the 14 SHL franchises. Some of these might not be as bold as others, and some might be just flat of ridiculous, but I’ll try to back up my reasoning for each one. If nothing else, it should generate some interesting discussion.
If you missed it, here are the previous editions…
14 bold predictions for S37
14 bold predictions for S38
14 bold predictions for S39</div>
Buffalo Stampede
- Don’t Mess with Grøss
The S38 draft selection kicked off his first SHL preseason with a bang, or should I say a crash. The two way winger out of Naters, Switzerland finished with just 13 fewer hits than Viktor Vorkämpfer’s team leading 170. I predict he’ll get at least 150 in S40, flirt with the 200 mark and make a strong case for a jesster nomination despite what’ll likely be a smaller point total than some of the other names in the running.
Hamilton Steelhawks
- Complete the Western Sandwich
If you hadn’t noticed the west took the preseason by storm in S40, nearly finishing with 4 of the top 5 spots overall with Texas just one point behind New England for the 5th spot. While both the Chiefs and Wolfpack finished ahead of the Steelhawks in the preseason, you have to admire what they’ve accomplished in Hamilton and are arguably the odds on favorite to finish 1st in the east yet again in the regular season. Not only will they finish 1st in the east, I predict they’ll finish 1st overall and act as the nice top piece of bread for a western conference sandwich.
Manhattan Rage
- Top Heavy Team Sneaks In
Last season was a rough one for the New York based Rage, but with S39 in the rearview and a some structure going forward this team appears to be heading in the right direction. While many pegged the red and white to bottom out yet again to boost draft opportunity it appears their big guns have other plans in mind, or at least as far as the pre-season was concerned. Despite losing several big pieces in Wollker, Hans and Munkey the remaining names, led by the fantastic play of Ace Redding and Luke Atmey led the charge as Manhattan finished with the 4th and final playoff seed. If these two can repeat 70 point performances they just may sneak into the post season. Don’t sleep on the Rage.
Minnesota Chiefs
- Long Overdue
Amidst the growing presence in Hamilton and the longevity in New England I feel Minnesota tends to get left behind at times, but that’s no longer the case as the enter S40 as they reigning challenge cup winners. While it’ll be difficult to repeat you have to like their chances given most, if not all, their roster returned from the cup winning season. One of the more notable pieces I’d like to draw attention to is Jonathan Lundberg. No stranger to team success, the hard hitting center turned winger has yet to collect the illusive prize that is the Jeff Dar award. I predict he’ll garner a nomination this season following a strong S40 performance of at least 45 points, 150 hits and 15 special teams points.
<div align="center">![[Image: IkJB8xJ.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/IkJB8xJ.jpg)
Lundberg and Minnesota Chiefs look to defend their crown in S40.</div>
New England Wolfpack
- Fall Short
With Manhattan [and West Kendall as you’ll soon see] slipping in to the playoffs someone has to go and I “boldly†predict the Wolfpack draw the short straw and miss the post season dance. Honestly this group is built for success, both now and long term, so it’ll be tough to keep them out of the top 4, but hey, crazier things have happened.
Toronto North Stars
- All good things come in Threes
Last season we witnessed an interesting sight as York, Eriksson and Lindstrom made one of the greatest lines in the SHL on an otherwise poor squad. The threesome put up huge totals for the rebuilding North Stars, and if the preseason is any indication, it was no mere fluke. The three averaged point per game totals again in S40 preseason, led by the amazing performance of Chris York. I predict these three will once again average 50 points per game (150 across the three of them) and Mr. York will once again be in the running for some well-earned hardware at the S40 awards ceremony.
West Kendall Platoon
- Preseason Doesn’t Count
Perhaps one the biggest story lines out of the S40 preseason had to be the play of the West Kendall Platoon, or rather the lack of it. While they may not be as deep as the Minnesota or Hamilton they certainly have what it takes to earn a playoff spot in the current state of the eastern conference. I predict they’ll undergo the greatest improvement from preseason to regular season, registering at least 25 wins and 55 points.
Calgary Dragons
- FA Gold
The Dragons are an SHL institution known for putting together quality seasons despite their aging roster. Many thought this was the season they’d ultimately fall (as was the case with the last season, and season before that…) but some offseason magic by the Dragons management has injected some much needed youth in to this club and has them poised to inflict some serious damage this season. Acquiring several big name free agents while simultaneously re-signing their own pending free agents has the Dragons possessing an enviable top 6 ready to pounce. I predict four players wearing the Calgary red and black will finish with 50 or more points in S40, potentially all four of which were signed in this previous offseason.
<div align="center">![[Image: yWcAPoA.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/yWcAPoA.jpg)
Calgary Dragons Joe Kurczewski led all skaters in preseason scoring with 76 points.</div>
Edmonton Blizzard
- McFadden Shines
Last season we saw the Blizzard accelerate their rebuild by moving younger players and picks for established players. So far the move appears to have paid off as Edmonton ended their playoff drought and were able to attract a couple big names in free agency to strengthen their squad, the most notable of which was journeyman blue liner and recent challenge cup winner, Mattias Holmberg. The addition of Holmberg to an already stout defensive unit gives the Blizzard one of the best, if not the best defensive top 6. Toss in an elite netminder in Michael McFadden and it’ll be tough to score on the boys in blue on any given night. I predict McFadden will finish with at least 30 wins and be the favorite to take home several pieces of hardware at this year’s awards, specifically the McBride and Honcho.
Los Angeles Panthers
- Deja Vu
If you’ve been following these articles at all you’ll notice a trend with Los Angeles. Typically a bubble team right to the end it’s tough to peg them and I typically give them a less than stellar prediction. Last season I predicted they’d finish 5th for the 3rd time in a row (4th if you include S39 preseason) but lo and behold not only did they sneak in to the post season, they cruised all the way to the challenge cup finals. Preseason wasn’t kind to them, but they have the pieces to compete yet again in S40. I predict they’ll sneak in to playoffs once again, this time on the back of their forwards in Bennett and Wachter and less so on the immaculate play of their recently retired netminder Timo Haas.
San Francisco Pride
- Riveting Performance
Much like the previously mentioned Panthers, the Pride have some quality assets that can win a game on any given night, but it’ll be tough to penetrate the western conference top four positions as shown by the 17 point spread between the 4th seeded Renegades and 5th seeded Pride in the recent preseason. I predict Kelly Rivet will be an unstoppable force this season, registering at least 50 points and 200 hits. If the Pride manage to secure a playoff spot he’ll be a nominee for the Ron Mexico and Jeff Dar awards.
Seattle Riot
- Turkey Dinner
S38 jesster award winner for rookie of the year? Vratislav Zbynek. S39? Alexander Zajac. What do these two young bucks have in common? Well they both play for the Seattle Riot of course! Can they complete the turkey and go 3/3? Well if the preseason is any indication it appears they have a strong case in Liam O'Callaghan who finished 7 points clear of the next rookie in Buffalo’s Tatu Makela. The one obstacle standing in his way, or should I say one herd standing in his way, is the youth movement in Buffalo. Led by the previously mentioned Makela, 4 members of the Stampede finished within the top 6 for rookie scoring in the preseason and should be expected to be near the top once again in the regular season. Can O’Callaghan and the Riot fend them off? This writer thinks so.
<div align="center">![[Image: fwl007Y.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/fwl007Y.jpg)
O’Callaghan will need to pick up where he left off in preseason if he hopes to fend off the youth herd in Buffalo.</div>
Texas Renegades
- Give in to the Dark Side
Amidst several retirements coming out of Texas during the offseason the most surprising had to be that of defensive stalwart Lord Vader. An elite defender for years in the black and silver, Vader has tormented the SHL for many seasons and had the potential to do so for many more if desired, but opted to go hang them up at the end of S40 instead. Much like Timo Haas out of Los Angeles last season I predict Lord Vader will have a season to remember in what is to be his last go around. Finishing with at least 45 points, 200 hits and 80 shot blocks he’ll be a nominee for the Stevens and a strong case to win it.
Winnipeg Jets
- Goals by Committee
I’ve grown tired of “boldly†predicting how good the Jets will be so instead let’s flip the script and say they’ll suck. No they won’t miss the playoffs, they won’t even come close to it in fact. Instead they’ll be a score by committee group as no one will finish with more than 50 points. Based on preseason the biggest threats to bust this prediction are just about anybody, but Bearss and Visser led the pack with 59 and 50 points respectively.
<div align="center">It should be an exciting season, so get ready!</div>
With the S40 pre-season coming to a close and the regular season soon to start, it's time for another series of 14 bold predictions! Thanks to TSN's 31 bold predictions for the 2017-2018 NHL season, I thought it would be fun to do yet another 14 bold predictions for the S40 SHL season. As the number suggests I’m going to give 1 bold prediction for each of the 14 SHL franchises. Some of these might not be as bold as others, and some might be just flat of ridiculous, but I’ll try to back up my reasoning for each one. If nothing else, it should generate some interesting discussion.
If you missed it, here are the previous editions…
14 bold predictions for S37
14 bold predictions for S38
14 bold predictions for S39</div>
Buffalo Stampede
- Don’t Mess with Grøss The S38 draft selection kicked off his first SHL preseason with a bang, or should I say a crash. The two way winger out of Naters, Switzerland finished with just 13 fewer hits than Viktor Vorkämpfer’s team leading 170. I predict he’ll get at least 150 in S40, flirt with the 200 mark and make a strong case for a jesster nomination despite what’ll likely be a smaller point total than some of the other names in the running.
Hamilton Steelhawks
- Complete the Western SandwichIf you hadn’t noticed the west took the preseason by storm in S40, nearly finishing with 4 of the top 5 spots overall with Texas just one point behind New England for the 5th spot. While both the Chiefs and Wolfpack finished ahead of the Steelhawks in the preseason, you have to admire what they’ve accomplished in Hamilton and are arguably the odds on favorite to finish 1st in the east yet again in the regular season. Not only will they finish 1st in the east, I predict they’ll finish 1st overall and act as the nice top piece of bread for a western conference sandwich.
Manhattan Rage
- Top Heavy Team Sneaks InLast season was a rough one for the New York based Rage, but with S39 in the rearview and a some structure going forward this team appears to be heading in the right direction. While many pegged the red and white to bottom out yet again to boost draft opportunity it appears their big guns have other plans in mind, or at least as far as the pre-season was concerned. Despite losing several big pieces in Wollker, Hans and Munkey the remaining names, led by the fantastic play of Ace Redding and Luke Atmey led the charge as Manhattan finished with the 4th and final playoff seed. If these two can repeat 70 point performances they just may sneak into the post season. Don’t sleep on the Rage.
Minnesota Chiefs
- Long OverdueAmidst the growing presence in Hamilton and the longevity in New England I feel Minnesota tends to get left behind at times, but that’s no longer the case as the enter S40 as they reigning challenge cup winners. While it’ll be difficult to repeat you have to like their chances given most, if not all, their roster returned from the cup winning season. One of the more notable pieces I’d like to draw attention to is Jonathan Lundberg. No stranger to team success, the hard hitting center turned winger has yet to collect the illusive prize that is the Jeff Dar award. I predict he’ll garner a nomination this season following a strong S40 performance of at least 45 points, 150 hits and 15 special teams points.
<div align="center">
Lundberg and Minnesota Chiefs look to defend their crown in S40.</div>
New England Wolfpack
- Fall ShortWith Manhattan [and West Kendall as you’ll soon see] slipping in to the playoffs someone has to go and I “boldly†predict the Wolfpack draw the short straw and miss the post season dance. Honestly this group is built for success, both now and long term, so it’ll be tough to keep them out of the top 4, but hey, crazier things have happened.
Toronto North Stars
- All good things come in ThreesLast season we witnessed an interesting sight as York, Eriksson and Lindstrom made one of the greatest lines in the SHL on an otherwise poor squad. The threesome put up huge totals for the rebuilding North Stars, and if the preseason is any indication, it was no mere fluke. The three averaged point per game totals again in S40 preseason, led by the amazing performance of Chris York. I predict these three will once again average 50 points per game (150 across the three of them) and Mr. York will once again be in the running for some well-earned hardware at the S40 awards ceremony.
West Kendall Platoon
- Preseason Doesn’t Count Perhaps one the biggest story lines out of the S40 preseason had to be the play of the West Kendall Platoon, or rather the lack of it. While they may not be as deep as the Minnesota or Hamilton they certainly have what it takes to earn a playoff spot in the current state of the eastern conference. I predict they’ll undergo the greatest improvement from preseason to regular season, registering at least 25 wins and 55 points.
Calgary Dragons
- FA GoldThe Dragons are an SHL institution known for putting together quality seasons despite their aging roster. Many thought this was the season they’d ultimately fall (as was the case with the last season, and season before that…) but some offseason magic by the Dragons management has injected some much needed youth in to this club and has them poised to inflict some serious damage this season. Acquiring several big name free agents while simultaneously re-signing their own pending free agents has the Dragons possessing an enviable top 6 ready to pounce. I predict four players wearing the Calgary red and black will finish with 50 or more points in S40, potentially all four of which were signed in this previous offseason.
<div align="center">
Calgary Dragons Joe Kurczewski led all skaters in preseason scoring with 76 points.</div>
Edmonton Blizzard
- McFadden ShinesLast season we saw the Blizzard accelerate their rebuild by moving younger players and picks for established players. So far the move appears to have paid off as Edmonton ended their playoff drought and were able to attract a couple big names in free agency to strengthen their squad, the most notable of which was journeyman blue liner and recent challenge cup winner, Mattias Holmberg. The addition of Holmberg to an already stout defensive unit gives the Blizzard one of the best, if not the best defensive top 6. Toss in an elite netminder in Michael McFadden and it’ll be tough to score on the boys in blue on any given night. I predict McFadden will finish with at least 30 wins and be the favorite to take home several pieces of hardware at this year’s awards, specifically the McBride and Honcho.
Los Angeles Panthers
- Deja VuIf you’ve been following these articles at all you’ll notice a trend with Los Angeles. Typically a bubble team right to the end it’s tough to peg them and I typically give them a less than stellar prediction. Last season I predicted they’d finish 5th for the 3rd time in a row (4th if you include S39 preseason) but lo and behold not only did they sneak in to the post season, they cruised all the way to the challenge cup finals. Preseason wasn’t kind to them, but they have the pieces to compete yet again in S40. I predict they’ll sneak in to playoffs once again, this time on the back of their forwards in Bennett and Wachter and less so on the immaculate play of their recently retired netminder Timo Haas.
San Francisco Pride
- Riveting Performance Much like the previously mentioned Panthers, the Pride have some quality assets that can win a game on any given night, but it’ll be tough to penetrate the western conference top four positions as shown by the 17 point spread between the 4th seeded Renegades and 5th seeded Pride in the recent preseason. I predict Kelly Rivet will be an unstoppable force this season, registering at least 50 points and 200 hits. If the Pride manage to secure a playoff spot he’ll be a nominee for the Ron Mexico and Jeff Dar awards.
Seattle Riot
- Turkey DinnerS38 jesster award winner for rookie of the year? Vratislav Zbynek. S39? Alexander Zajac. What do these two young bucks have in common? Well they both play for the Seattle Riot of course! Can they complete the turkey and go 3/3? Well if the preseason is any indication it appears they have a strong case in Liam O'Callaghan who finished 7 points clear of the next rookie in Buffalo’s Tatu Makela. The one obstacle standing in his way, or should I say one herd standing in his way, is the youth movement in Buffalo. Led by the previously mentioned Makela, 4 members of the Stampede finished within the top 6 for rookie scoring in the preseason and should be expected to be near the top once again in the regular season. Can O’Callaghan and the Riot fend them off? This writer thinks so.
<div align="center">
O’Callaghan will need to pick up where he left off in preseason if he hopes to fend off the youth herd in Buffalo.</div>
Texas Renegades
- Give in to the Dark SideAmidst several retirements coming out of Texas during the offseason the most surprising had to be that of defensive stalwart Lord Vader. An elite defender for years in the black and silver, Vader has tormented the SHL for many seasons and had the potential to do so for many more if desired, but opted to go hang them up at the end of S40 instead. Much like Timo Haas out of Los Angeles last season I predict Lord Vader will have a season to remember in what is to be his last go around. Finishing with at least 45 points, 200 hits and 80 shot blocks he’ll be a nominee for the Stevens and a strong case to win it.
Winnipeg Jets
- Goals by CommitteeI’ve grown tired of “boldly†predicting how good the Jets will be so instead let’s flip the script and say they’ll suck. No they won’t miss the playoffs, they won’t even come close to it in fact. Instead they’ll be a score by committee group as no one will finish with more than 50 points. Based on preseason the biggest threats to bust this prediction are just about anybody, but Bearss and Visser led the pack with 59 and 50 points respectively.
<div align="center">It should be an exciting season, so get ready!</div>
Good shit man