Is there anything that needs to be said about the Nevada Battleborn that has not already been said? "They're losers!" "They suck!" "They have a really cool alternate jersey!" "They drafted a moose!" "They drafted a Pokémon, too!" "What are they doing?!" "What am I doing?!" "THIS IS INSANITY!"

Well...most of that is true. They do have a really cool alternate jersey (seriously, it looks amazing, and honestly, the redesign is so good) and they did draft a moose...but, they did so for the right reasons. One look at Melvin Majestik-Moose's bank account and it is no wonder why the Nevada Battleborn took the defenseman second overall in this past SMJHL draft. Clearly, he is a very devoted and active player (along with his little Penguin friend out in Anaheim) that wants to bring success to a tormented franchise. He is one-hundred percent, without a shadow of a doubt, a generational talent. These are probably but a few of the reasons he received his captain's "C" before the pre-season started. In fact, all of the captains on the Nevada Battleborn are rookies, with the two alternates being Willie Miller, a goalie who was taken sixth overall right behind someone I know pretty well, and Wing Wang, a LW and adorable Wurmple who was taken twenty-seventh overall. It is not that surprising, however, given the Battleborn drafted ELEVEN new rookies this season, and have since picked up THREE MORE post-draft. This is probably the youngest and most inexperienced team on the ice in the SMJHL this season! That said, they do seem to be quite active about earning, as the majority of them are already over 200 TPE. That is a great sign for a team that is this deep into "rebuild mode."

Getting down to brass tax about their chances, though, they are rather slim. They just do not have the players to compete right now, but that could change in the not-so-distant future. They failed to win a single game during this pre-season, and struggled mightily in all but one game that they managed to take to overtime. They had five players who failed to register even a single point, and their leading point-getters, Eero Makela and Jimmy Larkin-Conway, ended up tied with five points. That is well below the leaders some of the powerhouse teams in the SMJHL. That said, Makela looks like they may be the one bright spot amongst a roster that is absolutely loaded with rookies.

It is not all bad, though. As mentioned previously, their rookies are earning TPE steadily. In two to three seasons, it is my honest belief that the Battleborn could be real contenders, if they can keep the team spirits up and keep everyone active...and that is why the Moose was such a great pick for them, because he sets an example for the rest of the class to follow. I have high hopes for them to right the ship. I genuinely think everyone is rooting for them, if for no other reason than those alternate jerseys that I still cannot get over.

@natedoeshockey GRADED! +5 TPE