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swoosh · 01-03-2024, 04:19 PM

Aesthetics baby. Today we take a look at the 20 SHL teams and see how they stack up from an aesthetics standpoint. Rankings are based on a combination of overall brand makeup, including city, team name, color scheme, and logo. As a prospect hitting the next draft, please don't take this list too seriously. This is all for content. I'd be happy to play for any team. With that said, let's get into it.

1. Montreal Patriotes
Maybe it's the fact that I'm finally getting around to finishing up the Harry Potter series, but I like the Gryffindor-like color scheme. What really sells me though is the logo. The old man, the pipe, the beanie. This logo has me fired up.

2. New England Wolfpack
Another brilliant logo. I love everything about it. To stick with the movie theme, Wolfpack reminds me of one of my favorite movies, The Hangover. One-man wolf pack. The color scheme is nice as well.

3. Seattle Argonauts
I’m typically not into complex logos, but this one is unique. It’s quirky and cool. As someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest, I’m a fan of Seattle.

4. Hamilton Steelhawks
I really have no good reason to have the Steelhawks in the top five, but it just works. Minimal color scheme. As a GM of the Baltimore Hawks over in the ISFL, I’m partial to hawks being in the name.

5. Texas Renegades
Some might say the color scheme is boring, but I like it. Logo is cool with the text blending in nicely. Well done.

Inferno

6. Atlanta Inferno
This one reminds me of the Atlanta Hawks. Can’t go wrong with the colors here. Logo is cool.

Dragons

7. Calgary Dragons
Another complex logo that seems to do the trick for me. I like how the dragon’s tail wraps around the text. Good colors.

8. Edmonton Blizzard
Seemingly unique color scheme with the light blue and yellow. It works well. Solid logo. I imagine everyone ends up at DQ ordering blizzards after wins.

Platoon

9. Baltimore Platoon
Baltimore, fantastic simulation sports city. The logo isn’t flashy, but the colors work well together. I’m a fan of the team name.

10. Buffalo Stampede
Green and yellow just work really well together (Go Oregon Ducks). Logo is simple and minimal. Stampede is original.

11. Minnesota Monarchs
Upon doing a closer look here, Minnesota should probably be ranked higher. Really unique logo that is also simple. I think it’s the color scheme that is bringing this down for me. I would definitely bump them up a few spots if I didn’t want to change my rankings.

Stars

12. Toronto North Stars
Nothing special with this one, but we’re starting to get into the territory where I’m finding little things I don’t like rather than being drawn to teams. The North Stars whole makeup is unobtrusive and the simplicity gets them ranked above the rest.

Aurora

13. Winnipeg Aurora
I like the team name. I like the colors. The logo just doesn’t feel like a team logo to me.

Rage

14. Manhattan Rage
Another one I’d probably rank higher on a second go around. Red and black is a classic color combination. The logo has some nice detail to it and New York is a fantastic city.

15. Chicago Syndicate
Chicago is a great city. I really like the black and yellow color scheme. I think what’s making me rank this one a little lower than it likely deserves is the whole mob-inspired branding.

16. Tampa Bay Barracuda
I don’t mind the colors in general, but for a sports team I’m not the biggest fan. The logo is okay. Florida wouldn’t be my first pick in a US States draft.

Forge

17. Philadelphia Forge
Not a fan of the red and orange color scheme. The logo is simple but doesn’t stand out. A redesign might help here.

18. New Orleans Specters
There’s a joke in here somewhere about me ranking New Orleans low, but truthfully I’m just not the biggest fan. Colors are solid but the logo falls flat for me. I love New Orleans though, great city.

pride

19. San Francisco Pride
I can’t quite put a finger on it, but this doesn’t do it for me. I’ve also been tainted by San Francisco and what that city has become.

20. Los Angeles Panthers
Sorry Panthers, I’m just not a fan. As someone who grew up in Southern California, Los Angeles isn’t my favorite place. The logo is interesting, with the skyline in the outline of a panther, but it’s a little too complex for my liking as a logo. I’m not a fan of the color scheme, mainly the orange. To add more fuel to the fire, the Panthers team name isn’t original.