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akamai · 04-13-2016, 09:03 AM

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Ready for grading :)

<div align="center">Down, But Not Out

Why you shouldn't count the Knights out of the playoff race</div>

Teetering at the middle of the league, the Kelowna Knights don't seem set to impress in the playoffs with their nearly .500 win/loss rate. But here's how and why they could surprise some people coming into the playoffs to have a legitimate shot at the cup.

KELOWNA IS A YOUNG, HEALTHY TEAM.

Kelowna's roster and locker room is decently active, with most of its players participating in weekly check-ins and TPE events. Kelowna has also been the only team to hold an internal team bonding article thus far, and has some of the most active Twitter presences, meaning pockets are heavy for continued training. And you know what that means...

KELOWNA IS ONLY GOING TO GET BETTER THE LONGER THEY RUN.

Mikko Linna and Mia Landvik are the only two players to have hit the SMJHL point cap. Goalie Mikke Laukkanen has more room to grow, and some of Kelowna's second-liner rookies should continue their path to becoming solidly reliable producers for the team, including defenseman Fedor Shirobokov and much-discussed forward Mikael Talo.

THEY'RE NOT FAR FROM THE TOP OF THE WEST.

As most teams in the Western division are in the middle of their rebuilding years, Kelowna's potential Western rivals are in similar positions. While last year's Cup-winning Mammoth team is still pretty good, sitting atop the West, Kelowna actually held the Mammoths' tiebreaker at 4W-3L. And with Vancouver's one-shy-of-empty locker room and Prince George's that might as well be (sorry, Firebirds), Kelowna just won't face a considerably better-on-paper team until very late in the playoffs.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE EAST...

This year's East/West disparity will only further help the Knights, weeding potentially stronger rivals out before Kelowna would have to face them. Detroit, who started out rocky in the pre-season but have sustained a steady upward trajectory ever since, have successfully beaten Kelowna multiple times, but they're likely to run into the teeth of the Montreal onslaught before Kelowna would have to worry about facing them.

AND IT'S STILL NOT AS BAD AS IT LOOKS.

At initial time of writing, the Knights were only four points out from the bottom-ranked Eastern team, the St. Louis Scarecrows. They also have a positive W-L record against Halifax with 4 wins and 2 losses, and at this point only have 3-loss deficits to St. Louis and Montreal. Meanwhile, their game point average hovers around three for every team, meaning their offensive production is good even against tougher teams--if their defense stays active and puts up a strong showing, the Knights could be a dangerous team to face in the playoffs.

HEY, STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.

Prince George came out of nowhere to bring a tough battle to the Mammoths last season. The Knights have a similarly friendly and cheerful atmosphere and, though they still have their ups and downs, it's entirely possible that they'll be a tight-knit group who can pull together in a similar way. Knights "vets" are motivated and cup-hungry, none having been present in the locker room since their last win, and the rookies are excited about the prospect of making a final splash to impress GMs before their upcoming SHL draft.

Jenny · 04-13-2016, 09:42 AM

GKG!

Chewbacca · 04-13-2016, 09:48 AM

Good luck Kelowna!

Knights

vs

in finals, sounds good, eh? Cheers

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