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bbruin27 · 10-05-2012, 08:29 PM

NWJHL Power Rankings Special

Well hockey fans the first week of the NWJHL season is in the books. Its been a fast paced and fun first few days of junior hockey and already we have seen some big surprises. In tonights edition we will countdown the teams that we feel have established themselves as early favorites and those teams who appear to be on there way to disappointing seasons. We will also give our 3 players who we feel are currently in the race for MVP. Lets get it started.

#1. Falcons

Detroit Falcons- The falcons have shot out of the gate faster then any other team in the league and have rightfully claimed the top spot for the first ten games. Predicted by many to be a middle of the road team in pre-season the falcons have still not registered a regulation loss in the first quarter of the season. It was believed that the reason for the Falcons early success had to do with the fact that there first 6 games of the season were against the struggling Kelowna Knights, a team predicted to be in the bottom half of teams. The Falcons have since proved doubters wrong as they have gone on to take convincing victories from Chicago , Vancouver and Montreal . The big reason for the teams success has been the continuity of the lines and the excellent depth that this team possesses. Captain Kaspar Abraham has been unbelievable as a scoring threat for Detroit posting 9 goals through the first 10 games. Abraham was also able to find the back of the net 4 times in a recent game with Chicago . The addition of Swedish centerman Finn Larsson has also paid huge dividends for the Falcons early in the season. Larsson has shown his knack for playmaking early by leading the Falcons with 13 assists so far in the season. Another positive for this club has been Brandon Doninis 7 goals, however, according to Doninis teammates 7 goals is just scratching the surface of Doninis true
potential.

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Finn Larsson has added another level to Detroits already stack first line

â€œIf youâ€™ve ever seen this kid play hockey you know exactly what Im talking about.â€ Finn Larsson was quoted as saying following last nights win in Montreal . â€œ Brandon might be the most talented player on our roster and its only a matter of time before he really pops. I get the opportunity to practice and play with this guy every day, trust me hes a time bomb just waiting to go off.â€

The play of supporting cast Justin Cunningham, Jesse Enderle and Vinny Chezno have only given critics a reason to jolt the Falcons to the top of the power rankings. The stellar play of these individuals gives the Falcons a level of depth and talent that few other teams can compete with. It looks, at this point, as though the Falcons are once again the real deal.

#2. Whalers

Vancouver- Vancouver has been another one of the more consistant teams throught the first 10 games of the season and as a result find themselves ranked 2nd in the league race. Much of Vancouvers success has come from the electric offense that this team has been able to put on the ice night after night. Dave Smith has established himself as one of the leagues top point producers early and has popped in a league leading 11 goals for the whalers this season. Simo Hayha and Kari Barkov have teamed up with Smith to form what is probably the most effective scoring tandem in the NWJHL right now and are both a big reason why the Whalers appear to be very dangerous this season. As a defensemen, Logan Valentine has added another dimension to the whalers scoring attack scoring 17 points in the early goings of this season. Valentine has also been a big part on the opposite end of the ice contributing heavily to a defense that has allowed only 22 goals, good enough to make them second best in the league. Overall Vancouver has shown its all-star cast at all levels in the early goings of the year. This team is still considered one of the biggest threats for a four star cup championship and if it werenâ€™t for a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Falcons two nights ago they might be ranked #1.

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[Image: 26-Oct-10_103051141JD116_Vancouver_Ca_cr...1288121341]

Logan Valentine rips a shot from the the blue line

#3.

Prince George- After Detroit and Vancouver the records drop off slightly to the teams playing with a little bit of inconsistency. Despite a 4-5 record Prince George has been solid this season and appear to have all the components of a successful playoff team. Prince George has been very balanced on offense and its defense has been able to hold its own against opponents allowing only 23 goals this season. Prince George certainly appears to be a threat this season for the cup but just have not been on the same level as Detroit and Vancouver to this point. Chicago has close to the same record as Prince George and, because of Chicagos high flying offense, could be considered the #3 overall club. In two games against Chicago, however, Prince George has managed to squeak out two tough wins, so they get the nod. The biggest standout this year for the Firebirds has been goalie Edwin Ask. The firebirds currently have no scorers in the top 10 at there position but ask has managed to be solid in net for the Firebirds throughout the first 10 games. It will be interesting to watch this team and see how the see unfolds for them.

#4 :hitmen: Chicago Hitmen- Chicago may be one of the dark horses as we watch this season unfold. Chicago holds a sub .500 4-5-1 record so far this season, however, have been one of the more explosive offense thus far. Thanks to high levels of production from Riku Showron, Anthony Kovalchuk, Allan Stewart and Adam Banks the Hitmen have managed to score 31 goals this season, good enough for 3rd in the league. The biggest issue for the Hitmen has been the inconsistent play of there defense. While there offense has clicked early on there defense has been equally as bad. To this point in the season the Hitmen have allowed and abysmal 46 goals, 16 goals more then the 2nd worse defense in the league. No doubt has this statistic factored into Chicagos mediocre start to the season.

#5. :impact: Montreal- Montreal has had one of the surprising slow starts. After bringing back some experienced personal for the SHL and having one of the best drafts in recent memory Montreal was expected to run away with the regular season. Despite having some high profile players, Montreal has struggled out of the gate. Most recently Montreal took a 4-2 loss to Prince George and a 6-0 shalacking from Detroit . While there early record is troubling, there is still no need to push the panic button yet in Montreal. With high profile draft picks like Rehn Miller, Roman Schultz and Stefano Di Gennaro to along with seasoned veterans like Chris Serpe and Smirnov Light there is no shortage of talent on this team. This group may be in the basement right now but donâ€™t be surprised if the Impact make a push for the top before this season is over. We were able to sit down with the GM of Impact and he was able to answer some questions reguarding the teams stellar on paper roster and how his team is handling high preseason expectations. Please welcome the GM of the Montreal Impact

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Players like Rehn Miller will need to step up if Montreal is going to climb out of an early lull

Interview

Your Impact finished last season with a tough series loss to the Detroit Falcons. Have you guys been able to move on from a loss like that or do you use it for motivation going into this season?

The way I see that loss is not it ending our season but instead giving us more motivation to come out strong next season and reclaim that championship.

Interview

Now Montreal has been the talk of the league so far after the stellar offseason you guys had. 3 picks in the first 2 rounds, including 2 top 5 selections. Do you feel like this is one of the better rosters you guys have had since you've been GM?

This is by far the most active roster I have had in the four seasons with the Impact. Straight out of the gate we already have ten active players on the Montreal Impact with some awesome send downs like Chris Serpe, Smirnov Light , Corey Tripp, Fabian Fuhrberg, Joel Westbrook and then some promising rookies with Roman Schultz, Rehn Miller, Stefano Di Gennaro, Drahoslav Kovar and also new signed free agent Maxime Talbot. Getting three picks in the top seven was great and those trades from last season really paid off.

Interview

With all these great players the expectations are sky high right now. We have seen in the past, however, were the best team on paper often doesnâ€™t win the cup. How do you as a GM manage the hype so that it doesnâ€™t get the best of your club?

As a general manager I always like to set expectations high and I think it gives the team something for the players to live up to which will make work hard to reach that goal. I truly believe we have the best and most active team this season so anything short of a four star cup championship will be a failure.

Interview

Who do you guys see as being the team right now who could stand between Montreal and a 4 star cup?

The Vancouver Whalers and Prince George Firebirds look pretty strong this season and I could see us three teams battling it out for the four star cup.

Interview

Thanks for coming on the show!

#6. Kelowna Knight- Kelowna has had a tough start to the season so far. Currently at a 2-6-1 record the Knights have shown little reason to believe that they are anything but the bottom of this years barrel. Currently Kelowna sports a league low 11 goals and -17 point differential. The star power on this team appears to minimal but rookies Cyan Winters and Waldo Cezar Jr. are high enough draft picks that they may still put out productive season. Kelowna was hurt early on by a tough schedule but it is still hard to find reasons to believe that this team can come back this season. Kelowna may have a long season at the bottom.

Now we move to the final part of our show where we will discuss our first quarter choices for MVP.

1st Candidate Dave Smith: Dave Smith has been an offensive power house and is a big reason why the Vancouver Whalers are cruising through the league right now. With 11 goals and 3 assists its hard not to consider Smith one of the seasons front runners.

2nd Candidate Kaspar Abraham: Abraham has been another impressive offensive player early on. Posting 9 goals and 8 assits Abraham appears to be a little better rounded then Smith. Abraham Vs. Smith is a matchup to watch all season long.

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Kaspar Abraham has looked the part of an early MVP candidate

3rd Candidate Logan Valentine: Valentine is have a season to remember for defensemen. With 17 points Valentine is tied for the league lead in scoring and has done it all from the defensive position. His defensive skills are also a big part of Vancouvers successful start.

1900 words 4 pics 1 interview

Dion · 10-05-2012, 08:35 PM

Good Article

Storm and I are sure building one good team Wink

sarmo · 10-05-2012, 08:37 PM

f u we're coming for you falcons

Kel · 10-05-2012, 08:38 PM

Quote:Originally posted by Dion.OvOxO@Oct 5 2012, 07:35 PM
Good Article

Storm and I are sure building one good team

^ Larsson, I love!

Hey, sorry I didn't answer your questions Lars, do this each week and you'd get a lot of cash in the bank, good read.

I'll do the interview for you if you'll do one next week. Smile

Kel · 10-05-2012, 08:43 PM

1,946 words, and with 4 pictures should count as 2,000 words as that was the way before if near 50 if they add 2 pictures it equals 2,000. So should get around 1.5M-2M for this.

Donini13 · 10-05-2012, 08:53 PM

nice article finn.......looks like you put lots of work into it

Ask · 10-05-2012, 09:15 PM

NateyD · 10-05-2012, 10:32 PM

MVPs should be, Hayha, Smith, Valentine Wink

Good article though.

Jaymay · 10-05-2012, 10:43 PM

17 points as defense > 17 points as forward.

JNH · 10-11-2012, 01:49 PM

Payment:

Word Count: 1900
Professionalism/Thoroughness: 9.5/10
Interest: 9/10
Form: 9.5/10

Payment: 1.25mil + 150k = 1.4 mil

Comments: Great job, keep these articles coming Smile