Please note this is my first article.

Top 3 Storylines for S34


<div align="center">3.The Whaler Rookies</div>

Coming out of a rough season posting a record of 13-33-4, the Vancouver Whalers used the off-season to rebuild their roster.
By acquiring both the first and second overall picks, the Whalers did just that. Vancouver used their picks to secure and offense first roster in Robert Phelps (1st Overall) and Sophia Bennett (2nd Overall). Vancouver didnt stop there, selecting Spitfire and Odjick in the second round ended up being a steal, which would further cement the teams offensive build.

It didn't take long for Whaler rookies to make an impact in the locker room. The Whalers announced this week that the captaincy would be awarded to rookie Spitfire, and
the Assistant Captains to both Robert Phelps and Sophia Bennett. Many skeptics view this as a PR move by the Whalers to jump start fan interest in the young new team.
Fans argue that the rookies display a high level of professionalism and leadership that is rare in the league, regardless of experience.

However, the hype of a rookie squad making an immediate impact in the league faded quickly. The Whalers finished the pre-season 8-12-4 and second last in the league; but their record says little of the future of this team. With Bennett and Spitfire were tasked with first line minutes they still managed to finish the pre-season with a collective 19 goals and 16 assists. There is little doubt that the rookies will improve, but will it be enough to contend? If the Whalers can shore up their defensive problems during the season and into the next then expect them to be higher in the standings.

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2. Has the Ice Age begun?</div>

The Colorado Mammoths came into the pre-season feeling confident in their off-season restructuring. Rookie additions in Finn Kruger and Niklaus St. Croix helped improve their defense as veterans Titova and Kesler would continue to lead the offense. The result was a 15-8-1 record throughout the pre-season.

A majority of those loses occurred in the middle of the pre-season with Colorado starting their rookie goaltender Aleksandr Aleksandrov, who posted a 2.73 GAA throughout the run. "I know for me at least you can't blame those loses on Aleksandr, we failed to convert our chances and played very poor defense in that time. That is the reason we lost" said rookie forward Daedric Heikennin, who posted 1 goal and 2 assist in the pre-season.

Colorado is a team to watch heading into the season, if they can bring their skill to the ice on a more consistent basis than they have a chance to go deep in the post-season.

<div align="center">1.The Milita Still rules</div>

The Militia continued their reign as the number one team into the pre-season this week. It's not so much of if this team can win its more of how? The answer seems to be forward Tim Elliot. Its no surprise that Tim Elliot is doing well, but to lead the league in goals (16) and points (34) speaks to the improvements he has made in the off-season. Elliot is poised to have an impact season which will take the weight off of fellow teammates Michael Walker and Olli Ojala to produce.

Another major asset in the Militia's arsenal is goaltender Thaddeus Prince. Prince posted an impressive .894 PCT and a 2.42 GAA across all 24 games. Furthermore, he was the only goaltender to not get pulled during the pre-season. Bringing this consistency into the regular season will be crucial towards the Militia's dominance.

The Militia looks to have set up another successful roster which cannot be ignored. Only time will tell if the team can claim back-to-back titles.