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Muerto · 03-27-2018, 12:11 AM

BLIZZ NEWZ

Season 40 - OUTLOOK OPTIMISTIC

THe Edmonton Blizzard begin a new decade with a new look and a new attitude.

As part of a rebranding effort in the offseason to stir excitement and jersey sales from their loyal fanbase, the Blizzard unveiled a new Ice Fox logo, putting the iconic Yeti to pasture.

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However, what's on the front of the jersey is not nearly as important as who's wearing them. The Blizzard roster for S40 boasts substantial depth across the board, and a solid mix of youth and veteran leadership.

Last season, the team showed signs of coming out of a dark era of futility, as they had missed the playoffs the prior 5 seasons. Blizzard management made several moves in drafting, free agency and trades over the last 2 off-seasons to build a team capable of challenging the top teams in the West. The team showed signs of life down the stretch in S39, pulling away from a tight pack to secure a playoff appearance, then battling the Winnipeg Jets in an exciting 7-game playoff series.

This season the team is rising up many pundits' lists of teams to watch. The continued growth of their young core, solidified by a well-rounded group of experienced league warriors, has the teams and its fans very excited, especially given the strong performance in the pre-season.

Now, we all know that pre-season is not the regular season, and much could change across the league to shift teams up or down the standings, but there was certainly some indications that this is a team that can and will be dangerous in all zones, as they finished the exhibitions with the most goals for and the least goals against, and only 2 points behind Winnipeg for the best record in the league.

Let's have a closer look at and analysis of the young guns on the roster:

THE YOUTH MOVEMENT

The Blizzard have 6 players on their roster from either the S36 or S37 Draft, all of whom
already have over 800 TPE each. That means that even if they never improved again, they would still be solid 2nd to 3rd line players for the foreseeable future. However, all are currently active and continue to progress, and project to be top-tier players with still their best years to come.

4 of these players - Tor Tuck, Hercules Rockefeller, Chippy Chiclets, and Tigole Bitties - were drafted by Edmonton, while the others - Connor Tanner and Teddy Cuddles - were acquired in trades.

S37

D - Tor Tuck (856) - TWD
: Strengths: PA DF SK
: Weakness : ST
: Drafted 7th OV (EDM)

Tuck enters his 3rd season with the Blizzard, having 2 previous solid seasons under his belt, he looks to provide some steady anchoring of the 3rd pairing and penalty kill.
Last season he put up 3 goals and 18 points, the preseason saw him with less production but a vastly improved +/- and decent hits and shot totals. The acquisition of veterans Wollker and Holmberg have forced him down the depth chart slightly, but with continued development, he will make a strong case to move back into the top 4 sooner than later.

D - Connor Tanner (861) - TWD
: Strengths: SC DF PH
: Weakness : CK
: Drafted 1st OV (HAM)

Tanner enters his 2nd season, after being acquired via a mid-season trade with the Hamilton Steelhawks in S39. He put up 2 goals and 14 assists in his rookie campaign split between the two teams.
In the preseason, he was able to put up 7 goals and 34 total points, so he should see a vast improvement in his sophomore season.
He is developing nicely and projects to be an elite-level defender within 2 seasons. He will be asked to play a lot of minutes in a top 4 role plus powerplay time.

LW - Hercules Rockefeller (777) - SNP
: Strengths: SC ST PH
: Weakness : CK
: Drafted 3rd OV (EDM)

Rockefeller has been on a steady upwards development curve, despite being the lowest TPE earner amongst his fellow Blizzlings, he is not slouching by any means.
He is the pure sniper of the group, so he will certainly be asked to provide some goals, especially on the powerplay.
Preseason suggested he should about match his totals from last season, but with a much better defensive play. Starts the season on the kid line with Bitties and Cuddles.

S36

RW - Teddy Cuddles (953) - PWF
: Strengths: ST SK PA
: Weakness : SC
: Drafted 26th OV (CGY)

This will be Cuddles' 3rd SHL season, all played with the Blizzard since he was acquiredfrom Calgary in the Izzy trade. Cuddles is a genuine steal from his draft class, surpassing all expectations so far in terms of development.
As a power forward, Cuddles is built to basically wreck shit, with over 100 hits in his rookie season, and 161 hits his next, Cuddles plays a tough game, but smart as his history and preseason suggests he does not take many penalties despite his physical play.
It's not unrealistic to expect 30+ points and ~200 hits out of this kid, he is playing 3rd line but would be a legitimate first or second line player as well, even now.
He does need to work on his defensive game this season, if he can replicate or better his preseason, he and the team will be ecstatic!

C - Tigole Bitties (1174) - TWF
: Strengths: SC DF PH
: Weakness : CK
: Drafted 4th OV (EDM)

Bitties has justified the team's decision to selct him at 3rd Overall in the S36 draft. He was hit by the sophomore jinx in S39, but he enters his 3rd season with a new role.
He will be anchoring the 3rd line at Center, with additional duties on special teams. He scored 41 points in the preseason games, which is reason to be optimistic.
Interesting trivia: Last season Bitties got in 4 fights but had no other penalties. In preseason he had 3 fights and only 1 minor penalty in the 50 games. So like ... a nice goon?

D - Chippy Chiclets (836) - OFD
: Strengths: SC SK PH
: Weakness : ST
: Drafted 17th OV (EDM)

Another Draft steal here as a 2nd round pick has developed into a bona-fide SHL player who would be top 4 on every team in the league.
Entering his 3rd pro season, he's built to shoot and score, and indicators are he should put up 10+ goals again this season. He will start the season on the top pairing with defensive specialist Orlov, which should give him confidence to jump into the play offensively when he can.

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3 of these players are Defensemen, and when you add in another prospect like Brady McIntyre who will be ready to make the jump next season, it bodes well for the future top 4 defense of the team.

Center Yannick Berger and Defenseman Jim Elliot are other young prospects ready to move up soon, but without pressure.

Of further note, each of these 3 defense on this season's roster are paired with a veteran who can shelter and mentor them in the game, allowing them to play with confidence and not be afraid to make mistakes.

Rockefeller, Cuddles, and Bitties will be together as the 3rd line this season, at least to start, but on many other teams they would already be second or even first liners. They will have a chance to build chemistry together, setting up the foundation for when it is their time to lead the way.

The new young core has the opportunity to play their game at their own pace and not be forced into roles they are not best-suited for. But, at the same time, their effort and hard work so far has put them in a position where they have the potential to succeed and still have room to grow.

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So as you can see, the future is bright but the future is also happening right now, as these young pros build off the foundation of last's seasons success.

To all players, as always, good luck and have fun!

karlssens · 03-27-2018, 12:22 AM

i like the fun pictures ; Wink

awesome article, very excited to see how this season goes! Blizzard

Muerto · 03-27-2018, 12:24 AM

Quote:Originally posted by karlssens@Mar 26 2018, 09:22 PM
i like the fun pictures  ;
awesome article, very excited to see how this season goes!

Jedi · 03-27-2018, 12:59 AM

Alucard,Apr 14 2016, 03:33 PM Wrote:May the harvest be with you, young spud.

enigmatic,Aug 26 2016, 10:05 AM Wrote:Jedi could have 1 TPE and still improve any team

First ever Norwegian IIHF Goal!!

Code:
2. Team Norway , Jackson Rodgers-Tanaka 1 (Isabella Esparza-Osvaldson, Aleksander Andrezjeck) at 5:50

Special Thanks to Count Chocula for the Hugo G sig <3

iOBESE · 03-27-2018, 04:48 AM

You go Yutes!

trella · 03-27-2018, 08:11 AM

yuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyuteyute

Thanks to @karey and @JSS for the sigs!

Former USA Fed Head, Carolina Kraken Co-GM, Tampa Bay Barracuda GM

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