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Kraagenskul · 10-22-2020, 12:39 PM

SMJHL Playoff Prognostication!!! I'm going for the 2 TPE!

It is only a little tougher to try and guess the playoff outcome a few days before the end of the season, so we will give it a go.

Round 1, Reverse by current standings

Falcons

Detroit: The Falcons will most likely be swept out by whichever 5th seed they play. Their most likely opponent will be one of Anchorage, Anaheim, or Nevada whom are among the league's top teams.

Knights

Kelowna: The Knights will most likely suffer the same fate as the Falcons. While their overall record is a bit better than Detroit's, they will suffer a similar fate of having to play one of the teams mentioned above unless they pull past St. Louis.

St. Louis: It comes down to where the Scarecrows end up; if they manage to finish 10th overall the reward will be playing Maine who they could manage an upset, though that is doubtful. They could definitely pull out two wins in this series though.

Citadelles

Quebec, Colorado: Point-wise these two teams are currently identical. They are both far enough behind Maine but ahead of the three lower place teams that they will most likely play each other. So who will emerge victorious? Despite Quebec's positive goal differential, my money is on Colorado who plays in the currently tougher conference.

Timber

Maine: The Kesha loving Timber squad is having a somewhat mediocre season, but they are good enough to most likely be rewarded with one of the three worst teams in the league. They should be able to make it to the second round in 5 or 6 games.

Outlaws

Anaheim, Nevada: Anaheim looked to have control of the division until recently dropping seven straight games, something Nevada has taken advantage of to take the current division lead, if only by a point. While both teams would love the bye, neither team needs to worry about moving onto round two if they only manage second place. My best guess is that Anaheim is too good to continue their downward trend and take the division.

Armada

Anchorage: The Armada are one of the strongest teams in the league and would be competing for a bye in any other division but the Whalers have already clinched it. They should have the 5th or 6th spot when the season ends, and none of the prospective opponents will have any chance against them. I would be very surprised if they don't sweep this series.

Winners of Round 1: Colorado, Maine, Nevada, and Anchorage.

Round 2: Bye teams

Whalers

Whalers: The current juggernaut of the league will be rewarded with playing one of the five teams at the bottom of the league, most likely Quebec or Colorado. In any case they should crush any of these opponents in 4 games.
Kraken

Carolina: While some of the other division leaders could catch the current Atlantic South East in points, their most likely foe will be the Timber or if there is an upset, Quebec or Colorado. It won't matter, none of these teams have a chance against the Krakens who will most likely sweep them in their own arena.

Berserkers

Newfoundland: Last season's champs are not quite the team they were, but they are still a very good club. Unfortunately their reward will most likely be series against some of the best the the Western conference has to offer, with the usual Anaheim, Anchorage, or Nevada trio as the most likely opponent. I think they would beat Nevada in 6, but probably lose to the other teams in 6 or 7 games. I'll pretend that had to play Nevada and won for prognostication purposes.

Outlaws

Anaheim: Although this spot could go to Nevada, I guess Anaheim above and I will stick with it. Their most likely opponent is the Armada although they could see division rival Battleborn as well. While a Nevada series could go either way, their most likely opponent will be the Armada and they just aren't a match for them. It will be a hell of a series but I see Anchorage emerging victorious in 7.

One thing to note here is the success of the Battleborn. After a surprise round 1 win in their inaugural season, everyone expected Quebec to be the better of the two expansion teams this season but Nevada has outpaced expectations. Keep an eye on them for season 57.

Round 3: Semi-Finals

Whalers

A Whalers-Armada series could be a hell of scoring fest, but Anchorage's weaker defense just isn't up to the task. Whalers in 5.

Kraken

A repeat of last year in the semi-finals was a hell of battle royale that went 7 games and finally ended with a Berserkers finals berth, but I think this year Carolina is the better team and will be rewarded with a trip to Vancouver in 6 games.

Round 4: Finals

Whalers

Carolina is a great team and no one should count them out. But the Whalers are among the leagues best on both sides of the ice and it is their Cup to lose. Whalers in 6.

ddrector · 10-22-2020, 12:46 PM

The Whalers are winning it all this season! We have a huge points lead over everyone else in the smjhl and that dominance will continue into the playoffs as we will take home the championship! I'm not gonna lie I can't believe we are here. 2 seasons after being the worst team in the SMJHL the Whalers have drafted extremely well and look like we are on the verge of a championship!

***KaleSalad*** · 10-22-2020, 01:18 PM

The Maine Timber have had a season that has had a little bit of everything with the ups and downs after a Cup final loss last year. They were a low seed last year and were able to compete and only come up a bit short in the finals. As long as they are able to keep their current pace they should be poised to have another great playoff run.

AL GRINGO · 10-22-2020, 01:36 PM

One thing about the playoffs that I didn't know before was that all the SMJHL teams make that playoffs. I really like that because even the worst teams have a shot at winning it all.

*thedangazone* · 10-22-2020, 01:53 PM

I think LAP will have a tough matchup with whoever they face off against. With a d-core that's fairly limited in depth it'll be tough to beat teams but with an MVP caliber goalie and great forwards I think we can probably win 1 round in the playoffs before falling to a better overall team.

JuOSu · 10-22-2020, 02:37 PM

Hamilton has been the best team in the league so far so I think they will reach the finals. On the other hand, I think the Specters will surprise people and reach the finals as the second team.

***Aephino*** · 10-22-2020, 03:00 PM

Let's talk about Challenge Cup favorites. Obviously, you have Hamilton and Calgary at the top of the list. But there are certainly a few dark horses who will ruffle some feathers. Chicago is sitting in second in the East, and Buffalo are the current champs. Meanwhile in the West, any of NOLA, Edmonton, and Texas have enough firepower to make it to the finals. I think we could see an underdog make it to the finals, but I do expect either Hammy or Calgary to take home the Cup.

*littleb* · 10-22-2020, 03:20 PM

Hard to look past Anaheim and Vancouver doing well this season in the J but what fun would that be predicting they will win the cup? I am going to go for a Nevada/ Detroit final after they both have epic finishes to the season and cause a bunch of surprises in the playoffs.

awils13 · 10-22-2020, 04:07 PM

Calgary is really good this season but I still expect the finals to have 2 east teams. I'd say Hamilton vs Chicago is most likely, unless Chicago chokes in the first round like usual. But it would be an interesting matchup, considering that Chicago copied everything from the S53 Hamilton, from builds to tactics, so at least we'd find out whether S56 Hamilton is better than S53 Hamilton.

Fluw · 10-22-2020, 05:08 PM

In total honesty I will be speaking about my team the Colorado Raptors, and I will come in with a bold statement. Most likely we will get bounced in the first round but I have a small feeling that after being screwed over by FHM all season it will turn around in the playoffs and we will upset the team we fact moving onto at least the second round.

JumpierPegasus · 10-22-2020, 05:15 PM

As the SMJHL has moved to a model of every team making the playoffs, Detroit will make the playoffs this year. Detroit will subsequently be destroyed, likely by Vancouver, and will be out in 4 games. It will be a great learning experience for the young players though

TheWoZy · 10-22-2020, 06:51 PM

I think the Hamilton Steelhawks wins the cup this year. They have been the best team since the offseason and I don't think anyone can stop them. I also want Phelps to win another ring.

peej2189 · 10-22-2020, 07:20 PM

I think in the SMJHL we will see Vancouver stomping teams up until the finals, in which they will play one of the few teams in the J who can match them. While Vancouver may get upset, their odds are looking really good.

raymond3000 · 10-22-2020, 07:38 PM

The Texas Renegades have a shot to surprise some of the top teams this season. They've been very competitive against the top teams in the league during the regular season, and should be a tough out for any team in the playoffs.

ztevans · 10-22-2020, 07:44 PM

Perhaps selfishly, I'm mostly excited to see how the playoffs go for Quebec City. We stumbled out of the gate, but have shown plenty of muscle in the second half of the season. Last season, we won a playoff series, so I think with a better team and the power of Denny's, we should be poised to at least match that and maybe even improve on it in S56.

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