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Jayrome · 09-28-2020, 04:39 AM

Kelowna Knights Season Preview

The puck drops at noon, let's celebrate a new season of Knights hockey by taking a look at the preseason and how the Kelowna will look in S56.

Champions. Winners. Contenders. These are the terms associated with Kelowana in recent years. The franchise only missed the playoffs twice since S37. Yet this year, a new term is heard across the league for Kelowna : Rebuilding.

Kelowna looks to create a new dynasty of winners on the long term, but on the short term, what can we expect from the team? Using preseason performance and TPE as references, I will try to give a glimpse of what Kelowna will look like as a team, and who the faces of this rebuild are.

Expected Depth Chart
Relying on preseason lines and TPE, purely a projection.

Knights

OFFENSE

      LW             C                   RW
Line 1 (S54) Simon Takshak       (S56) Patrick Money    (S55) James Hagan
Line 2 (S56) Logan Wong          (S57) Kian Hamilton Jr.    (S56) Kynwyl Pearce
Line 3 (S57) Anna Pontecorvo       (S57) Brennan Huff       (S57) Vlastislav Malik
Line 4 (S53) Braden Lowrie       (S56) Viesturs Grabeklis (S54) Juan Hunna-Pussent

Scratched : (S57) Cian McFelter © (Did not play preseason)

Line 1
The first line is filled with players from three different classes. Takshak, returning for his fourth season, Hagan for his third and Money for his second. Takshak's grit and versatility on offense and defense make him an essential presence on this first line, and Hagan's athleticism and offensive IQ have already proven what they can bring to the team, as shown in the 37 points he collected last year. Money introduces himself as center, leading the Knights's preseason in points with 4 in 7 matches, proving he is ready to be the center of the first line.

Line 2
A young trio composed of three players who are very skilled with the puck. For Wong, this is a great opportunity to put his speed to use with his sniping skills, playing on a line that moves fast and loves crafty plays. Pearce will be looking to continue where he left off last year, scoring 20 points with a team-leading 16.36 shooting percentage. To complete this line, the exciting rookie Kian Hamilton Jr. looks to be making his debut with two wingers as motivated as he is. Hamilton Jr.'s playmaking skills will be a fit to an offensive-minded line.

Line 3
The third line is filled with rookies, who proved in the preseason they have what it takes to make the most of their ice time. Pontecorvo shined in the preseason, skating from end-to-end, showing little to no signs of fatigue and fighting for the puck. Huff's two-way forward was present to make sure this line had a neutral plus-minus, one of the bets of the team in preseason. And last but not least, the incredible performance of Vlastislav Malik, the 6'5'' strong winger, who led the team with 3 goals and a staggering 37.5% shooting percentage, this line will be an interesting one to follow in S56.

Line 4
Last, but not least, the 4th line will see the action of 3 veterans who aim to give every ounce of hockey in them left to help the team. Only Grabeklis played last season, accumulating 7 points, he will surely be looking for redemption this season.

Knights

DEFENSE

      LD             RD
Line 1 (S55) Teddy Park           (S55) Chris Goodname
Line 2 (S55) Fleetway Super Sonic (S56) Mikhael Petrov
Line 3 (S55) Cam Nosreh          (S54) Devin Williams

Line 1
Park and Goodname will be the veterans leading the defense in this young team. Both are playing in what will be their third season. Park is coming back from a 24 points season, and Goodname after a season marked by an amazing +25 on the ice. No strangers to Kelowna's fans, they both will bear the responsibility of defending the goalie this season.

Line 2
Fleetway Super Sonic, of the infamous S55 batch, will be sharing his defensive responsibilities with Petrov, who will be playing his 2nd season. Super Sonic comes back from a 22 points, +20 season, where he showed he could handle his own on the ice. His presence will be sure to inspire Petrov, who will have the opportunity to play a greater role in the defense and showcase his versatile skills.

Line 3
Lastly, the third defensive line will be occupied by Nosreh and Williams. Both veterans will be able to lead the young offense, as Williams showcased an outstanding 25 points last season, and Nosreh will be looking to take a new role defensively from his past offensive role.

Knights

GOALIES

Starter (S55) Peter Ramsey
Backup (S56) Damien Vertigo
Backup #2 (S54) Brayden Ennis

Goalies
Ramsey comes back as starter after a great season last year, posting a 2.48 GAA and playing for the Knights on 42 games. Vertigo will be looking to help with the load, determined to take a bigger role on the team, after he showed last year a great stat sheet of 5 wins, 1 loss.

Takeaway

Overall, the Knights team is a team that welcomes many new faces, but the new opportunities they provide will be interesting to see. Cian McFelter is also expected to join the team on the beginning of the season, he showed great chemistry in practice with Brennan Huff and Vlastislav Masik, they seem to be commonly known as "The Triplets" when seen on the ice. @Katth and @Naosu have accomplished a lot in the offseason and put in place a team showing great promise and versatility.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR S56 KELOWNA KNIGHTS Knights

*takethehorizon* · 09-28-2020, 09:35 AM

LETS GO KNIGHTS Knights

**leafs1997** · 09-28-2020, 10:59 AM

"The Triplets" Ilike

Go Knights! Knights

***trashae*** · 09-28-2020, 05:48 PM

KNOOOOOOOOOTS Knights

Also whoever decided not to give Mcfelter ice time in the preseason is stupid and the triplets are the bestlets

**leafs1997** · 09-28-2020, 06:21 PM

09-28-2020, 05:48 PMtrashae Wrote: KNOOOOOOOOOTS

Also whoever decided not to give Mcfelter ice time in the preseason is stupid and the triplets are the bestlets

Facts

*Katth* · 09-29-2020, 03:55 AM

S50 Challenge Cup Finals Game 7
[Image: gNFVjT6.png]

efiug · 09-29-2020, 03:56 AM

the knights are crazy. way too stacked to end this season empty handed.

Titan · 09-29-2020, 09:12 PM

09-28-2020, 05:48 PMtrashae Wrote: KNOOOOOOOOOTS

Also whoever decided not to give Mcfelter ice time in the preseason is stupid and the triplets are the bestlets

I'm sure he was just drunk and trying his best.

Go Knights

Go!

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