On paper, Detroit has in my opinion one of the best defensive core in the SMJHL. The team didn't select a single d-man from the latest junior draft, which means they already have in place a veteran group with a lot of chemistry. Young defensemen are prone to make more mistakes, this won't be a problem for the Falcons this year. With senior goaltender Valtteri Aaltohis between the pipes, Detroit should be at the top when it comes to GAA. They say defense wins championship, well this team will hope it's true as they don't have the offensive firepower of some of the better teams in the SMJHL. Expect a lot of close low scoring games. Let's take a closer look at these individuals.

This squad is led by one if not the best junior player in Evangelos Giannopoulos. Giannopoulos is playing his last season as he will be call up by Hamilton next year. If the Steelhawks weren't so deep, there's no doubt he would be playing in the SHL this year. Detroit is lucky to have an SHL ready d-man in their ranks and look for him to be in discussions for the Quilha Agante /Ideen Fallah trophies. The team can also count on who many scouts consider a generational talent in Luc Blouin. The sophomore two-way defenseman was selected #1 overall in the SHL after a terrific rookie campaign. He's next in line to be the leader on this blueline and with his leadership ability the team is definitely in good hands. Behind these two pillars, Detroit can rely on Wen Baters, Bjorn Thornsen and jimmy nutcluster to solidify their depth. It's a luxury to have one of them playing on the third d-pair as on most junior teams they would all be featured in the top 4. Baters and Thornsen provide the offense while nutcluster is your typical reliable defensive defenseman. These 3 players might not be the biggest names but Detroit fans know how important they are for their team. For the last spot, the Falcons has been slotting Čeněk Iqbal. Drafted as a winger, an unfortunate injury has slow down his development. Iqbal was seen as a defensive minded forward so the transition could work out. Ultimately, the team is hoping that the other 5 members can carry the load and he can hold his own in limited minutes.

Don't be surprise at the trade deadline for the team to make a move to remediate the situation. Detroit has a surplus of centers and with a strong s56 group, they will want to compete for the Four Stars Cup. Having someone playing out of position could be the difference between a long run and an early elimination. nour was the assistant GM when Detroit won it in s53. Back then, they relied a lot on their top forward line of Kekkonen-Williams-Labovitch to dominate the regular season and playoffs. It will be interesting to see if Detroit can emulate that success in s58 but this time around relying on their defense.

APPROVED +5 TPE @gaby