Hey folks, Flash here. Really want some cash in the bank, so I’ve decided to try and do some lengthy articles. The first one, I’m going to have a look at each SHL team, and look at their current rostered players and maybe some prospects, and try and assess their future and maybe give a prediction/outlook for where I see them in the next few seasons. I of course, am no expert, and ask that no one take these seriously or get insulted if I say your team’s future has about as much potential as an ice cube in July or if I mention someone whose recently retired or something and I missed it.





The Inferno are coming off of their best season since being introduced to the league in Season 57. Eclipsing the 40 win mark for the first time in franchise history, led by 37 goals from their shiny new toy Burlok Sulfurgold. Their roster does feature three of the dying breed known as “players from the 40’s”, so they’ll lose a bit of bottom depth when those three are hit by regression this off season. They’ll have six total players being affected by regression this off season, including top defenceman Michael Withecheck, who sits at nearly 2100 TPE. Withecheck and Sulfurgold are the only two real impactful guys who will get dinged, the rest of the team looks to be in great shape to surpass the 41 wins they had this year, especially with a few of the higher end teams taking a step back next season.

Five year outlook: The future’s bright in Atlanta. This season was just the beginning. I don’t think they hit their ceiling for another 2-3 seasons, and they’ll stay at the top into the 70’s. I definitely give them a high likelihood of a cup in the next five seasons.



Baltimore has been one of the top teams in the league since Season 60, but just haven’t been able to get it done. Could this be the year? Maybe! A quick look at their roster tells you why these guys have been one of the most dominant teams of the 60’s. They boast two players over the 2k mark (Jones and Raiden), and a few players that aren’t far off. The only issue I see with them (and I’m sure this is a pattern among the top teams) is that they have 13 players who will be effected by regression this off season. Obviously not a death sentence for S65 or anything, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on over the next few seasons. Their high end players are S55 or 56 (except Duncan who is a 53), so the impact will be minimal at first, but that slow (not as slow now due to the new scale) fall into the twilight of these player’s careers.

Five year outlook: I don’t see Baltimore going away anytime soon. Their top players will be able to stay ahead of regression for two to three seasons or so, and even after that they’ll still be very high end, impactful players. This is a team who’s hungry for a title, and I think they do manage to get at LEAST one. Could they be the new Hamilton? The Steelhawks only just had their first sub 40 win season (adjusted for seasons where 50 games were played) in TWELVE seasons. They keep their 55-58 core together, and I could easily see them being a force even beyond the next five seasons.



Our first of the teams that I’d consider “dynasties” throughout the 50’s/60’s. Two titles to their name, including three consecutive appearances in 58/59/60, they’ve done a great job staying relevant. They haven’t finished outside of the top five in eleven seasons, quite an impressive feat. It looked like they’d finally take a step back when they came 8th in S63, but had a bounce back season in 64. With ten players in regression next season, and a few of those being early 50’s, there’s a chance they take a step back. That being said, they have a fair amount of players in that 53-56 range who will be able to hold on. As well, they have a pretty solid group of 58-61 players who could definitely sustain the team and at the very least, keep them competitive when the time comes for the players from those late 50’s teams to pass the torch.

Five year outlook: A bit of a tough one to call. If their group of younger players keep earning well, I see a reality where Buffalo doesn’t really miss a beat, and they stay on top. But it’ll be hard to live up to how good those players from their championship contending seasons were. All in all, I don’t see the Stampede fading into the lottery or anything like that anytime soon. They did a great job at rebuilding on the fly and acquiring players to keep them relevant for seasons to come. I’d say they don’t return to those glory days, but they definitely remain a team in the 5-10 range, standings wise.



Ahh, Hamilton. As I talked about in the Baltimore section, these guys have been downright dominate. I don’t know the whole history of the league, but 5 titles in 12 seasons has to put you up there with the best stretches of hockey ever to be played in the SHL. But all good things must come to an end, right? Coming in tenth this season, Hamilton struggled to keep the puck out of the net, allowing 221 goals. That’s by far the most they’ve allowed during their epic run. Season 47 greats, Theo Morgan and Aaron Wilson, are still around but will again take a massive blow this off season. Their entire team, save for three players that are young but only in the 600-700 range for TPE, will be hit by regression this off season. This includes their top players such as van der Heijden and Hammarberg, who will take 18% and 15% knocks respectively.

Five year outlook: It was a good run. Looking at their roster, they do have a few solid players in the 55+ range, but I don’t think they have enough to allow a smooth transition into another stretch that’s even remotely close to what they once were. I think they remain around the point they finished this season for a few more seasons, before potentially having to do a full rebuild and start fresh.


The Broadway Bulls have been a constant among the teams who call the basement of the league home for multiple seasons now. They’ve found themselves in the bottom three teams for the past six seasons now. Surely this means they at least were able to secure some solid prospects with those lotto picks? Let’s have a look at their squad! Starting at the bottom, the Rage seem to be in decent shape as far as regression is concerned, only having five players eligible for losing some TPE this offseason. Only a few of these are of any concern to the Rage’s success. Long-time starting goalie Name Redacted is a S54 who will lose about 230 TPE. He’ll still be solid for them, but the team will want to begin planning for the next person up in goal. Jed Mosley Jr. is the other player of significance taking a hit. The minutes eating defender…oh wait! Just noticing he’s retiring after this season! So scratch that! I’m keeping the words though! That’s a big loss to Manhattan. Mosley was a rock back there for them, playing in all situations. He was their top defender, so it’ll be a hard hole to fill. Juni Panda...let me check…okay, not retiring, is the only other active in regression. He’s fallen off a bit from his 500+ hit days, but still a hit (pun ALWAYS intended) to the team’s bottom depth. Moving up to the team’s younger players, Lind, Granstrom, Speedwagon, and Davies are a formidable foursome up front who still have some seasons to go before they reach their peak TPE. Pengu and Majestik Moose are both S61 defensemen who are over the 1K mark. These two should be the top pair for the Rage for many seasons to come. Prospect wise, the team has three that stick out to me. Aittokallio, Larsson, and Fiske are S62 forwards who are in the 800-900 range. They should all be able to make the jump with around 1K TPE and contribute right away on a team that’s starving for depth.

Five year outlook: Things should improve in Manhattan. They’ve got some decent prospects and some solid young players already on the team. The only thing sticking out for me is that they don’t have a young goalie coming up. Two in their prospect pool, but they aren’t hard-core earners so it’s unclear what impact they’ll have. Easier said than done, but with the top pick in the S65 draft, perhaps they’ll be able to land an active goalie for their future at some point.

The newest team in the league, Montreal actually made the playoffs this season for the first time in franchise history. That only means I’ll be harder on them, we’ll see if it was a fluke or not. The team has nine players eligible for regression this offseason. Of this nine though, only star forward Kriss Darzins (S53, 1535 TPE) and goalie Damien Vertigo (S56, 1062 TPE) are active and relevant to the team’s success. This, of course, isn’t optimal as the team’s starting goalie will dip below the 1K mark, and their top scorer will take a dip as well. Other than Darzins, the team only will have three forwards over the 1K mark after regression. Petrov is a solid S57 piece, at just under 1200. Banes is a S60 who’s at 1182, and along with Jay Cue, a S61 center at 1082, he’ll be counted on to lead the team offensively as they attempt to return to the postseason. Hagan and Wilson are two stud earning S60 defencemen who already form the team’s top pairing. Unfortunately the team lost former S61 top pick Leons Briedis to inactivity, he was on pace to be a massive contributor as well. Prospect wise, the Pats do have some solid pieces. Brick Wall made his SHL debut in goal for them this season as a backup call-up, and did well. Closing in on 900 TPE, he’s near the top of his class and will likely split starts with Vertigo next season before taking the reins in S66. Alexander Mackenzie and Connor O’Bryne are S62 forwards nearing 800 TPE and they should fit in soon with the club. Askerov is a S62 as well, a defender whose just sub 800. All three of these players should see big roles on the team by S66. They’ve also got some solid S64 prospects, three of the top fifteen actually, so their cupboard is stocked nicely.

Five year outlook: I actually like Montreal in five seasons. A goalie who’s super active and could become the best in the league, a couple of decent pieces on the team already and some other nice prospects coming soon. I don’t know if they’re a contender come the 70’s, but I do think they’re much further from the basement than they are now.



Woof. The word used to describe Buzz’s girlfriend and also the current state of New England’s roster. 11 players in regression, four of whom are relics from the 40’s. Their best player (and only active forward over 1K TPE) is Slap McShotty, a 1310 TPE center who (by my math, don’t check it) is about to lose 292 TPE, putting him barely over 1K. He’s also a S47 so can’t really be thought of as a piece of the future. Sven Yxskaft is above and beyond their top player, a defenceman who has 1853 TPE, he’ll lose a bit in regression but will still have a huge impact. Leonids Balzams is a 55 with nearly 1200 TPE, but has gone IA. Jakobsen and Tsunami are two 58’s who would have been key parts of the team’s future, but have also dropped off the map. Losing these three players (well, their ability to improve anyway) is a definite blow to the club. The team does have some decent 58-60 players who aren’t top earners, but could become decent depth pieces. Prospect wise, they have a few that stand out. Paul Koivu is 9th in his class, and will likely be up next season and will very quickly be the top active forward on the team. S63 goalie Evert Jansson is the top goalie in his class. He's just over 500 TPE, but the team’s current starter is actually only at 657 TPE and will regress this off season, so Jansson could see his role expand beyond a call-up very soon. Moritz Seider and Outdoor Truck are 4th and 13th in the S64 class respectively, and will both be welcome additions when their time comes.

Five year outlook: So this is actually more complicated than it looks on the surface. New England currently doesn’t have a single forward signed for next season (at least according to their current budget) and only three of six defencemen, including the team’s top player Sven Yxskaft. I’m assuming they will bring some people back, but there is a world where they could use their tons of cap space to re tool and scoop up some free agents. Combine that with a few of their IA players who are pretty solid, some decent prospects coming up, they might be okay. But it all hinges on how they handle their contracts and who comes back and who doesn’t. I’m going to lean to them still being near the lotto come S70.


The second of two S60 expansion teams, the Forge have actually made the playoffs every season since their inception. Ten players in regression, and their top players to boot, but it’s not a bad situation here on first look. Only a few players from 50/51 that will be affected by regression in a big way. The majority of their top players are from 54/55 and won’t be too hurt and should be able to keep up. Outside of regression, their younger players are solid too. S60 forward Evil AllBran leads the way at 1296 TPE. Ric Charlesworth has 999 TPE, and is a 58. 61’s Hans Graf and Conner Snooks sit around the 1K mark as well, so will become big contributors to the team in the coming seasons. Lenny Hawk and San-Sam Emerson are S62 and 63 D men who will develop nicely. Emerson is actually running away with the lead in the S63 class, so a future #1 for the Forge there. Their prospect pool is shallow, with GM player Red Kirkby being the only player worth mentioning.

Five year outlook: Status quo for the Forge. I like some of their young players, and their “older” players aren’t so old to say they’ll be irrelevant. Both of their goalies are slightly into regression, so they’ll need to figure that out and pair a solid earner to go with their young group of studs. I see them remaining a playoff team, but maybe not being among the top of the pile.



Oooooh, Barracuda. Like the song? No? Okay. Tampa’s been a solid team inside the top ten for a few seasons now. First look at their team tells me their solid all throughout. Only team thus far without a player under 1K (Kryyst not included, he barely exists in the sim at 177). 13 players in regression though isn’t ideal, though only a few will be altered too much. Not much to say about these guys, even their 58/59 players are top earners. They’re pretty well set up for seasons to come. They even have a few solid prospects. S63 forward Lesgo Brandon is among the top in his class, and S64 skaters Lord Zomp and Holden Steady are among the best from their respective class.

Five year outlook: Really don’t see Tampa going anywhere. I think they’ve got the depth, and a few solid prospects coming to offset any loses of their older players, to sustain success for several seasons. Good chance their non-regression guys improve enough to push them over the hump and maybe even get them a title. I love the makeup of this team, and I’d be thrilled to be a member of the good times ahead in Tampa.



Last, but not quite least, in the Eastern Conference edition of whatever I’m calling this, is the North Stars! Toronto really struggled back in the early 50’s built a nice team, had some success towards the later end of the 50’s, but have since crashed back down to Earth. Finishing in third last this past season, Toronto seems to have re-entered the rebuild phase. Nick Brain, Jimmy Slothface and Hugh Jazz have retired, three legends of the 40’s gone to the great simulation hockey league in the sky. After that, they only have seven players in regression. One is their long time starter Harry Carpet, who took over the gig way back in season 49. He’ll take a good shot to his totals, and this could be the final year of Carpet. They have Yanno Rosejac, though his quick advancing career was unfortunately cut short by inactivity. The team also has some solid inactives in Richard, Byovechkin and Zoidberg III, but they’ll be regressing and falling to a point of sub after this round of regression. Moving up the roster, Dogwood Maple is a S58 forward who’s going to come close to hitting 2K before regressing. Along with Maple, Duffy Jr, Larkin-Conway and Ty Murphy form a nice foundation for the future. The team has some solid prospects, none that jump off the page as making an impact in the next few seasons, but some nice players from 64 that could be up and make a difference if they keep earning.

Five year outlook: Things could get worse before they get better. Looking at what they had last year versus what they’ll have this year. They’ll lose some vets to retirement. Yeah they were practically dinosaurs, but they were all still good depth players over 1K TPE. Their goalie will take a big dip in TPE this off season, and they don’t have an immediate successor. Couple of mid 50’s guys who are solid IA depth right now, they’re taking a loss too. Of course, the team’s young players are going to continue to improve, and prospects will fill spots. But looking at what they’re losing, the near future could be very similar to the results they had this season. I like their young core though, and I’m sure near the end of the next five seasons, they’re trending upwards.


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