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zbelanger · 07-28-2016, 02:27 PM

The Detroit Falcons have released the roster that they will be dressing during the preseason. Let’s take a look at who will be lacing up the skates in their quest to bring a championship to Detroit.

Line 1:
Nucky Toohoots – Hans Moleman – Alex Berkis
Without surprise, the Falcons have decided to lineup up their most experienced players together. All of these players have already developed with the organization for a year and understand the system put in place. Nucky brings his 6’5 frame and will have his presence felt at both ends of the ice. Being paired with a playmaker and sniper, he will have to carry the load in the defensive end. Also look for him to be the one digging the pucks out of the corners while Berkis lines up in the slot waiting for that one timer. Berkis offers much more than just scoring to this line, he offers his tremendous puck handling abilities and his presence alone will open up room for his teammates to shine. Berkis finished last season with 21 goals and will be looking to improve on his tremendous season. Finally we have Hans Moleman who is the little man on this line. Skating alongside 2 giants, don’t be fooled by his smaller stature as he will be able to skate circles around opponents and find the open man. Moleman had an impressive season last season assisting on 31 goals, which was good for second in the league. Overall this line is well rounded and opponents will have to match their best defenders against them.
[Image: latvian.jpg]

Line 2:
Wiljian Zjang – Rising Hippo – Kaspars Berzins
The second line is a mix of 2 veterans and a rookie. Wiljian Zjang is the center that snipers dream of having. 6’3 and his main skill is passing the puck. Zjang find a way to get the puck through traffic and onto your stick when you don’t expect it. Zjang will be playing an important role this season as his is slated to be on the second unit of both the penalty kill and the powerplay. Zjang also won an impressive 55.41% of his faceoffs last season. Hippo is going to be doing the majority of the dirty work for this line. Being a power forward, you can expect him to be the agitator and soften up the enemies by the end of the night. He will continue to tire opponents down by laying the body and protecting the puck in the corners. Hippo will look to play a bigger role this season as he is slotted on the second line. Furthermore he will be expected to carry the load on defense as he is the most responsible on this line. Finally we have Kaspars Berzins, the rookie. Berzins was selected 34th overall and will be looking to make an impact right away. He is a similar player to Berkis, both 6’4 snipers from Latvia. Berzins will be the one his linemates look to, to put the puck in the net. He will be lining up in the slot and in prime scoring chances to use his impressive wrister and find the back of the net. Not only can he score, but he also uses his stick handling ability to maneuver around the ice and create lanes for his linemates. Watch out for this line as they will most likely be paired against second pairing defensemen, that’s a scary thought.
[Image: Patrik-Laine.jpg]

Line 3:
Victor Nerokov – Cikgnar Konstantinov –Zach Evans
Now we reach our first full rookie line. Although this line is inexperienced, that is not something that the coach should be worried about when putting them out on the ice. Nerokov and Konstantinov have shown to be some of the most responsible players on the ice. Both of these players excel at both ends of the ice and will be leaned on to shut down the other team’s lines. They will take time to develop and expect good things from them. The third member on this line is rookie sniper Zach Evans. He was selected 25th overall and will be looking to carry the load on offense for this line. The good thing about being paired with 2 two-way forwards is Evans can focus on what hes good at, scoring goals. His teammates will be the ones defending the rush and backchecking and once they get the puck, look for Zach to be bolting down the wing ready to fire his laser of a shot.
[Image: Patrice%20Bergeron%202.0.jpg]

Line 4:
Alexander Odegaard - Alex Kepka - Jaime Bennitez
This is an interesting 4th line that the Falcons have decided to put together, as it is not your typical grinding 4th line. It is clear that the Falcons are focused on scoring goals and have decided to put sniper Alexander Odegaard to help achieve this goal. From Norway, he is a 6’2 sniper who will be playing in his second season. Look for him to dangle around his 4th line counterparts. Kepka and Bennitez will help out in the defensive zone and will primarily be responsible for shutting down and grinding the other teams bottom line. Although this line may not see the most icetime, look for them to still contribute and take advantage of every opportunity they get to show their skill.
[Image: Dale_Weise_-_Montreal_Canadiens.jpg]

[Image: Dale_Weise_-_Montreal_Canadiens.jpg]

D Pairing 1:
Prince Daniel James – Jari Sinikka
All I can say is wow. This is looks to be one of the top pairings in the league. Prince Daniel James is a returning player who will look to build off his impressive rookie season. As a two-way defenseman he notched 34 assists, which was good enough for 1st in the league. Not only is he a threat on offense, he will shut down the oppositions top line with ease. James will also look at taking a leadership role this year as he is experienced and will be a mentor to fellow partner Jari Sinikka. Sinikka was the 3rd overall pick in the draft and therefore was immediately slotted on the first pairing. At 6’3, he is one of the smoothest skating defenseman in the draft. Don’t look for him to be laying the body around, but instead to be leading the breakouts for prime scoring chances. This pairing will be put on the ice for all situations and don’t be surprised if both of them end up in the top 5 for assists.
[Image: 464566652.jpg]

D Pairing 2:
Alexis Metzler – Marc Leclerc
Although its hard to compare to the first pairing, Metzler and Leclerc are a pretty good consolation prize. Entering their first seasons, they hope to have an instant impact with the team. Metzler will be looking to lead the rush and go for those long stretch passes to the forwards in order to create prime scoring chances. Not only is he an offensive defenseman, he also prides himself on his defensive skill, which is something you don’t see often for offensive guys. Leclerc on the other hand will be looking to be the fallback guy incase Metzler gets out of position or if the puck is turned over. You will always find him as the first guy back. Don’t be fooled by his smallish stature at 6’1, he will be looking to rough the other team up and Leclerc is one guy you don’t want to annoy. These rookies have promising futures and look for them to have a big season.
[Image: bouillon.jpg]

D Pairing 3:
Edvins Berzins – Erik Muller
Just when you think you have run out of troubles, Berzins and Muller jump on the ice and you immediately regret your life. Interestingly, Detroit has opted to put both their returning defenseman together on the third pairing. Their experience will show as they will be dominating opponents with less experience of the lower offensive lines. Furthermore, both Berzins and Muller are offensive defenseman, and look for them to be constantly joining the rush to help out the third and forth line get some offense going. This is an interesting strategy that will either make or break this pairing. If they can produce on offense, that can easily prove to be vital to Detroit and might push them over the top.
[Image: morgan_rielly_toronto_020814.jpg]

[Image: morgan_rielly_toronto_020814.jpg]

D Pairing 4:
Alec Derin - Chadathy Brodangleschlong
All I can say is, have fun playing against these guys, you better have a stretcher waiting on the side. At 6’6 and 6’7 Alec and Chadathy will be looking at every opportunity to lay out opponents. These guys will be put on the ice to hurt opponents and rough them up. Not prime candidates to be put on when scoring is needed, look for them to help boost the momentum with a fight or 2 during the game.
[Image: john-scott-0131.JPG]

Goalies:
Detroit is pretty solid in net this year with returning goalie Sivy McSieve manning the pipes. Look for him to make the crucial saves when the team needs him. Backing him up will be Jeremy Anderson, who is a recent recruit to the Falcons. Although you can expect McSieve to get the majority of the starts, Anderson will look to be the best he can when called upon and he will develop nicely as he will most likely be the prime candidate to start for Detroit next season.
[Image: bobrovsky_DL_061513.jpg]

Overall, this is looking like a promising lineup for Detroit with a mix of young hungry rookies and seasoned veterans, expect big things from them Falcons

1556 words

dankoa · 07-28-2016, 02:37 PM

Wow, seriously awesome work here man! Falcons

Kesler17 · 07-28-2016, 10:53 PM

good stuff my mans

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