MAURICE RICHARD DIVISION
========================
WATERLOO HITMEN
===============
LEAGUE RECORD: 36-32-6
LEADING SCORER: John LeClair 55-26-81
TEAM MVP: John LeClair
The Hitmen will be back with vengence this season. After being a dominate team
for years last season they missed the playoffs. GM Jason Stumpf was none to
pleased with this while many GM's in the WLUHL got off on it. This season look
for a much more focused and determined team and GM. John LeClair, Pierre
Turgeon, Al MacInnis and Patrick Roy will once again play big parts on this
team. The three players will be producing alot of offense while Patrick Roy will
be doing what he does best. Roy will have some good help with Scott Stevens,
Lyle Odelien on defense and defensive specialist Saku Koivu and German Titov up
front. Oh yea, they still have some major big boys in Donald Brashear, Craig
Berube, Krystof Oliwa and Jim Cummins. So not only will this score they will
once again boast a group of tough guys who will no doubt do the bidding of a
sometimes sick individual. Look for a much improve and more powerful Hitmen team
this season.
PREDICTION: 2nd in their division
================================================================================
KITCHENER TERRIERS
==================
LEAGUE RECORD: 50-18-6
LEADING SCORER: Dimitri Khristich 55-47-102
TEAM MVP: Dimitri Khristich
The Terriers tore up the league last season posting the league's second best
record. Khristich, of course, was a big reason why as was the $10 million man
Stu Barnes who ended with 99 points. There is no Barnes this season (Who can
blame them. The guy wanted $18 million a season.) but they still have plenty of
fire power, with Mike Modano, Sergei Federov, Martin Gelinas and Michel Grosek.
They are a little thin, depth wise, up front but that could easily be taken care
of. Where this team excels is on defense and in net. With Chris Pronger, Niklas
Lidstrom, Adam Foote, Boris Mironov and Kyle McLaren on defense they will not
only make it hard for other teams to score they have alot of offensive firepower
as well. Goaltending is no proplem with "Cujo" and Guy Hebert. They both are
bonafide number ones and either one could be traded for a some depth up front.
Look for another banner year for the Terriers.
PREDICTION: 1st in their division (1st in the Canadien Conference)
================================================================================
PINKERTON PYLONS
================
LEAGUE RECORD: 38-29-7
LEADING SCORER: Steve Yzerman 24-45-69
TEAM MVP: Steve Yzerman
The Pylons are not an overpowering team. Pavol Demitra, Steve Yzerman and
Brendan Shanaham make up this team. This team does have some youth to work with
which will make this team a good team in the next few years. Lubos Bartecko,
Brian Savage, Tomas Kaberle, Chris Phillips, Jamie Rivers and Darren Van Impe
are the future of this team but are just not ready for stardom just yet. Where
they are really at a loss is in goal. Tom Barrasso comes in as the number one
goalie with Jamie McLennan and Dwayne Roloson as back ups. This team should
steal a few games and if Barrasso can stand on his a head for a few more they
could end up with a respectable record. The only thing that hurts is that they
are in the same division as the Hitmen and the Terriers.
PREDICTION: Third in their division
================================================================================
WINDSOR WILDCATS
================
LEAGUE RECORD: N/A
LEADING SCORER: N/A
TEAM MVP: N/A
Windsor comes in as an expansion team. They didn't have much to work with and
still don't have much to work with. Jeff O'Neill and Doug Weight will be the
backbone to this team as well as goalie Olaf Kolzig. There isn't alot of
firepower and no bonafide superstar. With patience this team will be very good
in a few years. P.J. Axelsson, Jay Pandolfo, Alexei Selivanov, Milan Hejduk and
Eric Brewer are the young guys they have now not withstanding the picks they
have as well. A big question will be asked all season long. Will the Wildcats
keep there youth and build for the future or will they go for the big time and
trade their youth for a more vetern, experienced team?? If they wait a long
season is ahead. If not they could build a solid team and make a go for a deep
playoff run.
PREDICTION: 4th in their division
================================================================================
JACQUES PLANTE DIVISION
=======================
HULL GOAL BUSTERS
=================
LEAGUE RECORD: 36-31-7
LEADING SCORER: Rod Brind'Amour 40-34-74
TEAM MVP: Rod Brind'Amour
Last season Hull play in the most competitive division in the WLUHL. In any
other division they would have been third and second in a couple others. They
have a core of vetern players led by Rod Brind'Amour. With the supporting cast
of Adam Oates, Jozef Stumpel, Jere Lehtinen, Nicklas Sundstrom, Bill Guerin,
Brian Rolston, Hull has some depth and has a good mixture of scorers, passers
and two-way players. They lack a little on defense with only Brian Leetch and
Eric Desjardins are the main men. The rest are just fillers and nobodys. In goal
they will have Jeff Hackett as there number one man. Grant Fuhr and Jamie Storr
will be the back-ups but look for Storr to see quite a bit of ice time as he
prepares himself for a possible starting roll in the next couple of seasons.
PREDICTION: 3rd in their division
================================================================================
QUABBIN CRUNCH
==============
LEAGUE RECORD: 43-28-3
LEADING SCORER: Mark Messier 26-44-70
TEAM MVP: Bobby Holik
The Crunch had a great team last season and added to it this season. Eric
Lindros should no doubt lead this team in scoring. Messier still has at least
one season left in his body so his leadership skill will be very important.
Beyond those two they don't have anymore superstars but plenty of better than
average players. Magnus Arvedson, Owen Nolan and Marian Hossa should make big
strides in the next couple of seasons. They should be able to compliment the top
two centers nicely. There defense isn't so much bad just old. Led by Ray
Bourque, Calle Johansson and Jeff Norton they will have plenty of smart
defensive Dmen as well as guys who are able to put some points on the board.
With their vetern defensive unit Chris Osgood should excel in net. He will see
alot of time between the pipes and if he can keep his mental state sharp should
be one of the league's best goalies.
PREDICTION: 1st in their division
================================================================================
QUEBEC KNIGHTS
==============
LEAGUE RECORD: 21-46-7
LEADING SCORER: Scott Niedermayer 12-44-56
TEAM MVP: Steve Rucchin
Somewhat of a dissapointing season last year for the Knights, they were a young
team and were just overmatched most of the season. But this year should be alot
different for them. They have alot of young guns of front, which a few are not
even to top form yet, who will lead this team for years to come. They have depth
enough for three good lines which should be able to match most of the teams.
Rucchin should lead the team again this season but with youngsters like Marleau,
Friesen, Samsonov and Dumont this team has alot to look forward to. Defense and
goaltending will be the most unstable part of the team. Not much depth there
with Mattias Norstrom and Scott Niedermayer the main two guys there isn't much
after that. With suspect defense goaltending will also be a problem with Trevor
Kidd as their number one goalie. With the looks of things all three goalies that
they have will see time between the pipes this season. They have the firepower
and depth up front to score alot of goals but will they be able to score enough
to counter-act the lack of defense and a number one goalie??
PREDICITION: 2nd in their division
================================================================================
MISSAUGA MEATHEADS
==================
LEAGUE RECORD: 43-26-5
LEADING SCORER: Wayne Gretzky 21-64-85
TEAM MVP: Wayne Gretzky
This being the final season for Wayne Gretzky the Meatheads would love a repeat
performance of last season. But that doesn't seem to be entirely likely. Gretzky
has lost a couple of steps which gives Jeremy Roenick the number one slot and
the man who must give the puck Paul Kariya. Kariya should be healthy most of the
season and will have to put up some big numbers for the Meatheads. Sami Kapanen
will see time on the first line and along with Roenick will be looking to get
the puck to Kariya. Defense as well is somewhat suspect. Rob Blake and Oleg
Tverdovsky will be the only offensive threats from the blueline. Ewe Krupp and
Richard Smehlik will help provide some defensive help. In goal John
Vanbiesbrouck will have the number one spot but with the lack of help on defense
he may have a tough time stopping all those shots.
PREDICTION: 4th in their division
================================================================================
JOHNNY BOWER DIVISION
=====================
CAPE BRETON SLASH
=================
LEAGUE RECORD: 40-30-4
LEADING SCORER: Shayne Corson 43-28-71
TEAM MVP: Shayne Corson
A few years back along with another team in the WLUHL (who I won't mention but
it was my team) was the laughing stock of the WLUHL but with patience and smart
GMing GM Danny MacLeod took the Slash from the burning barrel to the top of the
heap. After back to back great seasons will the Slash be just as good this
season?? YES!! They might not have quite the depth of some teams but with Joe
Sakic, Theo Fleury and Gary Roberts on the number one line depth won't always be
that important. The rest of the team are more defensive types of players but
will able to provide some adequate offense. Defense as well should be tops. They
don't have a top notch player like MacInnis, Pronger, Lidstrom but thye do have
smart, vetern players who can still play the game. Darryl Sydor, Eric Weinrich,
Kevin hatcher and Bill Houlder will round out the top four and will do the job
just nicely. Garth Snow has worked his way up to a number one starting spot and
with his feistiness will bring another element to this team.
PREDICITION: 1st in their divsion
==============================================================================
HALIFAX FORCE
=============
LEAGUE RECORD: 33-26-14
LEADING SCORER: Geoff Courtnall 45-34-89
TEAM MVP: Geoff Courtnall
The Force will have a tougher year this season. Ziggy Palffy is back and should
lead the team. They lost Geoff Courtnall which puts a whole lot of pressure on
Claude Lapointe to be the number one left winger which isn't where he should be.
Robert Reichel is slated for the number one center, but will he be able to
compliment Palffy??? Robert Svehla is the big gun on defense after that they
have more guys that should be fourth thru sixth on the depth chart instead of
2nd thru 4th. They have a solid tandum in Mike Richter and Mike Vernon between
the pipes and they are going to have to be perfect most of the season just so
the Force can stay in the games. They games will have to be low scoring for the
Force to have an opportunity to win. The only thing that will save the Force is
the other bad teams in this division.
PREDICTION: 2nd in their division
===============================================================================
MOOSE JAW MANGLERS
==================
LEAGUE RECORD: 23-45-6
LEADING SCORER: Jim Campbell 38-18-56
TEAM MVP: Jim Campbell
One word sums up the Manglers, YASHIN!!! Will that be enough?? Not even close.
They don't have any depth whatsoever. They have a little to work with but they
won't be top calibre players for another couple of seasons. Josh Holden, Jamie
Langenbrunner, Rico Fata, Wade Redden and Rhett Warrener are the future of this
team but will they be able to wait that long to have a winning season. Stephane
Fiset will be the number one goalie and will most likely see alot of pucks come
his way. Unless some major changes are made it will be a long season for the
Manglers.
PREDICTION: 3rd in their division
================================================================================
HALIFAX HACKSAWS
================
LEAGUE RECORD: 11-56-7
LEADING SCORER: Kevin Stevens 12-28-40
TEAM MVP: Kevin Stevens
The Hacksaws weren't much of team last season and most likely won't be this
season either but they are lucky enough to play in a poor division where they
have a shot at winning some games against the other teams except for the Slash.
Powerhouses they won't be but with some solid play should be able to improve on
last season's record. Ron Francis is the vetern and leader of the team but he
will have to do alot of leading for this team to go anyplace. Dimitri Yushkevich
leads the weak defense and will be pressured to do alot of work on both the
offensive side and defensive side. Ron Tugnutt is the only goalie (as of
pre-season) for the Hacksaws and will be pummeled by pucks. He will need to stay
very, very healthy and very, very sharp for this team to go anyplace.
PREDICTION: 4th in their division
================================================================================
HALIFAX WAVE RUNNERS
====================
LEAGUE RECORD: N/A
LEADING SCORER: N/A
TEAM MVP: N/A
What I want to know is how a city like Halifax can handle having three bad teams
in one place. I don't even think you could put all three teams together to come
up with a solid team to make the playoffs. Pavel Bure is the only player on this
team. There isn't much else to say except unless they trade Bure for a ton of
picks and young players this team won't be competitive for another 10 years.
PREDICTION: 5th in their division
==================================================================================
THE AMERICAN CONFERENCE:
========================
With new division names and with a new divisional alignment, we
all would figure that we would be looking at a brand spanking new
American Conference, however, after all the dust settles, there
won't be much different then what we saw last year.
CALIFORNIA DIVISION:
====================
California SEA LIONS
--------------------
League Standings: No Record
Teams Leading Scorer: No Record
Teams MVP: No Record
The California Sea Lions are an expansion team this and are looking
heavily too center Peter Forsberg to lead the team. Will the Sea Lions
have what it takes to put up some big numbers and resemble the success
that the expansion Voodoo had last year? The Sea Lions have a half decent
supporting cast with Igor Larionov, Chris Drury, Andreas Johansson and
Rick Tocchet up front. However, it seems to me that the scoring part
will not be a problem for the Sea Lions, their problem lies in their
own end. With a defence consisting of only 6 men, there will for sure
be injury problems on the Sea Lions defence. As well, with Tyler Moss
and Dominic Roussel as the teams #1 and #2 goalies, we can clearly
see that goaltending will be a problem with the expansion team. Unless
GM Richard Farley pulls off a couple deals in the near future, it could
be a long season for the Sea Lions.
Prediction: 3rd in their Division
------------------------------------------------------------------------
L.A. STORM BRINGERS
-------------------
League Standings: 33-32-9
Teams Leading Scorer: Jason Allison 34G 37A = 71 Points
Teams MVP: Sandis Ozolinsh
The Storm Bringers were the team on the move this year. After moving
out of the Canadian Conference and into the American Conference, the
Storm Bringers looked to bring a very erratic team into the playoffs.
Could they do it this season? The teams core is still pretty much in
tact with Jason Allison, Mike Johnson, Martin Straka, Derek King, Sandis
Ozolinsh and Janne Niinima looking to carry the team. However, the big
thing for the Storm Bringers has been the offseason aquisition of goaltender
Nikolai Khabibulin. "The Bulin Wall" will most definately make a difference
for the Storm Bringers, possibly elevating them to be one of the elite in
the WLUHL this season.
Prediction: 1st in their Division
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sierra SPIDERS
-------------------
League Standings: 22-43-9
Teams Leading Scorer: Tony Hrkac 35G 33A = 68 Points
Teams MVP: Tony Hrkac
Well, for the Spiders, they had two changes over the offseason.
Why or not these changes will help the team, that remains to be seen,
but the Spiders have changed divisions, entering now the California
Division getting ready to face some new challenges. The other big change
for the Spiders was the aquisition of defenceman Chris Chelios in the
Dispersal Draft from the Outsiders. Last year Chelios had only 1 goal
and 24 assists and if he expects to stick around long in Sierra, he will
have to put up a lot more then that.
Last year, after Tony Hrkac, the Spiders had absolutely nothing,
with the next closer guy 30 points. With Steve Thomas, Sergei Krivokrasov
and Chris Gratton looking to rebound this season and put up some big
numbers, there is some hope for the Spiers. However, if they look to put
together a better record then last year, the Spiders will have to concentrate
more on playing a defensive game as the team has a great core of defenceman
with Chris Chelios, Darius Kasparaitu, Keith Carney, Todd Simpson, Doug
Bodger and Mike Rathje. The team will also be able to rely upon goaltender
Jocelyn Thibault to hold them close in the games. With all that being said,
we still wonder if they have what it takes to take the teams play to the
next level, above .500?
Prediction: 4th in their Division
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shasta Resevoir DOGS
---------------------
League Standings: No Record
Teams Leading Scorer: No Record
Teams MVP: No Record
Well folks, as the above stats say, the Resevoir Dogs are set and ready to
play their first season in the WLUHL. However, this team will be no slouch.
GM Rob Shore spent some time over the offseason and during preseason to play
with the team and it looks to me as though he has put together a good group
of boys. Obviously with Jaromir Jagr at the Helm of the Dogs, the team will
be looking to put up a lot of points and goals throughout the season. But
we must look behind Jagr. After Jagr we see a heck of a good bunch of young
guys. With Marco Sturm and Vincent LeCavlier as the teams #1 and #2 centers,
Jagr will have absolutely no problem finding someone to give him the puck.
After Sturm and LeCavlier we are looking at Trevor Linden, Blair Atcheynum
and Vaclav Varada to fill out the top two lines.
The forward spots look pretty good, but the defence looks week, real
week. With a three some of Brathwaite, Cloutier and Weekes in net, we can
cleary see that the Dogs will need some immediate help on the blue line.
Those three goalies will be good in the future, but right now they sure
aren't any Dominic Hasek and with the amount of rubber flying their way,
they are going to have to be this season. With that being said, we are
going to be looking once again back to Jagr to lead the team, but we all
wonder if he will be able to duplicate or even beat the 21 goals and 39
assists that he grabbed last year with the Crunch? If the Dogs expect
to go anywhere, for the teams sake, Jagr better.
Prediction: 2nd in their Division
Chicago WINTER HAWKS
--------------------
League Record: 49-20-5
Leading Scorer: Mats Sundin 40g 78a = 118 Points
Team MVP: Mats Sundin
Well, the Hawks have been moved to a new division but folks, they
just ain't gonna be any changes in the way this team is going to be
playing this year. When we look at the core they got, heck, there
aren't too many teams that can compare to this. With Sundin, Keith
Tkachuk, Jason Arnott, Slava Kozlov, Peter Sykora, Ollie Jokkinen,
Steve Shields, Kenny Jonsson and Derek Morris, you have a good squad
fielded up and down the linup. You know that they are going to win
a bunch of games and they are going to be scoring a lot of goals,
something which they did a lot of last year.
What is their downfall? Well, the team does have a weakness, their
defence. Jonsson and Morris will be expected to carry the big part of
the load for the team. Behind them we will be looking closely at Hal
Gill, Karpotsev, Souray and Laflamme to play much better then what they
did last year. However, with all that the Ice Hawks have up front,
even the defence lets the opposition get 5 goals a game, the boys up
front are more then likely to be putting him 8. The Ice Hawks are just
going to be too much this year.
Prediction: 1st in their Division. 1ST OVERALL IN THE AMERICAN CONFERENCE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syracuse JUGHEADS
-----------------
League Record: 20-47-7
Leading Scorer: Sergei Zubov 5g 33a = 38 Points
Team MVP: Roman Hamrlik
When you look up and down the Jugheads roster, you see a team that
should be able to be one of the top teams in the league. However, as
history holds, the Jugheads over the past 3 seasons have had excellent
teams, but because of poor coaching, the team hasn't gone anywhere.
For the Jugheads, they have one of the best goalies in the game in
Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour. Besides him, the team has a solid defense
in Sergei Zubov, Roman Hamrlik, Ed Jovanovski, Sami Salo and Andrei
Zyuzin. Up front the team also has what it takes to put up the big
numbers with Rob Niedermayer, Jerome Iginla, Andrei Kovalenko,
Alexei Kovalev and Markus Naslund.
With that being said, the only real thing that the Jugheads
are missing are a good checking line to shut down the opposition.
However, as I see it, I don't really think they have to worry
too much about that. They will need Hamrlik and Zubov to have
repeat seasons and they will be expecting some big numbers out
of Naslund who scored 18 goals and 22 assists and Niedermayer
who had 14 goals and 19 assists.
Predicition: 2nd in their Division
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wisconsin MELTED ICE
--------------------
League Record: 19-47-8
Leading Scorer: Mathieu Schneider 11g 38a = 49 Points
Team MVP: Martin Brodeur
The Melted Ice were one of the other teams that changed divisions and
the change in divisions could be a sign of things to come. The Melted Ice
the past couple seasons have been a team that has struggled, however, it
looks as though this might be the year for the Ice to break through. With
the addition of Mike Peca to the team via the Dispersal draft, the Melted Ice
now have themselves a #1 center to play with speedy winger Sergei Berezin who
is looking to double, if not triple his totals of 12 goals and 18 assists of
last season. When we look to the defence we will be seeing Bryan Berard and
Mathieu Schneider logging the big chunks of ice time and leading the team
back on the blue line.
As we look up and down the lineup for the weak link, we most definately
do not see that in goal. With Martin Brodeur in goal, arguable the teams
MVP from last year, we will once again be seeing some spetacular play and
some teams becoming very frustrated. Even though the Melted Ice do not have
what it takes to be a top 5 teams in the WLUHL this year, the Melted Ice
have made some significant improvements over last year and we predict that
they will be looking at a .500 season this year.
Predicition: 3rd in their Division
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toledo FREEZE
-------------
League Record: 32-31-11
Leading Scorer: Keith Primeau 21g 41a = 62 Points
Team MVP: Peter Bondra - 41 Goals
Well the one time WLUHL Cup Champions are looking to try to find the magic
that brought them the cup a few years back, but we don't see them finding
it this year unless they are able to pull off some big deals. The team has a
good solid first line and a decent 2nd line. The first line will be lead by
Keith Primeau, Brett Hull and either Tony Amonte or 41 goal man Peter Bondra.
The 2nd line will have once again either Amonte or Bondra and Kozlov and
Greg Adams. The Freeze have two great lines which will hurt a lot of teams,
but after that they don't have a whole lot. The Freeze will have to watch
and make sure they don't over play their first two lines because if the injury
bug hits, the Freeze could be in big trouble.
Back in the teams own end, Tommy Salo will be between the pipes hoping to
keep the Freeze close, letting Hull, Amonte and Bondra fill the oppositions
net with pucks. In front of Salo we are looking at one of the toughest d-men
in the game, Derian Hatcher. Hatcher will be logging a huge amount of ice time
and he will most definately be crushing some bodies. Besides Hatcher, Dave
Manson and Bryan Marchment are looking to help solidify the teams defence.
After those 3, the team has some solid d-men which are able to play some great
hockey, but they are also able to bomb out pretty bad. For the Freeze, hopfully
they don't do that at all, or else the Freeze could be in some big trouble.
Predicition: 4th in their Division
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
Sioux City STORMERS
-------------------
League Record: 36-31-7
Leading Scorer: Glen Murray 30g 36a = 66 Points
Team MVP: Raymond Bourque
Well, it is really hard to tell what will happen with the Stormers this
season. On the outside, you see a pretty good team. They have Roman Turek in
net as the #1 and Sean Burke sitting on the bench as their #2 goalie, which
is a heck of a 1-2 tandem. In front of his we will be watching Bryan McCabe
and Teppo Numminen carry the majority of the load. However, the Stormers
have 5 other d-men also their to help them out, but some of those boys have
some high injury ratings, so the Stormers will have to make sure they don't
over play those boys or else it is going to be a long, really long season
for them, especially since All-Star defenceman Raymond Bourque is no longer
in Sioux City.
Up front we can see that the Stormers have some talent. Dougie Gilmour
and Joe Thornton will be the #1 and #2 centers for the Stormers leading the
attack with Wendle Clark and Miroslav Satan on the wings to help them fill
the nets. However, after that the Stormers really don't have a heck of a lot.
In a season that really seems to be a season of transition for the Stormers
will more then likely be a long season for management and fans. The Stormers
will put on a good show every now and then, but, unfortunately, I think on
most nights they will simply be over powered.
Predicition: 5th in their Division
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTHERN DIVISION
=================
St. George DRAGONS
------------------
League Record: 54-11-9 *** Prime Ministers and WLUHL Cup Winners ***
Leading Scorer: Joe Nieuwendyk 61g 53a = 114 Points
Team MVP: Dominik Hasek 1.97 GOA and .927 Save Percentage
Well, I really don't know what else to say then look at what they
did last year. The Dragons did it all folks, that's right. Jud Burkett
took the team through the entire regular season, dominating everyone
in his path. He then took the Dragons right into the post season and
brought home all the hardware there too. There really isn't any reason
to say that they won't do it all over again. The team is once again
being lead by one of the best goalies in the game, Dominik Hasek. With
the Dominator in net, the Dragons are going to be given a chance in
99% of the games to win. Hasek once again will have one of the best
defence in front of him with Mark Tinordi, Igor Kravchuk, Sylvain
Lefebvre and Phil Housley running the show in their own end.
As for putting puck into the other team's net, once again the
team will be looking to the Rocket Richard Winner for scoring the
most goals during the regular season, Joe Nieuwendyk. Nieuwendyke
won't be alone though with Alexei Zhamnov, Adam Graves and Mark
Recchi looking to pick up the slack too. The question which must
be asked is whether or not those guys, Graves, Zhamnov and
Recchi will be able to put up the numbers like they did last season?
As we look at the Dragons roster it looks good, real good, but for
some reason it just doesn't look at sweet as it did last year.
Most notably we can see the loss of center Trevor Linden.
Predicition: 2nd in their Division
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dixie Blackened VOODOO
----------------------
League Record: 48-23-3
Leading Scorer: Teemu Selanne 56g 28a = 84 Points
Team MVP: Byron Dafoe 2.24 GOA and .910 Save Percentage
Well, what can I say, I am jumping aboard the Voodoo band wagon.
The Voodoo shocked the entire WLUHL last year putting up one of the
best records in the WLUHL, need I also remind you that they were an
expansion team. The Voodoo were lead by goaltender Byran Dafoe who
really shocked the WLUHL playing like one of the best goalies in the
league. Dafoe stood on his head most nights and was the reason why
the Voodoo did so well. However, there is absolutely no reason to
believe that he won't do it again this season.
Besides Dafoe, the Voodoo are still a one line team, but that
one line, now with the aquisition of Vincent Damphousse, are even
more deadlier then they were before. With Damphousse at center and
Shawn McEachren on left wing, Teemu Selanne is looking to add to
his point total this year, possibly even hitting the 100 point mark.
Besides that first line, the Voodoo are pretty weak. They will have
to hope that Adam Deadmarsh, Pat Falloon and Scott Young have their
"A" game each and every night. The defense for the Voodoo will be
their big problem this year, but with Ulf Samuelson, Adrian Aucoin
and Larry Murphy hovering around the blue line, there is no reason
to beleive that they won't be able to do it all over again. Heck,
like I said before, the Voodoo band wagon is looking pretty sweet
again this year.
Predicition: Voodoo 1st in their Division. 2nd Overall in their Conference.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Birmingham ICE BARONS
---------------------
League Record: 39-28-7
Leading Scorer: Dean McAmmond 27g 33a = 60 Points
Team MVP: Arturs Irbe 2.36 GOA and .910 Save Percentage
Well, unfortunately for the Ice Barons, they were moved out from the
Bobby Hull Division, a Division in which they won last year and put really
into the Lions Den. The Ice Barons will have some stiff competition playing
much more against the Dragons and Voodoo, meaning that will once again be
relying heavily upon the play of goaltender Arturs Irbe. Irbe took on a huge
amount of rubber last year, stopping a huge amount of it too. Well, guess
what, he will be expected to do that once again if the Barons hope to put up
the record like they did last year.
When we look up and down the teams roster for a star player, someone who
steps out and will make a difference, all we see is Irbe. Don't take this the
wrong way though. The team may not have a bonifide star, but they didn't have
one last year either and yet they still played some great hockey. The team
was able to last year to play hard each and every night and play a team game
and that is something they will have to do once again this year. Unless GM
Richard Lomax is able to pull out a mircale deal, the team will have to make
do with what it has and hope that Ms. Kim Bassinger will be able to keep the
guys pumped up each and every night, otherwise, it will be a long year for
both them and the fans in Birmingham.
Predicition: 3rd in their Division
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Tampe Bay ICE BOLTS
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League Record: 31-34-9
Leading Scorer: Valeri Kamensky 32g 25a = 57 Points
Team MVP: Dimitri Mironov
Well, the Ice didn't perform too great last year, even after having
a solid team on paper. Some would think that a move to the sunshine state
will be able to change that, but personally, I think the boys will just
be spending more time watching them bikin's wonder up and down the beach.
Heck, that's what I would be doing! The team has 3 decent goaltenders with
Damian Rhodes looking to take on the majority of the work load. He put up
some good numbers last year and the Ice will be lookin to him to do that
once again.
Keeping within the teams own blueline, we see that they have a number
of good defensemen. Team has about 5 or 6 really good 2nd line defensemen,
but they don't have anyone who sticks out as a great #1 d-man who will
step up when needed to make a difference, and that may be something that
GM Kevin Sharples may be looking at to change. In front of the d-men we
see the Ice fielding one of the best overall forwards with 4 lines of
pretty darn good players. The team will be looking at wingers Claude Lemieux,
Daniel Alfredsson, Valeri Kamensky and Anson Carter as well as centers Andrew
Cassels and Bryan Smolinski to make sure that Rhodes has some goals to work
with.
Some may ask me why I don't think the Ice will be able to improve on
last year, I don't know. The team over the past couple years has not been
able to play good team hockey and we see players or lines simply playing
their own game and I can't see that changing this year either. Sorry, but
I think it may be a long year for Ice Bolts fans unless GM Kevin Sharples
is able to make a deal. He has the depth to do it, it is just a matter of
him pulling something out.
Predicition: 4th in their Division
THIS PAGE WAS CREATED BY JaSoN Stumpf