November 11, 2017 Vol. 8, No. 2 Welcome to the FHL new season! Gamespeak Vol. 8, No. 2 - The FHL 2017-18 Preview Edition is now released. Take the ice for the 8th season of the FHL! Table of Contents: P. 1 Table of Contents P. 1 - FHL 8 th Season Preview Analysis Team by Team Luc (Lucky) Savard P. 9 FHL Standings and Individual Statistics for block 1 (October games mid point) P. 10 From the Commissioner s Office FHL 2017 Preview Analysis Team by Team By Luc (Lucky) Savard I am privileged again this year to be asked to provide my predictions. It is never easy, so many good teams and there are always the surprise teams that end up over or under performing. Teams are getting much more balanced than previous years. This year, my version is shorter as I have been real busy after going on a cruise for two weeks. I will try my best and that is all we can ask for all of us and our players. At the end of the day, our reward is the fun we get from playing the game. The teams are listed in order of predicted finish in their divisions. I hope you all have a great year and have fun. A = Excellent B = Very Good C = Good D = Needs Work East Division New York Dolphins Owner/Manager Cliff Dolgins Offense B Power Play C Defence A Short Handed C Goaltenders A Overall B 1
East Division New York Dolphins Owner/Manager Cliff Dolgins New York, New York! Steven Stamkos injured most of the year is a concern, without him, NY has a whole down the middle that will be hard to fill. You have to like Brad Marchand and Phil Kessel as a 1st line pairing. The team biggest asset is on D, Erik Karlsson!! Him alone is worth a A+ but I had ton tone it down as I feel there is a depth issue after the top 3. In net, Devan Dubnyk is a monster. He will win a lot of games for his team, Playoffs seems guaranteed. Note to self: check Matt Molson on PP as he accumulated 11 of his 14 goals on it! Calgary Tigers Owner/Manager Robert Chisholm Offense B Power Play B Defence A Short Handed A Goaltenders C Overall B Evgeny Malkin had an excellent NHL year with 72 pts in 62 games and when he is in the lineup, he brings this team to the next level. 11 forwards scored more than 20 goals! Ryan Kesler is a monster defensively and will be counted on to stop the likes of Benn, Kane and Stamkos. On defense, Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Suter will be the leaders of an excellent group. In net Corey Crawford should play all his 55 games with Jonathan Quick being the backup. Playoff team here, especially if Crawford can hold is ground. Florida - Owner/Manager Bryan Sakolsky Offense B+ Power Play B Defence C Short Handed C Goaltenders C+ Overall C + Superstar and NHL new best player Connor McDavid!! Jeff Skinner 37 goals and Mitch Marner 61 pts will complete the first line.nazem Kadri 32 goals should center the second line. The rebuilding years are paying off big time. Kevin Shattenkirk is a force offensively from the back end. The defense is still in progress and Jacob Slavin will be asked to cover Shattenkirk defensive weaknesses. Matt Murray is very good for 49 games and Mike Smith will serve as an adequate backup. They will fight for a playoff spot and may actually surprise. Montreal Owner/Manager Bill Kay Offense B Power Play C Defence B Short Handed C Goaltenders C Overall C+ The offense is balanced. They have no one over 66 pts but you have the feeling that they will be hard to stop with so many guys that can score. Jeff Carter, Filip Forsberg and Rickard Rakell all scored overs 30 goals. While the defensemen are not the best in their zone, a lot of them can move the puck. One can expect to see a lot of break out passes with Dougie Hamilton, Rasmus Ristolainen and Keith Yandle back there. In net, James Reimer is very good for 43 games. Wanted: A second goaltender! If they can address that, the playoffs are in reach. 2
Boston Owner/Manager Don Lookingbill East Division Offense B Power Play C Defence C Short Handed C Goaltenders D Overall C Everything in Boston went down this year. Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn points went down, the defense is questionable and we won t even talk about Corey Schneider in net, who had a horrible NHL year. Having said this, Kane still accumulated 89 points and Benn 69. Jakub Voracek had 61 and Anders Lee did score 34 goals. I think this will be an off year for Boston unless they can address the goaltending issue or find creative ways to win. They will be back in the playoff picture next year. Mid-West Division Kansas City Ice Twisters Owner/manager Joshua Pohl Offense B+ Power Play C+ Defence C Short Handed C Goaltenders C Overall C+ The Crystal champions are always a team to watch. While the team may not be as strong as the previous years, they still can count on Johnny Gaudreau, John Tavares and Nicklas Backstrom. They have 7 forwards with more than 20 goals. As last year, the PP is not their speciality. On defense, the team is not the strongest, but they won last year with similar players. In net, Philipp Grubauer is the best, but limited to 24 games. Roberto Luongo and Petr Budaj will play most games, they are ok. Last year KC was an excellent team in a weak division, they are now a good team in a weak division. Cleveland Barons Owner/manager Scott Kalman Offense D Power Play D Defence B Short Handed B Goaltenders B Overall C+ No forwards scored 20 goals. Jake Guentzel, if he had played more, could have reached that but he didn t. Derek Stepan is the only forward with more than 50 points. No forward scored more than 4 goals on the PP. On defense, they can count on a good mix of offensive players and defensive players which will be lead by the most complete player, Rookie Ivan Provorov. Thank god that Craig Anderson is excellent in net for 41 games. If Chad Johnson can over perform they may make the playoffs even with such a weak offense. 3
Mid-West Division Detroit Bandits Owner/manager Chad Pridemore Offense C Power Play C Defence D Short Handed D Goaltenders C Overall C I like where Chad is going here. His offense is developing with the likes of Nicolas Ehlers, Sebastien Aho, and Aleksander Barkov who all scored at least 21 goals. Barkov will be a player to watch has he accumulated 52 points in 61 games. Ryan Miller will play most games in net as Jimmy Howard, the team top goaltender, only played 26 NHL games. I have not mentioned the defense, well, yep! They will need to step it up. Cincinnati Swords Owner/Manager Francois Lessard Offense C Power Play D Defence B Short Handed C Goaltenders D Overall C Cincinnati success has been resting on Henrik Lundqvist shoulders for many years. The king is no more. Goaltending is a major issue this year. They will need to score a lot of goals if they hope to make the playoffs. I am not sure that the offense who can count on 7 guys who accumulated between 45 and 61 points and supported by Dustin Byfuglien and Mike Green from the back end will be enough. It s time to rebuild toward the future. Rye Seahawks Owner/Manager Craig Musselman Offense D Power Play D Defence A Short Handed B Goaltenders D Overall D The Seahawks best chance of winning rest on their defensemen shoulders. Roman Josi has as many points (49) then the leading forward Kevin Hayes. Josi is also the leader in goals on the PP. Rye will have a hard time winning games with the goaltenders they have. Yes, the defensive core is excellent, but there are limits. This is an expansion team that has been so well coached that it may have grown faster than expected. They made the playoffs last season but lost 4-1 to the Calgary Tigers in the first round. They are now feeling the results of faster than expected growth. In any event, the forwards will develop and goaltending will only get better. They will make it back to the playoffs in a year or two. 4
West Central Division McGregor Condors Owner/manager Jesse W. Cheng Offense Defence Goaltenders A B C Power Play Short Handed Overall A B+ B+ Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan Getzlaf accumulated more than 70 points each. They will form a dynamic duo. Tarensenko, Viktor Arvidsson, and Patrick Eaves all scored over 30 goals. The team is loaded up front, they will score! The defense is very solid as well with four D that accumulated more than 36 points. Alex Pietrangelo will lead the way with 48 points. PP is a non-issue with three forwards who scored at least 11 goals. The weakness, if there is one, is in net. Pekka Rinne is good, but not great. In any event, the rest of the team is really good and playoffs are guaranteed. Minnesota North Stars Owner/manager Rob Gallamore Offense Defence Goaltenders A C+ C+ Power Play Short Handed Overall A C B The North Stars are very similar to McGregor up front. They have excellent offensive players such as Alex Ovechkin, Blake Wheeler, and Max Pacioretty to name a few. The defense is better than McGregor offensively, but not as good defensively. Other than Cam Fowler and Ryan Ellis, the defensemen are not as balanced. They are either very good offensively or very good defensively. In net, Tuuka Rask and Andrei Vasilevskiy are similar to Pekka Rinne in rating. The PP will score a lot as Ovechkin and Brayden Schenn scored 17 goals each on it. However, when you look at the forwards, they could use a couple of more defensive minded players for the PK. This is another team that the playoffs are guaranteed. Decatur Puck Heads Owner/manager Gene Couture Offense Defence Goaltenders B A D Power Play Short Handed Overall B+ B+ B It is always surprising to see such a good team move so often. Indianapolis, then Chesapeake Bay, and they are now in Decatur. Hopefully Gene brings some stability in this franchise. Nevertheless, this is still a very good team that will be led by Joe Pavelski and Patrice Bergeron who are excellent two way forwards. They may not be as good offensively as they use to be but they bring everything to the table, scoring, passing and defense. Bergeron is simply the best on face-offs. Brent Burns and Victor Hedman - WOW! They're scoring like forwards and are on defense!!! Those two guys are better than the top forwards on many teams. It doesn t matter if their other defenseman are average at best, these guys will play a lot and make up for the rest!! I have no choice to give them a top rating there. In net, Ben Bishop and Martin Jones are the weakest link on the team. They both had an off NHL year. 5
West Central Division Spokane Bombers Owner/manager Ken Perry Offense C+ Power Play A Defence C Short Handed C Goaltenders A Overall C+ Ken has done a great job building this team. He made key acquisitions in trades and during the draft. The offense is shaping up nicely with Mikael Granlund, Cam Atkinson and Jack Eichell. With three forwards that scored more than 10 PP goals, opponents will need to be disciplined. Bo Horvat provides some defensive grit and is a good face-off man. In net, Frederik Andersen and John Gibson are very well rated. It is an excellent duo. The defense is a concern for sure. Of course Torey Krug is excellent in all zones, but after him it is more average. They may lack defensive depth for the PK. This is a very strong division so it will be hard, but they may surprise. New Jersey Owner/manager Erik Toma Offense C+ Power Play C Defence D Short Handed D Goaltenders C Overall C Columbus, to Chicago, to Columbia, and finally now in New Jersey. Last year they drafted Artemi Panarin. This year it was Austin Matthews. You have Jon Marchessault and you have a very powerful first line. It drops off after that. On defense, they have a collection of players. I mean 13 players. I don t remember having ever seen this in this league. It is obvious new management is looking to build from the back end. Unfortunately, most of them will not be strong contributors this year. Dimitry Orlov will provide offense and Derek Forbort is about the only one who can play defensively. In net, Robin Lehner is well rated and will play 59 games. Mike Condon is a decent backup. This team is building and did well in the draft. They should have a nice drafting spot next year. Gatineau City Bulldogs Owner/manager Lucky Luc Savard West Division Offense B+ Power Play C Defence B+ Short Handed A Goaltenders A Overall B+ The Crystal finalist Bulldogs are still pretty decent. Offensively, they will be led by Mark Scheifele who had an excellent year. TJ Oshie and he will be players to watch as both scored more than 30 goals and both can score once on every 5 shots. For more forwards scored more than 20 goals. Six of their permanent forwards are rated 4.4 or better defensively. Unlike the PK, PP is an issue. On defense, Drew Doughty, Zdeno Chara and Matt Niskanen are rated above 8.1. Like California they have three D who accumulated more than 39 points. This includes Doughty and Niskanen. In net, Braden Holtby will play 63 games and is well rated at 8.0. The backups are decent as both are rated around 7.0. 6
\ Buffalo Sabres Owner/manager Dave Luksch West Division Offense B+ Power Play A Defence B+ Short Handed C Goaltenders A Overall B+ The offense is led by youngster David Pastrnak who had a coming out year. He and Wayne Simmonds scored more than 30 goals (16 on the PP). After them, they can count on five players who scored more than 20 goals. While they can score on the PP, the PK is an issue. Not too many forwards can play effectively in such situation. Even Jonathan Toews is nowhere he used to be. On defense, Buffalo is very strong with Shea Weber (12 PP goals) and Duncan Keith. Actually the team can count with six D who accumulated more than 30 points and two more than accumulated over 20 points. In net, even more depth. Four goaltenders rated above 7.4 including top starter Carey Price and very good starter Cam Talbot. This team has a lot to trade to be even better, if they do, watch out! They are like a piece or two away from being guaranteed 1st place. For now, they will fight with California and Gatineau. California Zephyrs Owner/manager Kent Gray Offense B Power Play A Defence C+ Short Handed B Goaltenders A Overall B+ Every time a team can count on a player like Sidney Crosby you know that they will be dangerous. You add Tyler Seguin and you are in business. However, what is striking is the lack of goal scoring depth after. Only four forwards including those two scored more than 20 goals. The team forwards is much better defensively than last year, that can only be positive. On defense, they can count on some very decent players such as Brent Seabrook, Seth Jones and Nick Leddy who accumulated more than 39 points. Justin Braun is the only one that is very good defensively. In net, they are in business with the excellent Sergei Brobovsky who is the best in the game and rated 8.6. Los Angeles Monarchs Owner/manager David Sayles Offense C+ Power Play B+ Defence C+ Short Handed C Goaltenders D Overall C On offense, RWs Nikita Kucherov (40, 17 on the PP) and new comer Patrick Laine (36) can score a lot!! After them, it goes down hill. On defense, John Klingberg, Alec Martinez (7.9 rated) and Nick Holden all accumulated over 30 points. In net, Antti Raanta is the best but game limited to 30. This means that Connor Hellebuyck or Steve Mason will need to play a lot. I hope they can do better. This team is developing in a strong division. They drafted excellent key pieces, but still need more to compete. 7
West Division Toledo Goaldiggers Owner/manager Stan Skawinski Offense C+ Power Play C+ Defence D+ Short Handed D Goaltenders C Overall C Toledo is a young team on the right track. Leon Draisaitl took a major step forward. He is the offensive leader who is surrounded by young guys still developing, they need to step up their game. Conor Sheary is also very dangerous when dressed. Only two more forwards scored more than 20 goals. Oskar Klefbom and Matthew Dumba had very positive year on the back end. Both accumulated more than 30 points. A concern has to be the lack of defensive abilities of the defensemen. In net, Jake Allen will play most games and he's rated like a good backup, he can do better for sure. The backup Anders Nilsson is actually better rated, but game limited. Playoffs Playoffs predictions, especially who will win the Crystal, are so hard to make at the start of a season. Usually, the team that makes the best adjustments win. For the fun of it, here they are: Calgary New York Floride Kansas City Montreal Cleveland East Decatur Minnesota McGregor Buffalo Gatineau City California West Crystal Final Looking at the current roster, it should be between New York and Florida (Calgary is also in the mixed). I will go with the former multiple time champions as the East representative. In the West, I expect to see McGregor and California with the later one going to the Crystal final. Champion The West really need to start winning some Championship. California will win, THEY HAVE TO! 8
FHL Standings 2017-18 Season Block 1 (October games) 9
From the Commissioner s Office: I am not sure all of you saw this but APC! Hockey 2017 has some enhancements. Please read below box from DKS: The FHL Schedule of Events: Start of FHL 2017-18 regular season Block 1 (October games) - 10/27/2017 Deadlines for playing all block 1 games 11/19/2017 (Sunday) at 7 PM EST COAs for block 2 (November games) are due 11/22/2017 (Wednesday) 10 PM EST To access the complete FHL Schedule consult the FHL Webpage. The big change that will affect the FHL is items #8. The penalties for fatigue will be significantly harsher in game if you skate your players over their average per game TOI AND Total Season TOI. You will need to pace your players in a game so they are effective at the end of the game. In other words, if they have gone over their Ave. TOI/game before the end of a game, then expect them to be much less effective at crunch time, and OT due to fatigue. Teams that regularly double shift their players be careful. Also if players have exceeded their Total Season TOI, then expect them to be less effective (fatigued more) in their games for the balance of the season even if they are under their GP limits. Keep your players as close to the Total Season TOI as possible. Borrowing an old horseback riding idiom and applying it to the FHL If a team pushes a player over his Total Season TOI before the end of the season, i.e. has ridden their player hard and put him up wet - he may not be as effective (even if he has not exceeded his real life GP). Hockey is a marathon and not a sprint! Enjoy! 10