S6 Eastern Atlantic Predictions

This my first attempt at a write up. I figured someone needs to step up with Sibbs being gone for the season, and I have nothing better to do with my time anyways. Shout out too @JTx11- I used your format simply because I'm too lazy to make my own and liked the way you set these up in the NHL forums.

“Players to Watch” arent always the best players on the team, it is just in my opinion, the players to pay attention to because i just feel like you should.

Division Overview- . This division will have a couple of interesting storylines. First will be how the Tbirds defense oriented strategy will playout against the baby pens offensive potency. Further the atlantic hosts multiple S5 chl players looking to establish themselves at a higher level of play. Lastly, the division has a clear difference in approach of management as almost entire teams of proven chl players will match up against former nhl players that are now finding themselves in the ranks of the ahl. Who will prevail? Although the division has improved and the competition should be a lot closer I see the thunderbirds remaining ahead of the division with the baby pens right on their tails. The providence bruins and hershey bears should both settle into playoff spots with a mixture of defensive and offensive skill. The team I see potentially upsetting the status quo will be the checkers if the chl players can adjust quickly to the ahl play style.


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STANDINGS:

1. Springfield Thunderbirds
2. Baby Pens
3. Hershey Bears
4. Providence Bruins
5. Bridgeport sound tigers
6. Charlotte Checkers
7. LehighValley Phantoms
8. Lavell Rockets
9. Hartford WolfPack

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Springfield Thunderbirds


Forwards: C+

This ranking shouldn't come as a surprise to readers with 12 mil spent on defenseman and both managers coming in on defense it doesn't leave much room for signing quality forwards. However, I think they got some steals at the forward position. @mrtryhard98NHL switched from defense to forward and I think that discouraged some bids on him but this guy is a talented player at 500k and will provide quality depth. @Xx_Johnny84Qc_xX is another talented player and will put up decent numbers on the first line with most likely @StanleysCup and @Nhltwister . Edit- @M-L-N83 is also joining this squad and should round out the forwards. It looks like they will have two solid forward lines.

Defense: A
Springfield boasts one of the most experienced and deepest defenses in the AHL. @HitByTheBest95 is elite and coming in with no contract hit with iceblock off the cap as well. My player to watch here is @BuRGeR. Burger earned a big pay day this season and I have no doubt he can live up to it. I m also interested too see how @MN_Wild93 does this season. His lg stats aren't particularly impressive but in my experience of playing games with him he always did decent. I think at 500k its a low risk move by springfield's management that could yield really good result if he's put in a position to succeed. Plus honorable mention for @Kepler14733 whos also solidified him as a top 4 d man. The only concern I would have here is if they rely too much on their defense they may not generate much time of attack.



Goalies: B+

@Baconweave solidified himself last season and post season as a quality ahl starter. I expect him to pick up exactly where he left off especially with this defense core in front of him. Lil keppy should be a solid enough back up tender to get the team some extra points in the playoff race.

Players to Watch: @BuRGeR @mnwild

WBS Penguins


Forwards: A-
The WBS penguins might end up being one of the most improved teams this season. The forward depth is there with multiple high end scoring threats in @IxI-Toffoli-IxI and @fetcher08 . The main concern I have for this team is they may be too top heavy. They have either one very good line or two decent lines. While writing this they made a move to get @Man-Bear-Pig for gg joey. I was considering @ggjoey427 a steal at 500k and I'm not sure if this move was to add veteran presence, get to the cap, or just have an extra center so they could keep toffoli lw. Add in wild card and lg personality @tehhpwnerer and a plethora of other 500k warriors and I think this forward group will ultimately prosper as long as they maintain moral and do their daily chemo. jokes.

Defense: C+
If you look close enough there is one clear similarity between all of these defenseman experience, but a lack of a proven track record of success in lg. The highlight of this defense is certainly @Dangles4days outside of him this defense is shaky. It almost looks as if the management here went and looked specifically for players with nhl level experience that they could get for cheap despite their records in those leagues. For example their combined lgnhl record among this d core is at 23-49-8 at a dismal -88 . Stats aren't the end all be all but this defense doesn't have much to get excited about. I would have ranked them lower but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here. It wouldn't surprise me if niner passed along some reports and @toffoli did his due diligence on scouting. Some of these dmen MAY end up being complete steals. Someone will have too step up here and I'm looking at @Renaudturbo04 and @The_Real_Teal to become possible bargains at 500k.




Goalies: B

At goalie we have more of what i was talking about with nhl experienced players. They picked up a solid player in @Schwartz-74 and at 500 he should be the front runner in net. They also made a move today to pick up @asleeptech which should make drnash the odd man out of the lineup.

Players to Watch: Can I just say the entire defense? I want to see how @beernpickles performs back in the ahl.


Hershey Bears



Forwards: B

This forward group is solid being led by multiple talented forwards. @jboro1227 @curlew7 w @sINGLE-g6_ are all proven point producers as is the new addition of @ggjoey. The only concerns I can see is maybe the managers are looking to rely soley on stats. In addition, they are stacked on one side. They have 5 natural Right wingers and the other 2 centers they have rostered (Manbearpig and TheCofRed) are both position switches from defense. My player to watch on this forward grouping is @Buildingwhat . Building has put up solid numbers repeatedly in his LG career but has suffered from being on lower end teams. I don't expect him to lead the team in scoring but I am interested to see what he can do on a solid team. Edit they traded manbear pig and presently have no natural centers on the roster. My concern for this group is they try to rely too heavily on @SingleG6 whom is switching to center from rw. The talent is here its just matter of whos switching positions and how effectively they can do so.

Defense: B-

This isn't the best defense in the division but its also not the weakest. @bottle_man highlights this defense after making the switch and they still have @iLLuminOttie at a 500k contract. As long as these defenseman can get the puck up to their talented forwards this team will go far.






Goalies: C+ (B+)

It's going to be hard to replace the quality of starts that moosapotamus has given this rganization the past couple seasons. @JTowNE41 should be able to get enough wins to secure them the playoff spot this season and if alseeptech finishes with a near .500 record I see them finishing top the standings. The reason I have B+ in parenthesis is I'm not sure of Maddens and Gamer-085 plans for DirtyBird. For anyone unaware of Dirtybird this kid is a stud of a goalie and could be a starter on many teams. Unfortunately, I heard through CHL grapevine that getting him to show up is another issue.

Players to Watch: @Buildingwhat @DirtyBird

Providence Bruins


Forwards: B

The providence bruins offense seems to follow a similar trend as the bears they have a solid group of forwards but the depth down the middle is troubling. After speaking with some of these guys today in a party one thing is for certain they are very confident about this season and I don't see a reason for them not to be as long as they address their center position. One thing that did concern me is I've heard some of their bigger cap players are ok or "average" I'm looking for the spinning @WateryDolphin77 to lead this team alongside @Advancedhuman . I would not be surprised to see them make a move after the Random assignments for a center or backup goalie.


Defense: B+
This defense features a legitimate top 4 core without the heavy price tag. B+ is probably generous but looking at the rest of the division I think it is more than fair. I would probably rank this team a lot higher in general if they had something to separate them from the pack. This defense will be led by @Jg3542jg @joestud19 having played with both of them together I feel they will be a decent shut down squad as joe shakes his rust off. The second paring will likely feature @LRKrazyLR and @GeneralMcBoozey . Boozy is solid enough to not get exposed frequently and lrkrazy will be able to cover his weaknesses

Goalies: B

@AhL_Allstar-3 is a great tender and person. He will be the starter here and I only left the ranking so low because they have no backup presently. Ultimately this squad looks like a good group and will likely finish higher than I put them. Team morale here is very high.

Players to Watch: @Advancedhuman @joestud


Bridgeport Soundtigers


Forwards: B+

I have every reason to want too write a scathing review for anything @premierplayer does but I actually like this forward group he's put together. The team is built down the middle for success and it starts with @killer_scotch . Personally I think he got overpaid at 6 mil but its very possible he earns every penny of it for this team. @DrtMcGrt is a solid enough player and his stats are misleading I'm interested to see if him or @premier end up being the 2nd line C. @chaRbennn @dirtydawg @PhistMYace will all fill out this forward group very nicely and I'm sure they have already been working on chemistry and line combos.


Defense: D+

Remember that part earlier about writing a scathing review. Well this defense might be the worst in the division. 4 of the 5 this team have signed spent s5 in the chl and none of them are exactly stand outs. However, with that being said I'm giving premier the benefit of the doubt and that's why I ranked them in the standings where I did. He showed last season that he knows how to press the right buttons at the right time to get the job done after reeling off an amazing win streak to make the playoffs. Plus if anyone would know how to find CHL talent it would be premier since he looks in the mirror everyday. I guess the highlight here is @toorough

Goalies: C-

Here we have another group of unproven nothing special players. Once again giving the benefit of the doubt to premier with my standings projection but the players themselves are lackluster. They also have 2 g's on TC which might work out for them.

Players to Watch: @killerscotch


Charlotte Checkers


Forwards: C+

Its not hard to get excited for this forward groups top line. They feature a 9 mil contract player in @ovechkin8jr who will certainly make his presence felt in the AHL. If he lines up with @EPICxSKILLZY they will put up some impressive numbers and should carry any of the rw's on their line up. Also starting in the lineup is @playmaker x 7 whos looking to establish himself after bouncing around for a few seasons. A lot of the other names on this forward roster are players I don't know at 500k so moving on.


Defense: D+

It seems Charlotte and Bridgeport had similar strategies in bidding in going after lesser known chl talent. I personally am all for players moving up and proving themselves but at this point its hard for me to rate these guys off stats alone. With no high end or even just mid level proven talent I cant give these guys a rank higher than D+. My player to watch is @The-Dominator-95 epicskillzy chose him as agm for a reason and I want to see what this player can do at this level.


Goalies: B

@Rancher12345 and @xx-vortex-xx94 will be a good tandem. I think rancher is a solid goalie but definitely streaky. He has a couple of weaknesses in his game that players familiar with him often look to exploit but he is still more than capable. With that being said I expect vortex to make a push to steal the starting goalie position. Given he was chl last season and that seems to be a theme with this team its possible management will give him his chance sooner than later at being starter.

Players to Watch: @ovechkinjr @xx-vortex @thedominator


LehighValley Phantoms


Forwards: B-
The players too watch here are @shepard-88- @Bretonskyy as probably the most skilled forwards. I really want to watch what @Navyynick puts up he switched from goalie last season and went for 2.5 million with no track record of forward to speak of in lg. Either someone did their scouting or put a bid on him still thinking he was a goalie. Regardless I am curious too see at what level he can produce at. @Jmencalisss9 and @Diecast420 round out this forward group. I can see them having 2 formidable lines here with a sui line. Expect lobo to be signing up for these games. jokes.




Defense: B-

Perhaps a little generous here but I like some of the guys they got. I feel like they managed to pick up some solid defenseman without having to overpay for them. @Omn1ous and @Mathdouble2 @dmitch420 and @Inbound24 will make a top 4 that can compete with a lesser 3rd pairing that will likely be with their sui line.


Goalies: C+

I like both these goalies and @Budz_780 will provide valuable experience and knowledge for the team but if he has connection problems he might lose his starting position. The backup here will probably suffer through some bad games but it isn't unreasonable to believe they might steal enough games to squeeze into the playoffs.
Players to Watch: @Budz_780 @Navyynick

Laval Rocket


Forwards: B-

The forwards are probably the only redeeming quality of this team. They have two leftwingers who have proven they can produce in the AHL with @Joiridz and @troublekid with @KingiKon as a solid depth player. My player to watch here is @XILO_ATOMIK his stats aren't very impressive in the chl but there has too be a reason montreal was willing to draft him so high especially with barely having enough games to become draft eligible. I'm not accusing him of anything but the last time I seen a player do something similar his username was bomberavs and it didn't take long for him to catch a ban.


Defense: C-

The defense is nothing special at first look. A lot of players I don't recognize with nothing to show in terms of stats. @blammogunz and @Triplemdemo are probably the headliners here and with absolutely nothing against them its really not saying much that they're the headliners.


Goalies: C-

Both of their goalies are unproven at a higher level of play but boast high save percentages in the chl from last season. Its really not unreasonable to see one of these guys coming up big. Theyre going to be tested a lot this season and if they can stop most of the rubber thrown their way other managers will take notice and possibly even save them from this hell hole.

Players to Watch: @skenny999 and @Speedytdawg88


Hartford Wolfpack


Forwards: C

@StraightUpHacks is by far their most talented player on paper and he may end being frustrated this season. This team has count em 6 that's right 6 forwards looking to make the jump to the ahl from the chl last season. I am not ready to write this group off entirely as the vast majority of them produced good numbers down there last season. I'm looking for some of these guys to make a splash and make their names known. With that being said it wouldn't be surprising to see these forwards have drops in their point totals this season as they attempt things that simply don't work in this league. The player too watch this season for the wolfpack is the entire Hartford CHLpack. I want too see what these players can bring to this league.


Defense: D+

Not much sticks out about this defense honestly and its difficult to get excited for this team. With 4 natural right defensemen on the roster someone's going to be playing their weak side and unfortunately with this roster that's not promising. They have 5 mil dedicated on 3 dmen that aren't established yet. Meanwhile my player too watch for this defensive unit, @religiousrogue, is coming off a mediocre season in the chl yet still fetched a 1.5 mil pay day in ahl bidding. After examining these last 3 roster it appears that some of these former chl players got caught in a bidding war or were bidding up some of these other chl guys . There is a clear connection of past teams in these players careers.

Goalies: B-

@Skyhawk is going to need an endorsement from icyhot after this season after all of the rubber that he will be facing. This team has two quality goalies and if tthis team fails to make the playoffs management could look here for potential trades To quote jt from his write up "Overall, i feel bad for these guys, but i expect them both to hold their own despite the team in front of them."

Players to Watch: @Skyhawk @religiousrogue @StraightUpHacks

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That's my write up for the atlantic division. I wanted to do one for all of the divisions but after actually writing one let me know what you think and if you want more. If you're offended or disagree flame me in the comments . Later taters.

 

Nice write up

 

nice job guy and thanks for the shout

 

Thanks for the motivation.

 

If you plan on continuing these, please get someone to proofread.

 

3 soundtigers in a row.... prob in your team chat already. Waiting on the PP response.

 

I agree with the proof reading assessment, but it's a good way to hype teams up for the season, so i commend that you wrote it.

I'd love to see Eastern North next, got a couple of S5 CHL friends (and former rivals) there.

 

Keep it going!

 

“Plus if anyone would know how to find CHL talent it would be premier since he looks in the mirror everyday. “. That is hilarious.

Nice write up!

 

Good looks DTS, hope to live up to the hype

 

Well Done bud, and ppl who are worried about proofreading....... gfy this isnt the New York Times.

 

Well done DTS!!

 

Its called constructive criticism, he wrote a critical article, it'd be hypocritical to have thin skin.

 

Having thin skin and not being an English major are two different things. Learn to deal with poor grammar and spelling on this site because most of us could care less about it.

 

Oooh I see, so this is just here for show then...

Listen man, it doesn't have to be perfect 'NYT' level, but if this is something you want to keep doing, polish it a little, you did say you have the time to do so. I've shown nothing but support until now, let me help you with the next one.

You don't need an english major to be a good writer, what a weird misconception you have there.

 

Apparently I should've left jts preamble when I took his format, but I thought we were past this. "No i didnt proofread, my capitalization isnt perfect, and nor is my punctuation. So fuck off with those comments."

 

I don't think anyone is expecting you to be an English major when writing these, but at least have someone read through it first clear up some of the grammatical errors and punctuation. I'm not criticizing the content, as your opinion is your own, but at least give it the old college try lul

 

College is for suckers who want to be in debt for the rest of their lives. Wake up sheep.

 

"I figured someone needs to step up with Sibbs being gone for the season, but it's certainly not going to be me with this attitude!"

"Let me know what you think and if you want more, but not if it's ways to improve myself, FUCK OFF WITH THOSE COMMENTS"

 

Nice write up. But you got 1 thing wrong. I suck.