It's been a while since I've done one of these, and genuinely this may be the last time you see me doing one of these. I'm mainly doing this to test out a little bit of database work that I've been doing recently, and figured it'd be fun to test some of the “systems” that we've been seeing on the site recently. If you don't know who I am or what I do, I've developed a stat rating using all of the data we have on the league gaming site known as the wind rating. This rating was specifically designed to create an individual rating that displays how well a player can contribute to their teams on ice performance compared to the average player. This is something very similar to when you see things like WAR or GAR in other traditional sports, but also based off of other Esports rating systems in other games. I've taken data from Seasons 37 all the way to season 40 of the LGHL system (that includes NHL, AHL, and CHL), along with the past two seasons of the PSN side, as well as some esports stats. Spoiler: How it Works The system is calculated as follows: Some stats are weighted heavier than others, with things like Scoring Factor and PTS/GM having more value than something like Shots/GM. Your individual performance may also be hindered by the level at which your team/line is playing at, but there will always be standouts on teams. In regards to the actual rankings themselves, I've created a few categories that I think is the best way to determine and teams overall performance. From the obvious ones are forward, defense and goaltender rankings, with the higher rated goaltender giving more weight in the lower rate of goaltender to reflect a starter's games played versus a backup. A total of all of the ratings for a team is also a way to depict a team's overall depth across the entire roster. I've also added a star power rating, which is simply an average rating of the five best rated skaters on a team. You can consider this a game 7 rating or simply just a rating that is the best way to determine how a teams higher salary players can impact a team if they so choose to. All of these are then averaged out to create a team's overall ranking in the league. Without further ado, here's how I think the LGHL looks this season. If you disagree please message my agent @KosmicEA with all displeasures. Atlantic Division 1. Ottawa Senators - Forwards (4th) Defense (14th) Goalies (6th) Star Power (5th) The Sens find themselves in a pretty good position heading into the season, at the top of the Atlantic division. It certainly doesn't help to have two extremely solid free contract players, but they've also built around those star players with a very solid amount of depth across all lines. The ability to run 3 lines is definitely apparent across this team, but they also have an extremely solid game 7 type line up that's able to carry some of those other lines if they need to. 2. Detroit Red Wings - Forwards (8th) Defense (12th) Goalies (22nd) Star Power (10th) Detroit feel extremely top-heavy with their roster, with a number of high-quality forwards leading the charge for the Wings, but it feels as though their depth is slightly lower than some of the top teams in the league. While their depth isn’t horrendous, and is definitely serviceable for a playoff team, it feels there is a steady drop from the first line calibre players to the other players in the line up. If players like @ScawtyPippen as well as @Magxndis can step into solid 2nd line roles for the team, this team can certainly compete for the division title. 3. Tampa Bay Lightning - Forwards (15th) Defense (10th) Goalies (26th) Star Power (8th) The Lightning find themselves in a pretty well-balanced situation when it comes to their roster. They've got a lot of very solid forwards especially some forwards that may come off as a fairly cheap contract like @Hxmelin- . While they don't have a true X-Factor on defense, they do have some fairly solid players back there that allowing them to not feel totally vulnerable in the back end, especially with defensive bidding getting weaker and weaker every season. Their top forwards are as good as anyone in the league, and it’s simply a question of whether the defenseman can keep up with such high-profile forwards. 4. Boston Bruins - Forwards (7th) Defense (21st) Goalies (16th) Star Power (14th) The Bruins decided to go with an all forward no defense approach when it came to their bidding, as the majority of their cap went towards their forwards with very little being spent on their defense. This makes their forward core extremely strong and one of the best in the league, but their defense feels extremely susceptible to being a problem during the season. With the exception of @Psyycc , there's very few players on this defense that have a whole lot of success at the NHL level or really at any level in certain regards. Someone has to step up to allow this Bruins team to have a little bit of depth on the back end and not feel worried about winning games 6-5. 5. Toronto Maple Leafs - Forwards (16th) Defense (24th) Goalies (7th) Star Power (12th) The Leafs took one of the more unique approaches to bidding or rather in team building across the league, using a league-high 4 draft picks from this past season in their starting lineup. This makes them in extreme wild-card across the board, and it's really a question of how can their draft picks settle in and potentially play a key role on this Maple Leafs lineup. If players like @Jos x 10 and @Olmer19 can prove to be extremely solid second line or even potential first line calibre line, then they should have a great chance at playoffs. If they only end up being average players in the NHL, this team may have issues. The loss of @Landy Byng was huge for the defense corps and with him this Maple Leafs team would look even more dangerous and potentially a top-10 team in the league, even with the question marks. 6. Montreal Canadiens - Forwards (20th) Defense (28th) Goalies (9th) Star Power (21st) I think Montreal have some good core pieces to build off of for their team, and a lot of players who are good 2nd liners for any team. Their depth however, especially at the fence is very suspect and may cause issues for this team demo line. their star power is lacking on the steam however, with no true superstar on their team even after spending $9,000,000 on @Wickie 71 , who just wants to be a price true to his value for once. 7. Florida Panthers - Forwards (31st) Defense (22nd) Goalies (31st) Star Power (23rd) This team is completely all over the place with their roster. They add players like @Nealerr , who is a good 1/2 pair defenseman and @JJr who's moving back to defense for whatever reason. But then the rest of their defense corps is relatively inconsistent or inexperienced. Their forward core consists of MP7 and praying someone pushes up on his passes. This team doesn't necessarily have make the playoffs bets, but more of what is @P4ttelite' s season going to look like bets. 8. Buffalo Sabres - Forwards (32nd) Defense (29th) Goalies (32nd) Star Power (30th) Funny enough, this team has some half-decent pieces to build around on a different team. Unfortunately, a few scattered good pieces here and there isn't going to change the season for this team. For every solid player on a playoff team, there's a player who realistically should be in the AHL let alone the CHL. Their goaltenders don't even have success at the AHL level let alone the NHL level. It's just a matter of punching above your weight class at this point. Metropolitan Division 1. New York Islanders - Forwards (5th) Defense (2nd) Goalies (18th) Star Power (6th) The defending Cup champs return with a very solid roster this year. the re-signs are players who fall under the radar with pretty good contracts. they have pretty good chemistry across the board with the Momentumm line as well as the IslesGT connection of course, even with @Hxndry playing LD. it's surprising to see a team run by @x Fisher 81 and Hxndry to have a better defense than forwards, but this team is extremely deep on defense this season with a 3 pairs that can rival anyone in the league no matter the line. 2. Philadelphia Flyers - Forwards (19th) Defense (1st) Goalies (23rd) Star Power (7th) The only team with a better defense than the New York Islanders, the Flyers are an extremely strong team in terms of depth, especially at defense. While the forwards do have a few question marks in regards to stepping up into larger roles, there is enough pieces to build around up front with some star players such as @Jxcou_91 as well as @DrxpLex x 17 to potentially carry some lower rated players into being good lines. 3. Washington Capitals - Forwards (3rd) Defense (6th) Goalies (20th) Star Power (9th) I'd say the Caps flew under the radar a little bit in regards of actually building a pretty solid roster. One of the last teams to actually get their management together, the Caps are built really off of chemistry across all three lines, with the connection of @Swarko- , @Hervieux09 and @wayzox-_- as a line providing pretty good value for their money in the potential to be an sneaky good first line. All 3 lines have the ability to be strong teams and can match up against plenty of opponents, and will be a tough matchup all season 4. Carolina Hurricanes - Forwards (13th) Defense (27th) Goalies (9th) Star Power (15th) The Hurricanes are also a PlayStation team with a good amount of chemistry amongst their players. built off of the Greek Democracy core, there are a few players who have slight question marks in regards to their actual playing ability at the NHL level, especially at defense, but if their depth proves to hold up during the season, this team is a good playoff team with a pretty good amount of experience across the board. 5. Pittsburgh Penguins - Forwards (27th) Defense (7th) Goalies (15th) Star Power (20th) I can't help but feel like Pittsburgh simply just lost value on their salary based off of their roster. This team doesn't necessarily have an awful roster, but for the amount that they're paying for some of their top end players they could have got something more. @Tricky x 91 and @maxjuice7u7 are good players no doubt, but with none of the other forward even combining to their total price tag, can them alongside @Letunov keep the other cheap forwards afloat at the forward position. @Kovalchukk is a solid defenseman, but is he necessarily worth the 8.25 million-dollar price tag that was given to him. They found some good deals to combat this potential problem, but I worried that this isn’t enough especially with some of the high-profile teams above them. 6. New Jersey Devils - Forwards (17th) Defense (26th) Goalies (30th) Star Power (19th) This team feels like the one true team that's actually hurt by the algorithm and doesn't get as much credit as it probably deserve as a team. The Devils have some good pieces and are built upon a pretty solid core of players. that being said, their are defensive players that are inconsistent and have off and on seasons, and some other players across the board are very hot and cold in general. It's a question of can some of the top players on this team elevate some of those hot and cold players to be good players on a playoff team, or do they find themselves with lines that are borderline .500, and are a fringe playoff team. If this team was much higher it would not surprise me in the least though. 7. Columbus Blue Jackets - Forwards (25th) Defense (18th) Goalies (29th) Star Power (29th) Columbus win big on their first line picking up some high-quality winners do hopefully carry them in terms of wins. The downside to this, is that the rest of their team is lackluster at best. It's not great already when your owner is playing goaltender on a free contract, but it's even worse when this goaltender isn't even a good NHL calibre goaltender. Perhaps someone steps up on other lines and makes an impact, and if their first line can do what they were paid to do they may have a chance at something, but it feels like a long shot. 8. New York Rangers - Forwards (28th) Defense (20th) Goalies (27th) Star Power (28th) I was a bit surprised that the Rangers were this low on the rankings, but the problem is for every single player that's a good NHL calibre player, they are gambling on another player stepping up at the NHL level and having an impact. It feels like a 50-50 NHL / AHL graduation line up, which is definitely a high-risk high-reward type of scenario. If players actually do well moving up, then this team can be fairly decent. If all of the gambles end up not paying off however, this team is definitely the bottom of the barrel in terms of this division. Central Division 1. Chicago Blackhawks - Forwards (18th) Defense (3rd) Goalies (1st) Star Power (1st) @LemeIin back as an owner of the Blackhawks, and is looking to come back firing on all cylinders. Their top 2 lines are arguably some of the strongest in the league, and has arguably the best game 7 line up out of all teams. I would say his third line looks a little bit lackluster in regards to success at the NHL level, but I'm sure coach Lem has some tricks up his sleeve to get that going and potentially make them into better players in general. 2. Minnesota Wild - Forwards (21st) Defense (4th) Goalies (12th) Star Power (3rd) This team is definitely a sneaky good team in the league this season. the rise of Red Lite and VIGILANCE in the Esports scene has definitely vaulted a lot of these players reputation up a notch, and look to bring that impact to the LGHL. They get pretty decent value off of their PlayStation knowledge, and hopefully will get even more value than what they paid for from players like @Streetsmurf . This team has a great game 7 lineup that can match up against anyone in the league, and it becomes simply a question of does the chemistry prevail on the bottom 2 lines other than the top line. 3. Nashville Predators - Forwards (12th) Defense (13th) Goalies (13th) Star Power (13th) The Predators are probably the most balanced team in the league right now, being in the middle of the pack of all categories. All three lines are deep and are going to be competitive against all lines of all types, with salary spread out across multiple players. Their star power may not feel as strong as some of the other top teams, but players like @JerDubzz and @SamDelisle9 are certainly high-caliber players that they can rise to the occasion when needed to. 4. Winnipeg Jets - Forwards (6th) Defense (9th) Goalies (28th) Star Power (16th) It's another classic Lou built roster, looking basically the exact same as every other year. @McLxvinn and @AyeKeeks is certainly a strong line and it's for sure their top Line, and realistically it's a matter of what do the other lines accomplish across the board that makes this team a playoff team or a fringe team at best. The Pizza Potential line has been very consistent across the board, and a pretty tough line to play against even if you're a first line. It’s realistically a coin flip of what happens with Lou’s season, as everyone knows everyone on this team. 5. Arizona Coyotes - Forwards (23rd) Defense (17th) Goalies (4th) Star Power (26th) This team runs deep as they have a lot of skill spread out there line up, but certainly lacks that level of star power on certain lines compared to teams above them. Players like @ProMoe CA and @Erikeu1989 are definitely elite players, but it feels like the rest of the roster up front feels more like second to third line type players. With the exception of @Ek Josh on the back and, there are serious question marks of whether this team that can compete for a playoff spot with this level of roster. There are some factors that can potentially play a part in step up to make this team a playoff team, but this team could be someone that just misses out on the playoffs. 6. St Louis Blues - Forwards (22nd) Defense (19th) Goalies (14th) Star Power (24th) Another team with a lot of depth across the board, but with very little star power to propel their team forward. it feels like a lot of 2nd to 3rd line calibre players on this team, but very little first line talent. This is great if all of your lines can produce at a 2nd line level, as it feels like a surefire way to get into the playoffs. If some of these line stumble however, the lack of a ceiling provided by star players may prove to be a problem for this team later in the season. 7. Colorado Avalanche - Forwards (29th) Defense (30th) Goalies (21st) Star Power (24th) Much like a lot of the weaker teams in the other divisions, this team has some decent pieces to build around on any type of team. the only problem is that for every good player on this team, there's a player that realistically should not be at the NHL level this season. maybe some of these players step up and have brilliant seasons that no one expects, but for right now it's really hard to see this team getting anywhere close to the playoffs with the lack of depth. 8. Dallas Stars - Forwards (30th) Defense (31st) Goalies (24th) Star Power (22nd) Feeling like a broken record with some of these lower-tier teams, but there are some good players on this team that will provide wins for the Stars, but there are also players who have no business being in the NHL this season, and they could seriously feel like an anchor for some of the top players weighing them down all the way to the basement of the standings. Pacific Division 1. San Jose Sharks - Forwards (1st) Defense (5th) Goalies (11th) Star Power (2nd) @CaLL Me Jakoo and @Odieeeeee team up again with the Sharks and have an extremely promising team here in Season 41. Top to bottom this roster is build extremely well, with high-quality players being paid what they deserve, but also a room for some value to potentially be gained. Having a player like Poland at $5.5 could feel like highway robbery if he's able to contribute strongly to the defense. Their bottom pair defense does feel like a bit of a question mark, but with enough depth to spread around on the defense it could feel like a non-factor in their season. It certainly doesn't hurt to have one of the best game sevens potentially in the entire league to go a long way in the playoffs. 2. Calgary Flames - Forwards (14th) Defense (8th) Goalies (3rd) Star Power (4th) The Flames have some of the top rated players in the entire league, but their depth will certainly hurt them a little bit if they can't step up to the plate. They have some players that are coming off of bad seasons, or even player stepping up to the NHL for the first time and will be X Factor's heading into the season. Their defense with the exclusion of @G lR ii M x feels a little bit lackluster insert in certain regards, as a lot of their value defenseman feel more like gamble's as players are looking to bounce back after bad seasons. If these players can prove to be good core players to the foundation, this team should have no troubles making the playoffs and potentially making a deep run with their high star power. 3. Vegas Golden Knights - Forwards (2nd) Defense (16th) Goalies (8th) Star Power (17th) I feel like @Gilbzey certainly cannot make fun of Lou built teams, as his team feels extremely similar to all the teams that you could see run by anyone in this core group. The good news is that this core group is an extremely solid bunch of players, and a lot of their value players that they managed to pick up either have chem with some of the core group or have had sneaky solid seasons that fell off the radar like @Edenheart . While they have a pretty good defensive core and some good pieces, they don't have that true number one top pair defenseman, and their game 7 line up feels good not great especially considering some of the other top teams out there. 4. Edmonton Oilers - Forwards (9th) Defense (11th) Goalies (5th) Star Power (18th) In any other division the Oilers are a top three team no matter what, but here in the Pacific they are 4th. I think this team is extremely deep and well-rounded across all aspects of their game, and can roll 3 Lines very effectively. It does have some players that have had some bad seasons recently, but this might have lowered their value in order to get them through bidding on a potential lower price. They didn't overspend on anyone on their roster, and if they do need to make changes they have plenty of pieces to go around that can make this team a solid playoff game, even if they make 0 changes to their team. 5. Vancouver Canucks - Forwards (11th) Defense (15th) Goalies (19th) Star Power (11th) Another Pacific Division team with plenty of depth and a pretty good fitting to go with, as I feel that he didn't necessarily overpay for anyone on their roster making it extremely flexible. The left defense position definitely feels a little bit lacking in certain regard, as there is some unproven talent to go on that position, but they're strong right defense could potentially make up for that. This team has the ability to run 3 lines against you and should be dangerous when doing so. Another team that in any other division would be much higher in the ranking for them, but in the Pacific they are 5th. 6. Los Angeles Kings - Forwards (10th) Defense (32nd) Goalies (2nd) Star Power (27th) LA went into bidding without a GM which was already a pretty bold move to begin with. They ended up bidding fairly decently, if you don't look at the defense. When @ChiSouthSiderr is your number one rated RD and also your second best defenseman on your roster, I can't help but feel like there's a little bit of problem here. Their forwards and goaltending are quite strong compared to the league, but I worry that their defense is going to be so weak that they're not going to be able to do any damage. 7. Anaheim Ducks - Forwards (24th) Defense (25th) Goalies (25th) Star Power (31st) In certain cases you could argue that the Ducks had a pretty good bidding. my only issue is it feels like they didn't get any type of top-tier talent, an overpaid for pretty much everyone they possibly could. @cj142 is a solid player, and is arguably a top end second liner despite being paid like the best centre in the league. Their defensive core consist of @Stastnyy playing out of position and then a bunch of unproven inexperienced players. The team has good pieces here and there, but it feels like another classic @Shlarchey team of loading up 1 line he’s on and the rest of the team struggles immensely. It also doesn't help that your owner is the lowest rated player on the team. 8. Seattle Kraken - Forwards (26th) Defense (23rd) Goalies (17th) Star Power (32nd) I actually don't hate to the Seattle roster in certain instances, but they simply are more of an AHL calendar team. this is one of those teams that if someone it performs well on this team, and someone most certainly will, it will jump-start their career in the NHL tier. there is always teams like this in every single season, but they aren't going to be a team that's competing for playoffs, but could be fairly competitive to play against, so don’t expect blow out wins. TLDR, here’s the full standings:
