Continuing up what @LukeForceWalker started here are my players to watch in the Eastern North. Feed back is welcome but please remember these are my opinion based statements. ** Fair Warning short but simple long read!! Enjoy! Also quick shoutout to @Larsbone x605 for doing the devils for me as I did not want to seem biased. 1. Belleville Senators – Returning as Manager for the 555 is @xl NiTeOwL lx who’s looking for the Three-Peat as Manager and 4th Calder in row. (2 Management, 1 Player) Joining him is none other then @Bellx91 after playing forward past two seasons is also looking for his 4th as he returns to LD giving the Calder favorites a dynamic #1 D-pair. Three Veterans to watch: · @Bellx91 – I list bell as a player to watch because he’s moving back to defense from forward. Now he’s played defense before and I’m sure he’s played defense in this game in club but not in league. And his last full season of defense on LG he was 11-12-3. Don’t expect the same results in s32. · @KrawcH v2 – We all know what Krawch brings with the 555 mantra. After a brief move up to the NHL it didn’t work out due to unforeseen circumstances out of his control. Thus, bringing him back to the 555 of the AHL. Undoubtedly will slide into the top line centreman, look for him to lead the Sens back to the promised land. · @Brn2Win18 – No disrespect to @xBBoeser but this guy is going to be my dark horse. Boeser put up insane numbers for the Sens last season 32 wins, 1.69 GAA & 87.7%. I played this guy in preseason the other night and if I’m being honest is the only reason the Sens won that game 3-2. He’s going to put up better numbers in his first season. Rookies to watch: · @X Rated Rhino – I wanted to reserve this space for DP’s on TC however being he’s still a rookie I’m going to spotlight him. Going 3rd overall in the 2nd round is never a bad thing especially when that team is Ottawa. Having now been added to the baby Sens roster he will immediately make an impact. Look for 12-14 wins for this rookie. · @ZiggyP5 – I had the chance to talk with him prior to the draft and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. Essentially the model of every player you’d want on a roster. Ideally, I don’t see him making this roster in the short term. But down the road towards the deadline look for him to possibly splash the 3rd line should the Sens need help down the middle. 2. Binghamton Devils – As Salty makes his return to the AHL, he will look to continue the success he’s had down here. Binghamton has built a very good d-core to start this season. Look for them to shuffle around a few pieces up front to make them one of the top contenders in the East this season Three Veterans to watch: · @PartyDrew – Coming off of a good management run in S31 in Rochester where he put up 19 wins and 50 points, Drew will play a key role in Binghamton’s success this season. Look for him to get close to that 20 win mark along with 60 points. · @RemmyDarko – After making the stop in 3 different organizations in S31, look for Remmy to have a permanent stay in Binghamton for S32. He will more than likely be on a line with @Schizostone, where they will look to re-gain that chemistry they had in S27. · @heD HonChO – Returning to the AHL this season, after spending a season in the CHL last season, Honcho is a great addition to this d-core at a great price. I plan on Honcho eclipsing the 15 win mark this season and being on Binghamton’s top d-pair. If @l SaIty I and Honcho are d-partners, teams will surely need to fear the beard. Rookies to watch: · @Doobs Da Merc and @TPForMyBungCole - these 2 were a defensive pair in the CHL last season and they had great success. They had a record of 19-4-1 and were the cornerstone of a great Seadogs squad. I look for these two to jump right in and be reliable on the back-end for Binghamton. 3. Cleveland Monsters – @Prowsey8 returns to management for the first time since S28 with Providence. Joining him will be longtime partner and friend @DatsyukianxDeke. This roster looks very different then rosters past as some of the gang are on CBJ. Nonetheless Prowsey has great knowledge of the game and league and this team will be no different. Three Veterans to watch: · @BOLTsti – Longtime Veteran of the AHL lands on a what should be a good team this season. After a below average s31 with the lowest points total in his career he will look to recapture the magic and get back to the days of being a 60 point scorer he’s proven that he can be. He’s in the right situation to do so. · @Tubbyturbo13 – Returning to LG after 4 seasons turbo finds himself on a 1.5M contract, the lowest he’s been since S20 at 750k. Given the price of the others and the experience he brings to the monster’s blue line he will either lock down the top pair or second pair. I don’t see him matching his career high in W’s from S17 but look for him to get 14-16 this season. @N i n o 27x – Matching his lowest contract of his career at 2M Nino will look to improve upon his s31 numbers. 16-12 with a playoff berth for Tuscon, Nino should also bring experience and skill to the blueline in Cleveland. 15-17 wins seems doable in this situation. Rookies to watch: · @Presidente x 45 - Drafted toward the bottom of the 2nd round the president receives a friendly 1M contract. 13 wins, 53 points in the CHL and 11 points as an ECU for the miserable griffens where he had 11 points in 2 games. Don’t drop your jaw in amazement as 10 of them came in 1 game. Impressive anyhow, look for presidente to crack the lineup down the stretch should the Monsters need forward help. · @SithSoul – Drafted 99th overall by the blue jackets this goalie will look to have a better season then s31 will show you. He had better stats in ECU games for the AHL and NHL teams then he did with his CHL team which leads me to believe the team wasn’t all that great. Unless he gives management no choice to call him up he will most likely be a serviceable ECU option. 4. Laval Rocket – @DudleyDoWright5 continues his management career by taking over Laval with essentially zero assets. No picks no players no nothing. He chose to take on a defenseman as AGM in @Turfarea. Laval was a miserable team last season, here’s hoping we won’t see a repeat in S32. Three Veterans to watch: · @Calgary Flames – Signing a 2s deal in s30 at the measly price of 500k with a career high 70 points with Rochester following it up with 37 in Carolina for s31. He gets a significant pay raise the highest of his career at 6.75M. He’ll need some talent around him if he’s too match that career high. It’s safe to say we’ll see flames as a contract dud weekly. · @Joonetic – Joon will be asked to carry a line with the price of 5.75M after a slight increase of 1M while only producing 36 points and 13 wins. He will bring leadership and experience in the dot to Laval. Just like fellow teammate Flames I too unfortunately see him being a weekly contract dud. · @joek5 – Another longtime vet of the AHL having been around since S17 joe will have his work cut out for him. Given his experience I see him taking the starters role early. His last few seasons of league have not been very great with his last winning season coming via S29 of the CHL. I predict that when he plays he’ll be cranking Bon Jovi’s greatest hits, starting with Livin’ on a prayer followed by Dead or Alive. ** No rookies to watch on this team. 5. Rochester Americans – S32 will be run by none other then @l Semp l fresh off cup run with the rags. Joining him will be longtime friend and veteran @General Jobo coming off a mediocre s31 with the rival Isles. These two instantly create and contender in the east especially when they resigned studz and acquired the rapidz twins in the offseason. Three Veterans to watch: · @RaPidz PheNomz & @RaPidz ShaDow – This may seem like a cliché choice however the two of them didn’t play together until week 3 in S31 I believe. They also didn’t wind up on a decent team until the trade deadline. Both putting up 40-point campaigns in their first full seasons. This duo will look to excel past the 60-point mark on a contending team. · @Zaathal – Coming in 2nd last season with 84 points this may catch some by surprise. But since he was traded from Hartford to Springfield and then to Rochester it leads me to believe is there an issue of character? I see him flanking the other side of Phenom and forming one of the best lines in the league. Look for him to crack 90 points this season. · @lX WAGNER lX – After having decent ratios in the CHL wagner was called up by the Florida Panthers which effectively ended his season. Gone are the days of the player who once was a lock for a 50-point season. But perhaps this reunion with his boys can light a fire and he can eclipse 50 for the first time in seven seasons. Rookie to watch: · @xTHEBIGRIGx – Drafted number 43 it’ll be hard to for Rig to find a spot on these team of forwards. Looks as though he’ll most likely spend another season in the C if not traded. Posting 12 wins and 53 points can prove helpful though because if I had to pick a flaw with Rochester it’s that the right side is weak compared to the other two positions. 6. Syracuse Crunch – Coming out of the CHL to take over the playoff crunch from a season ago will be @SmiTTy x 12 with his AGM locking down the defensive unit @DEC3PTIVE 1 . Smitty was in a great position having a lot of DP’s at his disposal and from what I’ve heard he draft two full forward lines. It’ll be interesting how he puts the pieces together. Three Veterans to watch: · @i BeLeaf x – fresh off a stellar 19-3 season with 36 points in the CHL Leaf moves back up to the AHL where he’s had success in his previous two stints. With a price tag of 5M he will take the role of true number 1 and look to anchor the back end for this crunch defense. · @Gregorian x 94 – This will be a wild card for me as s31 he played goalie the entire season and had ridiculous numbers but for s32 he transitions to center where he has not played league at since S17. But obviously smitty knows something the rest of us don’t because he dropped 2.25M on him. @keatsauce – After a solid s31 posting a 23-16-6 record with the crunch he returns through bidding with an increase from 500k to 1.5M. Having solid ratios of 1.91GAA and 86% look for sauce to match those same numbers. However with the amount of DP dmen on this time I don’t see sauce being able to replicate the same type of season. Three Rookies to watch: · @I F3ROCIOUS I – Being drafted with the 15th overall pick its only a matter of time before he makes his way up to the AHL apart of the crunch. 18 wins and 66 points in the CHL will be the scoring the crunch can use for secondary scoring. Not only can he bury the biscuit with 30 G’s but he had more apples with 36. · @larry1790 – Regarded as one of top dmen to get in the later parts of round 1 TB grabbed him with pick 25. I’ve heard some good things through peers so it’s easy to see why he went in the first round along with his 16-5 record in s31. Look for larry to make his way onto the crunch roster at some point in s32. @XxYzerman17 – I don’t know much about him but another person that was high up on Delosh’s board of people to get. We planned to take him 31st overall with our pick but he went 26th instead right behind larry. He’s played league before way back when but coming off a 14-1 half season with some experience in the AHL again he could prove to be a top dman for seasons to come. 7. Toronto Marlies – Returning to the Marlies for s32 is @LeFantomeNordik on offense and @Modemizer as AGM to lock down the defense. Recent his linemate from s31 was just waived and cleared through to the Marlies. The Marlies will look to build upon a good season where they missed out on the playoffs via tiebreaker and get into the dance this season. Three Veterans to watch: · @xCOSTAx l2l – At a price tag of 5M costa will be tasked to be the number 1 RD on this squad and be asked to play the tough lines nightly. Coming off an 11-win season with 13 points he will look to build upon those numbers with a competitive marlie squad. Look for him to approach North of 15 wins. · @Darkeey – With Kane clearing waivers and being back on a line with Nordik I would think that makes darkey the 2nd line RW. I’ve known Dark a long time and he’s always had thumbs at every position. At 2.5M this is a great contract for dark especially after putting up 30 points in 13 games before being removed from management. Dark should easily reach double digit wins and 50 points on this talented team. · @THRA5HER5 – Finally out of the depths of Florida thrasher will look to resurrect his career in Toronto to restore some “spek” to his name. 3M isn’t a terrible price however given his recent statistics and history this is a reach. Rookies to watch: (Already on roster) @l Griz l 3 l – Drafted 50th overall in the 2nd round griz joins the Marlies having put up solid numbers in both the CHL and the AHL last season. 13 wins 50 points in the C while also providing 11 wins 30 points to the bruins in the A. This guy is no stranger to competition and might be good to put a veteran on his line like say dark? · @Villy x 31 – Villy was drafted with the 66th pick and with the recent waiver move of Vezina 1 that opens the spot for Villy to make a name for himself. 17-15-2 with a 2.59 GAA and 83% he will assuredly take on the back up role unless he heats up during the season and forces Nordik to reassess his G situation. 8. Utica Comets – Taking over the comets for S32 is @Prey For Pocius on defense and @Jelly x 35 on Forward. These guys will really need to get the most out of their roster if they expect to compete. Getting jelly as AGM was a good start. Hopefully the rest of the pieces they added to the roster will pan out. We’ll see after week one. Three Veterans to watch: · @Daddy Kaneee – This one is a head scratcher. The comets dished out 6.25M for a guy playing his first full season at defense in league. Maybe they thought he was playing forward? Maybe they’re paying him to play forward from the yellow spot? With an act for scoring and playing defense Kane should be able to provide offense from the back end with ease. · @PROfesser waLsh – Quick research tells me that Walsh will be playing with out his boys in the AHL for the first time since s22. 4.5M is a hefty price to pay for someone that won’t be playing with the same guys he’s accustomed to playing with for the past 10 seasons. However I know walsh is a good guy and player he will make whomever his line mates are for s32 around him better. · @Pearson x 70 – An above average season for pearson with 14 wins and 45 points lands him an increase from 1.25M to 3.25M. It seems like the comets were just throwing money at guys to replicate prior season stats. Walsh is a great two way player and pearson using the sniper build would probably excel being his LW. Rookies to watch: · @lntolerent – Drafted 19th overall in the s32 draft fresh off a memorial cup this guy will look to be on the comets sooner rather then later. However, if things don’t go well for the big club I see him making the jump to the canucks before the comets. However if he’s eased into the right situation this guy like some of the other 1st round DP’s could be top dmen for seasons to come. @LHS Flyers28 – Being drafted with the 108th overall pick at RW flyers comes of a good s31 where he put up 15 wins and 52 points. With the comets only having 8 forwards at this point and time I think just that it’s only a matter of time before he makes the jump to the A. Using a dangler build perhaps we’ll see a line of pearson – walsh and flyers? Most likely not but who knows. Thanks for reading once again!
· Villy x 31 – Villy was drafted with the 66th pick and with the recent waiver move of Vezina 1 that opens the spot for Villy to make a name for himself. 17-15-2 with a 2.59 GAA and 83% he will assuredly take on the back up role unless he heats up during the season and forces Nordik to reassess his G situation. -Waiver LOL
Rooting for the boys ( marlies ) had fun playing for those guys !! Hope to see them in it this season !
That’s for your input if you wanted to take part in the write up with me all you had to do was ask. I would have given you a waiver
@SmiTTy x 12 and @DEC3PTIVE 1 win the Syracuse faithful ANOTHER CUP and @Prowsey8 @DatsyukianxDeke dont let anyone hit 100 points on your squad
Nicely done @l SaIty I. Is the order of the teams in the write up their perceived rank also? Just need to know if I need to print this out and hang it on my fridge or not.
