Monthly Archives: October 2015

NHL, Zach Laing

15 – 16 Season Primers: New York Rangers

Welcome to the 2015 – 2016 Season Primers where I will be covering the Metro Divison, sans Carolina and Columbus.

This past off season saw a change in guard as Glen Sather stepped aside as the team’s General Manager, allowing former assistant GM Jeff Gorton to step into the role. Scoring 113 points as a team, the Rangers won last years President’s trophy and ended up going all the way to the Eastern Conference finals where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team will look to break through this season and make a run for Lord Stanley’s mug.

Notable additions: LW Viktor Stalberg, RW Emerson Etem, C Jarret Stoll

Notable departures: LW Carl Hagelin, LW James Sheppard

The additions of Stalberg and Etem will certainly help the Rangers moving forward. Stalberg signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract after being bought out by the Nashville Predators. Prior to landing in Nashville, he was a very strong possession player seeing 3rd line minutes. His career points per 60 sits around 1.75, so the Rangers will certainly be looking for him to contribute some more scoring depth on the roster.

LW                                             C                                            RW
Rick Nash (7.800) –  Derick Brassard (5.000)  – Mats Zuccarello (4.500)
Chris Kreider (2.475) – Derek Stepan (6.500) – J.T. Miller (0.874)
Emerson Etem (0.850) – Kevin Hayes (0.900) – Jesper Fast (0.950)
Oscar Lindberg (0.650) – Dominic Moore (1.500) – Jarret Stoll (0.800)
Viktor Stalberg (1.100)

LD                                            RD
Ryan McDonagh (4.700) – Dan Girardi (5.500)
Marc Staal (5.700) – Dan Boyle (4.500)
Keith Yandle (2.625) – Kevin Klein (2.900)
Dylan McIlrath (0.600)

G
Henrik Lundqvist (8.500)
Antti Raanta (0.750)

In order for the New York Rangers to see success this season, the team needs to overcome themselves. Last season, they seemed to have shot themselves in the foot against the Tampa Bay Lightning losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals 2-0. There is no denying they have one of the best teams in the league. Guys like Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Henrik Lundqvist and Keith Yandle are amongst the best of their respective positions so it is time for Head Coach Alain Vigneault to get the most out of their players.

I expect the Rangers to be at the top of the league, and competing for the another chance to win the Stanley Cup.

NHL, Zach Laing

15 – 16 Season Primers: Washington Capitals

Welcome to the 2015 – 2016 Metro Division Season Primers.

Completed already: Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last year was another disappointing finish for a Washington Capitals who have been lead by one of the best goal scorers in NHL history, Alexander Ovechkin. The Capitals have longed for a team like they have assembled now. Defensively, the team is lead by Brooks Oprik, John Carlson, Karl Alzner and Matt Niskanen; a group that has been slowly assembled by Capitals GM Brian MacLellan and a group that is ready to dominate the NHL.

Notable Additions: RW T.J. Oshie, RW Justin Williams

Notable Departures: RW Joel Ward, RW Troy Brouwer, C Eric Fehr, D Mike Green

The additions of both Oshie and Williams are going to be humongous for a team that was a top-10 scoring team last season. They are both better than Ward and Brouwer respectively, and Williams is infamously known for being a key player in the playoffs and is 7-0 in Game 7’s he has played in. Williams shares a record with Glenn Anderson for scoring the most Game 7 goals in NHL history, with seven and he also holds the record for most points in Game 7’s, with 14.

When the Capitals make the playoffs, as I expect them to, Williams will be a huge help in getting them over that hump.

LW                                             C                                             RW
Alex Ovechkin (9.539) – Nicklas Backstrom (6.700) – T.J. Oshie (4.175)
Marcus Johansson (3.750) – Evgeny Kuznetsov (3.000) – Justin Williams (3.250)
Brooks Laich (4.500) – Andre Burakovsky (0.895) – Tom Wilson (0.895)
Jason Chimera (2.000) –  Jay Beagle (1.750) – Michael Latta (0.575)
Stanislav Galiev (0.575)

LD                                             RD
Brooks Orpik (5.500) – John Carlson (3.967)
Karl Alzner (2.800) – Matt Niskanen (5.750)
Dmitry Orlov (2.000) – Nate Schmidt (0.813)
Ryan Stanton (0.575)

 G
Braden Holtby (6.100)
Philipp Grubauer (0.750)
Justin Peters (0.950)

In order for the Washington Capitals to be successful this season, they will need to rely on their number one ranked power play that lead the league last season, as well as the strong goaltending of Braden Holtby. The best case scenario for the Capitals this season will of course be a Stanley Cup Championship.

The fact is though, Alexander Ovechkin has never gotten past the second round of the playoffs. Despite that his performance has never seen a drop off, Ovechkin is now 30 years old and he isn’t getting any younger. The Capitals have begun to capitalize and finally have gotten some great cogs to fit in around the Great 8. It will be interesting to follow them this season.

As I said before, I expect the Capitals in the playoffs and vying for the Eastern Conference Championship.

Armchair GM, NHL, Rob Cooke

Beer League Heroes 15 – 16 Season Primers: Vancouver Canucks

This is probably my favorite season primer post that I am writing this season, obviously other than the hometown Oilers which goes without saying. Well I guess it doesn’t go without saying cause I just did. Why is this my favorite you ask? Well mostly because despite finishing second in the Pacific and earning a play-off spot this team seems to be set on self-destruct. No team in the league did as much to make their team worse than Vancouver Canucks and that sounds great to this Oilers fan!

Key Additions: C Brandon Sutter, LW Brandon Prust, D Matt Bartkowski and G Richard Bachman

Key Departures: C Nick Bonino, D Kevin Bieksa, G Eddie Lack, C Shawn Matthias, RW Zack Kassian, C Brad Richardson

Roster Contenders: LW Hunter Shinkaruk, RW Jake Virtanen, C Brendan Gaunce, and D Taylor Fedun

The Canucks finished the 2014/15 season with a 49-29-5 record. Good enough for 101 points and second in the Pacific division, 5th in the Western conference and 8th overall in the league. Eighteen of those wins came thanks to departed goaltender Eddie Lack who led the team in GAA and save percentage in the regular season.

The top line provided a lot of offense with Henrik and Daniel Sedin being joined by right-wing Radim Vrbata. The trio combined for a total of 69 goals and 212 points. So it is easy to see that as this line goes so does the team. The Canucks will need huge years from all three to again be in the play-offs next April.

As for the aforementioned off-season moves let’s look at what GM Jim Benning did that have me so puzzled. First off he traded Kevin Bieksa to Anaheim for a 2016 second round draft pick. While this may help in the long run it hurts the team in the here and now. Bieksa while getting up there in years, he’s 34, he was still a big part of the Canucks defense playing over twenty minutes a night and was used on both the power-play and penalty kill. Next up was the July 1st trade that sent RW Zack Kassian to Montreal for LW Brandon Prust. This was also another loss for Benning in my opinion. While I don’t like Kassian in any way shape or form I have to admit that he is a much better player than Brandon Prust. In 42 games last season Kassian had 10 goals and 6 assists. Prust only managed 4 goals and 14 assists over the full 82 game schedule. Next is the ultra boneheaded play of the summer for Jim Benning. He sent center Nick Bonino and AHL defensive standout Adam Clendening to Pittsburgh for center Brandon Sutter and a 3rd round pick. This is a no-brainer for me, Sutter is a third line center on virtually any NHL team and Bonino was the Canucks 2nd line pivot last season and was also fourth in scoring behind only the top line guys. Add Clendening who had an amazing AHL season to the deal and it is clearly in favour of the Pens. Even with the addition of the draft pick this trade is still lopsided in Pittsburgh’s favour.

Potential Lineup:

Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Radim Vrbata

Chris Higgins – Brandon Sutter – Alex Burrows

Brandon Prust – Bo Horvat – Jannik Hansen

Sven Baertschi – Linden Vey – Derek Dorsett

Alex Edler – Christ Tanev

Dam Hamhuis – Yannick Weber

Luca Sbisa – Matt Bartkowski

Ryan Miller

Jacob Markstrom

Finishing second in the Pacific division last year is likely a lot higher than most had predicted for the Canucks. In my estimation after the off-season that this team had we are likely looking at a massive reduction in wins and points this season. At best I think we will see the Canucks in 5th place in the standings but more than likely I see them finishing 6th.

The players to watch for this team are, as always, the Sedin twins. If they can remain at or near the top of the league in scoring they could claw their way to fifth. As the twins go so does this team but I think even with the on ice magic between the two isn’t going to be anywhere near enough to save the Canuckleheads this year. As I stated in season predictions for the Pacific division over at JustOil.net, at least all the fires the rioters start will keep all the homeless warm this winter…

https://youtu.be/Otqh_GYmxig

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Ryan Robinson

Ryan Robinson’s Oilers Season Preview Vlog

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Mr.Robinson is back with another vlog! I love this guys posts on youtube and he’s back with another beauty!

You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ryandlace

With the new season upon us and the weather getting a little cooler I feel it’s my civic duty to let you know about this cool merch we’re offering over at the Beer League Heroes Merch Shop. Every team is represented and we also accept custom orders. Just get in touch with us on Twitter or via email!

Take a gander and treat yourself (or a loved one) to celebrate the rise of the New Era Edmonton Oilers!

You can click on the pics below to go the that design’s page as well.

Have a great day!

-BLH

Corey Mitchell, Edmonton Oilers, Prospects

Oilers Prospect Recap – Sep 25 to Oct 4

Hello Beer Leaguers, and welcome to the first installment of the Oilers Prospect Recap. This is going to be the follow up to my summer series, Prospect Profile. With so many players on so many teams, in so many different leagues, it can be hard to get a handle on how the numerous players in the Oilers system are doing through out the season. Each week, you can find a brief stats breakdown for each player that was active during the week. I’m only looking at regular season games, so you won’t find any info in regards to AHL or NCAA this time around, but those leagues will be included once their seasons get going. I will state, European leagues have been running for some time. I will only be including games between the dates of Sep 25 – Oct 4.

 

Keven Bouchard, G – Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)

Sep 25 – Back-up vs Gatineau Olympiques. BAC 1 – GAT 7.

Sep 26 – Allowed 4 goals on 37 shots, playing 58:55 vs Shawinigan Cataractes. BAC 2 – SHA 4

Sep 27 – Back-up vs Quebec Remparts. BAC 3 – QUE 2

Oct 2 – Back-up vs Rimouski Oceanic. BAC 2 – RIM 6

Oct 4 – Allowed 6 goals on 29 shots, playing 58:30 vs Victoriaville Tigres. BAC 2 – VIC 6

Season Totals: 2 GP, 0-2-0, 4.75 GAA, 0.844 SV%, 0 SO

 

Ethan Bear, D – Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

Sep 25 – 1 assist, +2, 2 PIM vs Vancouver Giants. SEA 2 – VAN 3

Oct 3 – 1 assist, -1, 0 PIM vs Prince George Cougars. PG 1 – SEA 4

Oct 4 – No points, even, 0 PIM vs Tri-City Americans. SEA 5 – TC 6 (OT)

Season Totals: 3 GP, 0 G, 2 A, +1, 2 PIM

 

Caleb Jones, D – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

Sep 25 – No points, -1, 5 PIM vs Victoria Royals. POR 1 – VIC 4

Sep 26 – 1 goal, 1 assist, +3, 0 PIM vs Victoria Royals. POR 5 – VIC 6. Named 3rd Star

Oct 3- No points, even, 2 PIM vs Everett Silvertips. EVT 3 – POR 1

Season Totals: 3 GP, 1 G, 1 A, -2, 7 PIM

 

John Marino, D – Tri-City Storm (USHL)

Sep 25 – 3 assists, +3, 0 PIM vs Omaha Lancers. OMA 1 – TC 5. Named 1st Star

Oct 2 – 1 assist, +1, 4 PIM vs Chicago Steel. TC 6 – CHI 3

Oct 3 – 1 goal, +1, 0 PIM vs Chicago Steel. TC 2 – CHI 0

Season Totals: 3 GP, 1 G, 4 A, +5, 4 PIM

 

Roman Horak, F – Vityaz (KHL)

Oct 3 – No points, -1, 0 PIM vs HC Sochi. SCH 5 – VIT 0

Season Totals: 16 GP, 2 G, 3 A, -6, 8 PIM

 

Miroslav Svoboda, G – AZ Havirov (Czech2)

Season Totals: 6 GP, 4.09 GAA, 0.877 SV%

 

Ziyat Paigin, D – Bars Kazan (VHL)

Season Totals: 8 GP, 1 G, 3 A, -4, 2 PIM

 

Prospect of the Week – John Marino (3 GP 1-4-5)

 

Note: I’m having some difficulty finding usable game summaries for both the VHL and Czech2 leagues. As soon as possible, I will be posting individual game stats. Until then, I will post updated season totals for those players each week.