TFHL 15 was supposed to be the year of 3 championships in a row. It was
however another 3 that broke the Michigan team. The Achaeans did not let the
Michigan Pain embarrass them 3 years in a row. The undisputable team to beat
this year fell to a team that has fallin short of great expectations in
years past. The TFHL 15 season predictions discounted the Achaeans of TFHL
cup glory. So with young talent and little expectations they rose to the
ultimate glory; eliminating the burden of playoff failure.
The Michigan Pain offseason began alot sooner then most of players expected.
The sting of their first playoff loss since thear of the Hurricane does not
sit well with the players, fans and local sports meadia. The media and fans
are pointing fingers at Coach Wilson. Even though the top line was
unsuccessful in the first two games, averaging a plus/minus of -2, coach
Wilson stuck with his guns and limited Daze and Yashin's playing time. This
proved to be their fatal flaw.
GM Elliot had a few comments the past season, "It is a shame to have our
best regular season effort go to waste. Everything in the second round just
didn't go our way; it happens to the best of them from time to time.
Unfortunatly its back to business and I will need to make few tough changes.
As for the Achaeans, am I happy for them? You know not really because I now
see how it feels to know that we lost to the champs. With that said, I give
Butchart and the players all the credit in the world but I am still bitter
about the loss. However we will be back and in full force next season.
Redemption will be our word for the year.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
Wheat Kings - PR
WHEAT KINGS OFF-SEASON PERSPECTIVE
After their spectacular late season collapse and early playoff dismissal by the eventual champions, the Achaeans, the Wheat Kings have a had a lot of things to think about and a lot of time to do it. The two benefits of the season have been that, first, it gave the young team another year to develop, and second, in calamity the various strengths and weaknesses of the team came to the fore. However, Kings GM Tyler Young has pledged that this year he will minimize the trades: "We have a plan to get what we need through the off-season, and then in all likely hood our opening day roster will remain intact throughout the season. Our team is pretty much set now, and if I learned anything this season, it's that if you force a trade you will only be decimated by it."
FORWARDS
A disappointing 2.76 GF after being amoung the league leaders in scoring the previous season, the Wheat Kings will likely be looking to find some help here over the off-season. One lesson learned, perhaps a little too harshly, is that the offence of the Kings is bound and chained to Dimitri Kazionov - when he scores, they do, when he doesn't, they don't: in the first half of the season with the Kings hovering around .700 while Kaz was on track to a record-breaking 68 goal season, in the second half he failed to carry through and only broke the 45 goal mark thanks to a late season surge. The deadline addition of Eric Staal and the development of Masi Marjamaki, Steve Bernier, Eric Fehr, and Josh Hennesy should all help the Kings next year. Niklas Bergfors was the highlight of the season: the 18-year old rookie racked-up 51 points in 64 games, a pace which would have put him second in rookie scoring had he played the whole year, yet after such a season the still quite young
Bergfors may find himself playing next season in the minors.
Likely changes: look for the Kings to try and pick-up one forward. Pavel Bure was not overly impressive in his tenure in Saskatoon and will likely be allowed to depart; the Kings have about 25 million dollars in cap room, so they will likely use that money to pull in a replacement for Bure/Guerin/Tkachuk.
DEFENCE
The Kings defence was somewhat re-shaped for this season - Dan Sprang and Karol Rachunek came in for Kim Johnsson and Martin Skoula. Both of them were solid and improvements over the former two, the real problem came to be with the play of the team's #4 d-man. At the beginning of the season TFHL14 Alka-Seltzer Trophy winner, Slava Suchy, was considered a safe bet and a defensive stalwart, but over the course of the year it became apparent that he was inadequate to play in the team's top 4 and was indeed comprimising the unit as a whole. A desperate search began for a decent fourth d-man, Brian Leetch and then Brian Rafalski were brought in and both were horrible. Matt Jones continued his development, albeit at a slightly slower pace than was hoped, towards becoming a legitimate elite defenceman in this league and an eventual Norris contender. Sprang is an interesting wildcard: he has the talent to wrack-up both points and at the same time prevent them, but only rarely s
howed glimpses of realizing that talent. Rachunek was a revelation with the Kings, arguably their best defenceman this year, he provided one stabilizing element on the back, when it was often in chaos.
Likely changes: If the Kings do anything this off-season, they must acquire a capable defenceman to play in their top four.
GOALTENDING
The Kings had one of the best tandems in the first half, one of the worst in the second half, and the blame for this collapse seems to have fallen on Ilja Bryzgalov. Immediately after the season the talk around Saskatoon was that, being as Bryzgalov was the Kings goalie of the future, Weekes was likely on his way out and the Kings would sign or trade for a veteran goalie. After his playoff showing Weekes earned the respect of the Kings management, which meant that Bryzgalov, whom the Kings paid grossly to bring into the fold, was on his way out. The Wheaties found an oppotunity to bring back long time Wheat King, one-team team MVP, and former Vezina winner, Roberto Luongo in exchange for Bryzgalov, giving the Kings likely their best goaltending tandem ever.
Likely changes: none, now.
PROSPECTS
The Kings have long used their draft picks for trade leverage, which has had the unfortunate effect of preventing them from stocking the cupboard. Despite their trade-induced deprivation, the Kings have had success drafting with what little they have had - their two first rounders, Steve Bernier and Nik Bergfors, are both solid pros and key components of the team even at their young age - a point coupled with the relative youth of their pro roster that relieves the general lack of talent in the system. No player is capable of stepping up now: Byron Bitz needs another year; Drew Stafford, Leo Tjay, Greg Moore, Jamie Howard and Erka Lepannen are more longterm projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRADE POSSIBILITY
I don't really have a player to use my contract extension on, so if you have a player entering UFA I would be willing to give you some picks or something for him before you loose him. That way you get something instead of nothing.
AND...
Congratulation to Matthew, who has finally claimed the cup after years upon years of careful management and guidance. I should also thank him for winning, since it makes my first round loss to his eventual championship team bearable. The Achaeans were definately a sleeper this year, but a careful perusal of his roster and the little gems here and there shows the careful and quiet work which Matt has done in building his team into a Cup winner. So congrats again, and it looks like the top echelon of the Western Conference continues to get more crowded - sleeper no more.
After their spectacular late season collapse and early playoff dismissal by the eventual champions, the Achaeans, the Wheat Kings have a had a lot of things to think about and a lot of time to do it. The two benefits of the season have been that, first, it gave the young team another year to develop, and second, in calamity the various strengths and weaknesses of the team came to the fore. However, Kings GM Tyler Young has pledged that this year he will minimize the trades: "We have a plan to get what we need through the off-season, and then in all likely hood our opening day roster will remain intact throughout the season. Our team is pretty much set now, and if I learned anything this season, it's that if you force a trade you will only be decimated by it."
FORWARDS
A disappointing 2.76 GF after being amoung the league leaders in scoring the previous season, the Wheat Kings will likely be looking to find some help here over the off-season. One lesson learned, perhaps a little too harshly, is that the offence of the Kings is bound and chained to Dimitri Kazionov - when he scores, they do, when he doesn't, they don't: in the first half of the season with the Kings hovering around .700 while Kaz was on track to a record-breaking 68 goal season, in the second half he failed to carry through and only broke the 45 goal mark thanks to a late season surge. The deadline addition of Eric Staal and the development of Masi Marjamaki, Steve Bernier, Eric Fehr, and Josh Hennesy should all help the Kings next year. Niklas Bergfors was the highlight of the season: the 18-year old rookie racked-up 51 points in 64 games, a pace which would have put him second in rookie scoring had he played the whole year, yet after such a season the still quite young
Bergfors may find himself playing next season in the minors.
Likely changes: look for the Kings to try and pick-up one forward. Pavel Bure was not overly impressive in his tenure in Saskatoon and will likely be allowed to depart; the Kings have about 25 million dollars in cap room, so they will likely use that money to pull in a replacement for Bure/Guerin/Tkachuk.
DEFENCE
The Kings defence was somewhat re-shaped for this season - Dan Sprang and Karol Rachunek came in for Kim Johnsson and Martin Skoula. Both of them were solid and improvements over the former two, the real problem came to be with the play of the team's #4 d-man. At the beginning of the season TFHL14 Alka-Seltzer Trophy winner, Slava Suchy, was considered a safe bet and a defensive stalwart, but over the course of the year it became apparent that he was inadequate to play in the team's top 4 and was indeed comprimising the unit as a whole. A desperate search began for a decent fourth d-man, Brian Leetch and then Brian Rafalski were brought in and both were horrible. Matt Jones continued his development, albeit at a slightly slower pace than was hoped, towards becoming a legitimate elite defenceman in this league and an eventual Norris contender. Sprang is an interesting wildcard: he has the talent to wrack-up both points and at the same time prevent them, but only rarely s
howed glimpses of realizing that talent. Rachunek was a revelation with the Kings, arguably their best defenceman this year, he provided one stabilizing element on the back, when it was often in chaos.
Likely changes: If the Kings do anything this off-season, they must acquire a capable defenceman to play in their top four.
GOALTENDING
The Kings had one of the best tandems in the first half, one of the worst in the second half, and the blame for this collapse seems to have fallen on Ilja Bryzgalov. Immediately after the season the talk around Saskatoon was that, being as Bryzgalov was the Kings goalie of the future, Weekes was likely on his way out and the Kings would sign or trade for a veteran goalie. After his playoff showing Weekes earned the respect of the Kings management, which meant that Bryzgalov, whom the Kings paid grossly to bring into the fold, was on his way out. The Wheaties found an oppotunity to bring back long time Wheat King, one-team team MVP, and former Vezina winner, Roberto Luongo in exchange for Bryzgalov, giving the Kings likely their best goaltending tandem ever.
Likely changes: none, now.
PROSPECTS
The Kings have long used their draft picks for trade leverage, which has had the unfortunate effect of preventing them from stocking the cupboard. Despite their trade-induced deprivation, the Kings have had success drafting with what little they have had - their two first rounders, Steve Bernier and Nik Bergfors, are both solid pros and key components of the team even at their young age - a point coupled with the relative youth of their pro roster that relieves the general lack of talent in the system. No player is capable of stepping up now: Byron Bitz needs another year; Drew Stafford, Leo Tjay, Greg Moore, Jamie Howard and Erka Lepannen are more longterm projects.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRADE POSSIBILITY
I don't really have a player to use my contract extension on, so if you have a player entering UFA I would be willing to give you some picks or something for him before you loose him. That way you get something instead of nothing.
AND...
Congratulation to Matthew, who has finally claimed the cup after years upon years of careful management and guidance. I should also thank him for winning, since it makes my first round loss to his eventual championship team bearable. The Achaeans were definately a sleeper this year, but a careful perusal of his roster and the little gems here and there shows the careful and quiet work which Matt has done in building his team into a Cup winner. So congrats again, and it looks like the top echelon of the Western Conference continues to get more crowded - sleeper no more.
PR - Achaeans
Against seemingly impossible odds (with Cloutier in goal), and when no one seemed to give them a chance, the Ayton Achaeans won the TFHL cup.
This was the first cup win for GM Matthew Butchart - who had to this point only made the finals once before in TFHL as the Stormtroopers in
TFHL 8.
The Achaeans were seeded 5th overall in the West, and were always the road team throughout the playoffs. However, they never went past Game
6 in any of the series that they played in.
The Wheat Kings gave them their toughest challenge, taking 2 of the 6 games that they played against each other. The Wheat Kings will most
definitely be a good team this season, assuming that they keep their roster together.
After defeating the Kings, the Achaeans had the unenviable task of playing against the extremely talented Pain team. This seemed to many
as the end of their playoff run, since the Pain had knocked them off the past 2 seasons. However, the Pain were knocked out of the
playoffs for the first time, ending their series winning streak at 9 and denying them their "Ultimate Hat Trick".
The Flames were next opponent. The Flames had the Achaeans number all season, until now. It appeared that both teams were feeling the
effect of the playoff season, but the Flames seemed to suffer more, losing 2 key players during series (one to a suspension in the series
against the Ice). Due to this, the Flames were dispatched in 4 games, a result not fitting of a talented Flames team that surely was
disappointed with this result.
The Aces were the finalists of the Eastern Conference, and looked to be quite the force to be reckoned with. They had been getting terrific
goaltending from rookie sensation Barry Brust and Tim Brent had been playing fantastic leading into the series. Due to the length of the
playoffs, both teams were forced into using their backup goaltenders for fear of injury to either Cloutier (who finally won something for
someone) and Brust. In the battle of the backups, J.S. Aubin clearly won over Milan Hnlinka. This turned the tide in the series, and the
Achaeans were able to take the next 4 straight games in a series that appeared to be a battle of eventual attrition.
For the Achaeans, Elias played outstanding and should be considered for the Conn Smyth. He led the team in scoring, and was consistently
named as one of the three stars throughout the playoffs.
Sophomore LW and 2 time! Lady Byng winner Gregory Campbell also had a terrific post season, picking up where he left off during the regular
season. Big things are expected from this man for years to come.
Craig MacDonald, viewed as a mistake in Ayton as a preseason RFA pickup, played a very impressive post season. The Achaeans were
forced into giving up their 1st round pick this upcoming draft, but it appears that the gamble played off when it really counted.
Rookie Alexander Ovechkin, who will be a rookie next season, looks to be a future force as well, as he posted great numbers during the post
season.
The best surprise came from Clark Wilm in the final game of the season. He may have only played 5 minutes, but these were arguably the greatest 5 minutes in the history of hockey. He scored his first goal of the post season, short handed to put the Achaeans up 3-0 at
the time. After the Aces had tied the game up, Wilm scored his second goal of the game, on the power play in overtime. While he was -1, he scored these 2 goals on 3 shots, and had a hit to boot. All he needed was a regular strength goal for one of those rare cycle hat
tricks.
Ok, enough gloating about my team. I barely finished above .500 in the regular season, so now everyone will get a nice fuzzy feeling when they beat me this year. I'm looking forward to this season, and hopefully making the playoffs.
Matthew - I have no fancy pictures, since I lack the time and effort to find and doctor them like some have in the past.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Round 3 Predictions - by Tyler Young
Round 3 Predictions
Boy oh boy! man oh man! Well the Achaeans toppled the seemingly impenetrable citadel of Pain - no doubt it involved a wooden horse or something - and now the odyssey begins! With the Prez cupped 'Canes also taking an early trip to the links, the playoffs having suddenly become the most open I can remember since the old timey TFHL.
Spirit vs Aces
Two solid clubs which faced off in the first round of last year's playoffs. I picked the Aces back then to wallop the Spirit, and the Spirit ended-up taking it in five. Both of these teams have a good combination of youth and veterans - the Spirit's seventh game, overtime, series winning goal was potted by their fourth overall pick of a couple years ago, Dion Pheneuf, assisted by their other top 10 pick of that draft, Zach Parise; while the Aces are being capably powered by youngster Tim Brent. The Aces real trump card though is the potent Pavel Demitra. Despite winning, Barry Brust has been a liability, and the Aces have had an easier trip to the conference finals, while the Spirit have had to knock-off the top two teams in the conference to get there. Lalime is playing well and as long as the rest of the Spirit keep their Geist up, this should be theirs. Spirit in six.
Achaeans vs Flames
Well, imagine my pleasure at seeing the Achaeans knock-off the Pain - it's always a good thing when the team which beat you keeps the show going. That being said, the Achaeans will have a heck of a challenge in getting by the Flames: Jose Theodore, acquired mid-season from the Blades for a thank you card, is playing incredible and, besides Jose, the Flames are firing on all cylinders - with such going on they ought to be a safe bet to win it all. However, I'm going to take a flyer here and put my money on the Achaeans: they aren't exactly Achilles, indeed the Flames have a few sons of Pellas while the Achaeans are stuck with your average, run-of-the-mill type heroes, but sometimes you just have to cheer for the seeming underdog. Besides you don't knock-off the Pain with peanuts. Achaeans in seven.
Boy oh boy! man oh man! Well the Achaeans toppled the seemingly impenetrable citadel of Pain - no doubt it involved a wooden horse or something - and now the odyssey begins! With the Prez cupped 'Canes also taking an early trip to the links, the playoffs having suddenly become the most open I can remember since the old timey TFHL.
Spirit vs Aces
Two solid clubs which faced off in the first round of last year's playoffs. I picked the Aces back then to wallop the Spirit, and the Spirit ended-up taking it in five. Both of these teams have a good combination of youth and veterans - the Spirit's seventh game, overtime, series winning goal was potted by their fourth overall pick of a couple years ago, Dion Pheneuf, assisted by their other top 10 pick of that draft, Zach Parise; while the Aces are being capably powered by youngster Tim Brent. The Aces real trump card though is the potent Pavel Demitra. Despite winning, Barry Brust has been a liability, and the Aces have had an easier trip to the conference finals, while the Spirit have had to knock-off the top two teams in the conference to get there. Lalime is playing well and as long as the rest of the Spirit keep their Geist up, this should be theirs. Spirit in six.
Achaeans vs Flames
Well, imagine my pleasure at seeing the Achaeans knock-off the Pain - it's always a good thing when the team which beat you keeps the show going. That being said, the Achaeans will have a heck of a challenge in getting by the Flames: Jose Theodore, acquired mid-season from the Blades for a thank you card, is playing incredible and, besides Jose, the Flames are firing on all cylinders - with such going on they ought to be a safe bet to win it all. However, I'm going to take a flyer here and put my money on the Achaeans: they aren't exactly Achilles, indeed the Flames have a few sons of Pellas while the Achaeans are stuck with your average, run-of-the-mill type heroes, but sometimes you just have to cheer for the seeming underdog. Besides you don't knock-off the Pain with peanuts. Achaeans in seven.
Aces - PR
Aces Prepare for Conference Final
By: Phil Erup, Chepstow Times
By: Phil Erup, Chepstow Times
After stumbling into the playoffs following a lackluster second half of the season, many are surprised that the Aces are still around to contend for the Conference title. And to make things more interesting, the Aces will meet the arch rival Spirit who eliminated the Aces in round 1 of last year's playoffs.
Coming off a big game 7 win against the heavily favoured Hurricanes in round 2, the Aces are going to have to expect the Spirit to come out firing on all cylinders in game 1. The Aces have the luxury of having a rested team, but with that rest comes the onus of having to regain the momentum gained when they sent the Clubbers golfing in 5 games.
The Spirit have made it this far with the stellar play of netminder Patrick Lalime, while the Aces have managed to win in spite of the below average performance of their rookie goaltender, Barry Brust. Can the Aces win? It will all depend on what happens between the pipes. If Barry Brust can get back to his heroic regular season form, and if the Aces' snipers can find a way to solve Lalime, then yes. If not, the Aces are screwed I'm afraid.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
On another note, one thing is for sure in the TFHL this season, and that is that with the Pain and Hurricanes defeated, Season 15 will crown a first time cup winner. Giddy Up!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
PR - Round 2 Predictions, by Tyler Young
Round 2 Predictions
Considering I at least got the right team in more than half of the round 1 series, I guess I ought to continue this daunting challenge with a look at yeat another round of playoffs (which are all rather time consuming, shouldn't we just give the cup to the Pain and get on with the off-season? ;))
Spirit vs Hurricanes
The two old time GMs will now go at it with the Prez Cup Canes taking on another late season surger. This should be a very good series, a lot of talent, a lot of cheap shots, but not a lot of excitement - like watching any NHL Eastern conference series. The Spirit, piloted by the respectable Patrick Lalime will likely take this series unless the Canes' power hitters run rampant. Spirit in seven.
Clubbers vs Aces
Both of these teams fooled me in the first round, winning against younger clubs. I liked the Aces once upon a time until they were decimated by the Spirit in the first round of last year, but their last round kind-of brought me back into the fold. The Clubbers are a good, sold, all-around club, lead by a king, but the Aces have five Jacks and an Ace up their sleeve. Aces in six.
Achaeans vs Pain
Well, having suffered the wrath of the Achaeans I ough to hope they will spread a little more pain and k.o. the two-time defending champ... not likely though, Pain in six.
Ice vs Flames
Fire and ice, hot and cold, opposites perhaps, but they are both rather dry - the masters of ho-hum, the Ice, take on the errant erratics, Flames. The problem here is if I say the Ice will win in seven, the Flames will walk over the Ice in four; if I say the Flames will walk over the Ice in four, the Ice will triumph over the Flames in seven - so who do I like more? hehe, perhaps I should entertain bribes... Flames in four.
Considering I at least got the right team in more than half of the round 1 series, I guess I ought to continue this daunting challenge with a look at yeat another round of playoffs (which are all rather time consuming, shouldn't we just give the cup to the Pain and get on with the off-season? ;))
Spirit vs Hurricanes
The two old time GMs will now go at it with the Prez Cup Canes taking on another late season surger. This should be a very good series, a lot of talent, a lot of cheap shots, but not a lot of excitement - like watching any NHL Eastern conference series. The Spirit, piloted by the respectable Patrick Lalime will likely take this series unless the Canes' power hitters run rampant. Spirit in seven.
Clubbers vs Aces
Both of these teams fooled me in the first round, winning against younger clubs. I liked the Aces once upon a time until they were decimated by the Spirit in the first round of last year, but their last round kind-of brought me back into the fold. The Clubbers are a good, sold, all-around club, lead by a king, but the Aces have five Jacks and an Ace up their sleeve. Aces in six.
Achaeans vs Pain
Well, having suffered the wrath of the Achaeans I ough to hope they will spread a little more pain and k.o. the two-time defending champ... not likely though, Pain in six.
Ice vs Flames
Fire and ice, hot and cold, opposites perhaps, but they are both rather dry - the masters of ho-hum, the Ice, take on the errant erratics, Flames. The problem here is if I say the Ice will win in seven, the Flames will walk over the Ice in four; if I say the Flames will walk over the Ice in four, the Ice will triumph over the Flames in seven - so who do I like more? hehe, perhaps I should entertain bribes... Flames in four.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
PR - Wheat Kings
Wheat Kings Season Review (Sept 1)
The Wheat Kings season can best be summed-up in one word: cursed. Despite making the playoffs, finishing fourth in their conference, fifth in the league, nothing went well for the Kings this year: standing on top of the league at the mid-point the Kings played below .500 hockey for the last part of the season and lost a lot of ground, over half their roster finished on the negative side of +/-, their goaltending tandem of Kevin Weekes and Ilja Bryzgalov collapsed in the most epic fashion and have left a most troubling question as to the competive future of the Kings, but perhaps most hurtful of all has been their bad fortune in trades - time and again the Kings would send-off a player playing well below his ability only to see that below suddenly come alive with his new time and perform beyond all possible expectations: Scott Hartnell, Martin Cibak, Andre Kostitsyn. This only compounded the pain being felt by the Kings as their own players were almost all to the man playin
g below their ability, the only player that in any way surpassed expectations was eighteen year-old Niklas Bergfors. Bergfors, the Kings first round selection (12th overall) in the last draft, was not expected to make pro, but because of his solid play ended-up playing sixty-four games and earning fifty-one points, at which ppg over the course of the full season he would have been at the top of the rookie-scorers and a very worthy Calder candidate.
Other than Bergfors though this season was a terrible disappointment to the Wheat Kings and GM Tyler Young recently went on record stating that he will try to make some significant changes over the course of the off-season. Free agency would be the most immediate option and with only about twelve million dollars tied-up for next year the Kings could definately throw their weight around there; GM Young also stated that trades are also possible with no King being untouchable, although core-players such as Dimitri Kazionov, Stever Bernier, Nik Bergfors, and Matt Jones would likely be somewhat more difficult to attain.
"We'll have to see what happens in the playoffs," Mr. Young said, "but after our last forty games I'm not expecting much. So yeah, expect a major overhaul: we will need to work on all our positions, defence - maybe deal one or two of our guys and bring in some other guys - forwards need some work, I'll see if I can do anything as far as trades, but we will need to add at least one more player - and goal, we need to pick-up a veteran, talented goalie so we have someone we can rely on."
The Wheat Kings season can best be summed-up in one word: cursed. Despite making the playoffs, finishing fourth in their conference, fifth in the league, nothing went well for the Kings this year: standing on top of the league at the mid-point the Kings played below .500 hockey for the last part of the season and lost a lot of ground, over half their roster finished on the negative side of +/-, their goaltending tandem of Kevin Weekes and Ilja Bryzgalov collapsed in the most epic fashion and have left a most troubling question as to the competive future of the Kings, but perhaps most hurtful of all has been their bad fortune in trades - time and again the Kings would send-off a player playing well below his ability only to see that below suddenly come alive with his new time and perform beyond all possible expectations: Scott Hartnell, Martin Cibak, Andre Kostitsyn. This only compounded the pain being felt by the Kings as their own players were almost all to the man playin
g below their ability, the only player that in any way surpassed expectations was eighteen year-old Niklas Bergfors. Bergfors, the Kings first round selection (12th overall) in the last draft, was not expected to make pro, but because of his solid play ended-up playing sixty-four games and earning fifty-one points, at which ppg over the course of the full season he would have been at the top of the rookie-scorers and a very worthy Calder candidate.
Other than Bergfors though this season was a terrible disappointment to the Wheat Kings and GM Tyler Young recently went on record stating that he will try to make some significant changes over the course of the off-season. Free agency would be the most immediate option and with only about twelve million dollars tied-up for next year the Kings could definately throw their weight around there; GM Young also stated that trades are also possible with no King being untouchable, although core-players such as Dimitri Kazionov, Stever Bernier, Nik Bergfors, and Matt Jones would likely be somewhat more difficult to attain.
"We'll have to see what happens in the playoffs," Mr. Young said, "but after our last forty games I'm not expecting much. So yeah, expect a major overhaul: we will need to work on all our positions, defence - maybe deal one or two of our guys and bring in some other guys - forwards need some work, I'll see if I can do anything as far as trades, but we will need to add at least one more player - and goal, we need to pick-up a veteran, talented goalie so we have someone we can rely on."
TFHL15: Play-Off Preview - By Tyler Young
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Rednex vs. Hurricanes
The biggest question of course is the sustainability of the 'Canes. Like the Wheat Kings last year the Hurricanes this year benefited from an incomprehensible rocket ride to the President's Trophy and like the Kings they may not have the muscle to hold their ground. On paper there is not a lot of difference between the two teams and this series could be a tight one, however the Canes do have the advantage of a long history of making it through at least the first round and have the grit to make it through this series, so expect them to at least limp through to the next round. Canes in six.
Spirit vs. Owls
The Owls are a worthy team, composed of a fair degree of skill and depth, which is enough to get you second in the East. The Spirit, like the Rednex, were Eastern surprise bottom dwellers at the mid-point and managed to climb into the playoffs over the course of the second half. Early season predictions had the Spirit among the cream of the conference and their team is still the same unit as then, so Owls beware! The second half is the real indicator of the spirit of, well, umm, the Spirit. Spirit in five.
Bobcats vs. Aces
GM Glenn Merkir did some interesting maneouvres over the course of the season, attempting to position his team among at the top of the East. His roster is definately solid now, but the question which needs to be answered is whether this squad has enough time to develop into a team? The Aces sort of stumbled in the second half of the season after a solid first half. The team is overall quite decent, but doesn't really have the 'it' needed to take it to the next level and Barry Brust may need some time before he can sing baritone and take this team into the deep play-ifs. Cats in seven.
Clubbers vs Saints
The Saints are looking good, especially after a series of well-healed moves and fortunate developements. They have a young squadron and (finally) a more-than-less reliable goalie in Roberto Luongo. Luongo, however, has a history of playoffs flops, while on the other hand the Saints have a long history of playoff upsets. The Clubbers are a solid club lead by superstar Jarome Iginla, but are somewhat questionable in goal. This series will be an interesting competition between two very well built clubs - the Saints are young and looking to prove themselves, the Clubbers are a team in their prime and looking to cash-in on their current state, going to be fun to watch! Saints in seven.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Renegades vs Pain
The Renegades played a solid season of hockey and were one of the surprises of the year, no doubt earning respect around the league. Tommy Salo, once much maligned, finally had the type of season which more than one GM has hoped and expected to get from him, pulling the Renegades into the playoffs. That being said, it would be easy enough in this situation to say that they have done themselves well and should just pack-up and go home, but they will no doubt stick around and hope for a few lucky bounces: they face-off against the TFHL powerhouse Pain, a team built for playoff supremacy and with fourth-liners twenty-three GMs in this league should envy. Pain in five.
Blackhawks vs Flames
The Flame recouped from an aweful season last year and finally did well for themselves, rising to second by playing consistent six hundred hockey while the Kings and Ice fell with late season slumps. That being said, it may not have been much of a reward in the end, for their consistency they draw perenial playoff pests the Hawks, a team which could well snuff the Flames. On paper this series will be a battle of goalies, Khabibulan and Theodore, but in reality this series will be a fight between the heart of the scrappy Hawks and the skill of the languid Flames. Hawks in seven.
Raiders vs Ice
Well the Ice certainly surprised us this season, dealing away their secret to playoff success, Martin Biron, plus their prime sniper Simon Gagne to the Bobcats in return for some interesting variables, none of which though can currently fill those two players sizable gaps - a fact demonstrated by the last twenty or so games of the season. The Raiders on the other hand played a solid season, carried by the impressive Evgeny Nabokov. However, Nabo is already tired from a long season (refreshed he could take the Ice), but as he is and given the long history of the Ice managing to win despite the odds, this series should be carried by the Ice. Ice in six.
Achaeans vs Wheat Kings
The Kings had a tragic season worthy of Homer, while the Achaeans are in transition with some solid youth in position to take over from the veterans. This series is going to be all about perplexity: both of these teams are legitimate contenders, but also legitimate losers - it all depends on what team shows up, especially in the case of the Kings. If you want to get the true jist of this series just look in net: the Achaeans have Dan Cloutier, never overly capable, but back in the Achaean's day he was by no means an impediment to the power of the Achaean onslaught; at the mid-point of this season the Wheatie's tandem of Kevin Weekes and Ilja Bryzgalov were atop the league in every significant statistic, nary a puck squeezed its way past them, but then in the last forty games both Weekes and Bryzgalov were as easy as bribing a Liberal, and the Kings had no chance of victory with the two of them in net. Hence this series is a mystery and who really knows what will happen, b
ut the Achaeans are the more reliable pick. Achaeans in six.
Rednex vs. Hurricanes
The biggest question of course is the sustainability of the 'Canes. Like the Wheat Kings last year the Hurricanes this year benefited from an incomprehensible rocket ride to the President's Trophy and like the Kings they may not have the muscle to hold their ground. On paper there is not a lot of difference between the two teams and this series could be a tight one, however the Canes do have the advantage of a long history of making it through at least the first round and have the grit to make it through this series, so expect them to at least limp through to the next round. Canes in six.
Spirit vs. Owls
The Owls are a worthy team, composed of a fair degree of skill and depth, which is enough to get you second in the East. The Spirit, like the Rednex, were Eastern surprise bottom dwellers at the mid-point and managed to climb into the playoffs over the course of the second half. Early season predictions had the Spirit among the cream of the conference and their team is still the same unit as then, so Owls beware! The second half is the real indicator of the spirit of, well, umm, the Spirit. Spirit in five.
Bobcats vs. Aces
GM Glenn Merkir did some interesting maneouvres over the course of the season, attempting to position his team among at the top of the East. His roster is definately solid now, but the question which needs to be answered is whether this squad has enough time to develop into a team? The Aces sort of stumbled in the second half of the season after a solid first half. The team is overall quite decent, but doesn't really have the 'it' needed to take it to the next level and Barry Brust may need some time before he can sing baritone and take this team into the deep play-ifs. Cats in seven.
Clubbers vs Saints
The Saints are looking good, especially after a series of well-healed moves and fortunate developements. They have a young squadron and (finally) a more-than-less reliable goalie in Roberto Luongo. Luongo, however, has a history of playoffs flops, while on the other hand the Saints have a long history of playoff upsets. The Clubbers are a solid club lead by superstar Jarome Iginla, but are somewhat questionable in goal. This series will be an interesting competition between two very well built clubs - the Saints are young and looking to prove themselves, the Clubbers are a team in their prime and looking to cash-in on their current state, going to be fun to watch! Saints in seven.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Renegades vs Pain
The Renegades played a solid season of hockey and were one of the surprises of the year, no doubt earning respect around the league. Tommy Salo, once much maligned, finally had the type of season which more than one GM has hoped and expected to get from him, pulling the Renegades into the playoffs. That being said, it would be easy enough in this situation to say that they have done themselves well and should just pack-up and go home, but they will no doubt stick around and hope for a few lucky bounces: they face-off against the TFHL powerhouse Pain, a team built for playoff supremacy and with fourth-liners twenty-three GMs in this league should envy. Pain in five.
Blackhawks vs Flames
The Flame recouped from an aweful season last year and finally did well for themselves, rising to second by playing consistent six hundred hockey while the Kings and Ice fell with late season slumps. That being said, it may not have been much of a reward in the end, for their consistency they draw perenial playoff pests the Hawks, a team which could well snuff the Flames. On paper this series will be a battle of goalies, Khabibulan and Theodore, but in reality this series will be a fight between the heart of the scrappy Hawks and the skill of the languid Flames. Hawks in seven.
Raiders vs Ice
Well the Ice certainly surprised us this season, dealing away their secret to playoff success, Martin Biron, plus their prime sniper Simon Gagne to the Bobcats in return for some interesting variables, none of which though can currently fill those two players sizable gaps - a fact demonstrated by the last twenty or so games of the season. The Raiders on the other hand played a solid season, carried by the impressive Evgeny Nabokov. However, Nabo is already tired from a long season (refreshed he could take the Ice), but as he is and given the long history of the Ice managing to win despite the odds, this series should be carried by the Ice. Ice in six.
Achaeans vs Wheat Kings
The Kings had a tragic season worthy of Homer, while the Achaeans are in transition with some solid youth in position to take over from the veterans. This series is going to be all about perplexity: both of these teams are legitimate contenders, but also legitimate losers - it all depends on what team shows up, especially in the case of the Kings. If you want to get the true jist of this series just look in net: the Achaeans have Dan Cloutier, never overly capable, but back in the Achaean's day he was by no means an impediment to the power of the Achaean onslaught; at the mid-point of this season the Wheatie's tandem of Kevin Weekes and Ilja Bryzgalov were atop the league in every significant statistic, nary a puck squeezed its way past them, but then in the last forty games both Weekes and Bryzgalov were as easy as bribing a Liberal, and the Kings had no chance of victory with the two of them in net. Hence this series is a mystery and who really knows what will happen, b
ut the Achaeans are the more reliable pick. Achaeans in six.
PR - Bobcats
CP - After the Bobcats first year disappointment of not making the playoffs, the team strived forward in the next years offseason bolstering the teams depth with some key acquisitions. After a TFHL15 season that saw a dominant team away from the friendly confines of "The Cage" and a disappointing performance at home, the Bobcats go into there first playoffs under the management of Glenn Merkir the under dog which may prove to be a blessing in disguise. The Bobcats first round match up are the powerful Aces lead by the solid goaltending of Barry Brust and solid players like Demitra, Roenick and Pallfy the Aces not only have a solid team all around but the experience needed in the playoffs. When GM Glenn Merkir was asked what he thought his team needed to do in order to move onto the next round of the playoffs he replied "Bottom line is we need all lines firing on all cylinders and solid goaltending the Bobcats have come accustomed to from Marty Biron. Its the teams chemistry that got us here and its up to those guys in the dressing room to win this as a team!!!". Big words coming from a rookie GM that seems to have all the confidence in the world in his coach, his players his TEAM!!
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