Not the Playoffs Yet

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Helsinki Not Over the Playoff Hump Yet

 

Helsinki -- Coming into the season, the Helsinki Titans had dreams of the playoffs. With two stars coming into the primes of their careers in Johnston and Ori, young sensations in Nezuko and Pearce, and an overall talent infusion on the roster, the hope was that they could make noise in the crowded middle of the European Conference. And for a while, it worked, with the Titans oscillating between fifth and sixth in the first half of the season.

 

But while the Titans could still hypothetically make the playoffs, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen this season. At 58 points and in seventh place, the Titans sit 6 points behind Warsaw in sixth and 8 points behind Moscow in fifth (and ironically just 11 points behind Riga in third). Couple that with shipping off Alex Johnston in a move aimed at the future, and the Titans seem to still be in rebuild mode.

 

"I was hoping for the playoffs for sure, so it's only natural to be a bit disappointed," Titans goalie Xavier Booberry said. "We've got the talent, but there's some close games we couldn't pull out."

 

Still, there's a lot of reason to be hopeful for the future, given the Titans' wealth of young talent in the VHLE and VHLM. And now with the Johnston trade, the franchise also has two first round picks in each of the next two drafts, setting them up nicely to either make a deal to win now, or keep building on that talent for a long future run.

 

"We'll get there, we've got the building blocks. I'm committed to the mission, but I also just want to win," Booberry said. "Maybe this year will still be our time, but I can't deny that I'm looking ahead a bit."