S85 Pre-Season Rankings

[DMaximus 1,046]

S85 Pre-Season Rankings

 

Last season I wrote a media spot with my pre-season rankings. I enjoyed making the article, so I figured why not have another go at it.

In addition to the rankings, I used tiers last season. This season many teams are pretty close in talent. It was tough to make meaningful tiers. So, no tiers.

I know the season is already underway, but you’ll have to trust me that I made this order before the season started. Actually you can probably figure that out once you see the ratings.

 

16) Riga

Last Season: My Prediction 9^th. Finished 6^th.  

I give Riga props for fielding a full roster, even if it is mainly comprised of players who wouldn’t start on most VHLE and even some VHLM teams. Riga is mainly composed of aging players who haven’t updated their skills in a while. They’ll stay at the same level all season while the rest of the league gets better. Not a good recipe for success.

 

15) Prague

Last Season: My Prediction 16^th. Finished 16^th.

Prague’s best days are in front of them. Aging in some areas, young in others, Prague’s roster won’t strike fear into too many opponents. What will strike fear is their prospect pool and future draft pics. At least they have a great goalie.

 

14) Helsinki

Last Season: My Prediction 3^rd. Finished 4^th.

I placed Helsinki so high last season because of their goalie Xavier Booberry @CowboyinAmerica. They’re still on the team, so why the big drop? Look at the remainder of the roster. Outside of a couple of players, Helsinki is lacking in talent.

 

13) Los Angeles

Last Season: My Prediction 14^th. Finished 13^th.

I think Los Angeles’ similar ranking to last season speaks to the strength of the rest of the league, rather than a deficiency with the Stars. L.A. has a bona fide star in Sirdsvaldis Miglaskems @FrostBeard and some good young talent in places. If there was a team on this list that I think could be the most off from where I place them, it’s L.A. They have a chance to finish much better than where I am putting them.

 

12) London

Last Season: My Prediction 10^th. Finished 11^th.

London has a solid roster up and down. Their unproven goaltending and lack of an offensive star, or even really a clear top line, are the causes for concern.

 

11) Toronto

Last Season: My Prediction 5^th. Finished 8^th.

The retirement of Paul Atreides @Mr_Hatter leaves a hole in this roster that doesn’t appear to have been filled. They have a nice top line, but will someone step up and be the leader of the team? Until someone does, Toronto might find themselves on the outside of the playoffs, looking in.

 

10) Malmo

Last Season: My Prediction 15^th. Finished 14^th.

Malmo struggled last season because they were so young. With a season of experience under their belt, Malmo should make some good strides forward this season. I still think they’re a year or two away from making it to the top of this list, but they’ll get there if they stay on the same path they’re on.

 

9) Seattle

Last Season: My Prediction 7^th. Finished 3^rd.

I undervalued Seattle last season and it appears I’m doing the same thing this season. Unfortunately, I just can’t convince myself to rank them higher. They have a great top line, but the lack of depth and young goaltending are what I see holding them back. But look, one thing Seattle has shown time and again is to not underestimate them.

 

New York

Last Season: My Prediction 13^th. Finished 12^th.

New York has a great balance on their roster. Young, old, experience, leadership, it’s all there. Really the type of group you can see banding together and making a run when it matters most.

 

7) D.C.

Last Season: My Prediction 1^st. Finished 2^nd.

I said this earlier in the article, but it bears repeating. D.C. is ranked here not because they are all that much worse than last year. It’s just the rest of the teams in the league got better. I think D.C. fans should be excited for this season, they might not be on the top of the conference, but they’ll be right in the thick of it at the end of the season.

 

6) Chicago

Last Season: My Prediction 11^th. Finished 7^th.

I went back and forth between ranking Chicago or D.C. higher. Ultimately the reason I ranked Chicago higher is because of their talent goaltender, Cole Pearce @N0HBDY I think he’ll pull out a couple wins this season for Chicago, which will keep them ahead of D.C.

 

5) H.C. Davos

Last Season: My Prediction 6^th. Finished 10^th.

There’s not a lot of separation between these last 5 teams. Davos has a great roster up and down. I probably should rank them 3 or 4. But they’re getting 5^th because I messed up their prediction last season by overvaluing them. Davos will need to prove to me they’re really ready for the big stage before they get ranked there.

 

4) Warsaw

Last Season: My Prediction 8^th. Finished 5^th.

Although they finished 5^th in the regular season, Warsaw went on to win the Cup in the playoffs. Warsaw looks ready to defend their championship. The only thing that might hold them back is a slight lack of depth, but they should be able to handle that as they defend their championship.

 

3) Calgary

Last Season: My Prediction 2^nd. Finished 9^th.

Speaking of overvaluing/underperforming, we have Calgary. I thought Calgary were due for great things last season, they disagreed with me. I think Calgary is in a very similar position this year. They have a great looking roster, are they ready for greatness this season?

 

2) Moscow

Last Season: My Prediction 4^th. Finished 1^st.

Moscow easily won the Victory Cup for best Regular Season record for the 2^nd consecutive season last year. You would think that would give them the nod into 1^st for these rankings. And you could make some very strong arguments for why they should be first. I placed them second because I just like the look of the first ranked team a little more.

 

1) Vancouver

Last Season: My Prediction 12^th. Finished 15^th

No contest for the biggest jump from last season to this season. Vancouver turned an aging roster with weak talent into a powerhouse in just one offseason. Bravo! We’ll see how it all plays out, but Vancouver has strength in all areas and should cause problems for all other teams.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read. Until next season, take care!

[Garsh 1,195]

[BOOM 8,818]

[DMaximus 1,046]

Week 2 claim.