Cologne Express - S91 Preview

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The Cologne Express are back-to-back VHLE champions and thanks to the good work of General Manager Sjin and Assistant Manager Fradin, they appear poised to put themselves right back in that conversation in S91.

 

There are more than a few key players moving on from Cologne this year, including Sjin, Keegan Gamble, and Eurydyka Sklowdowska Dudzinska - three of their top-4 scorers from the S90 playoffs - among others. But there are several key returnees, and the team feels they have adequately replaced the outgoing names too.

 

One of those key returnees is netminder Clark, the reigning Playoff MVP who sported a 28-23-3 record and 0.926 SV% last year before stepping his game up even further in the playoffs, going 8-2-2 with an 0.938 SV%. Clark was the VHLM's playoff MVP with the San Diego Marlins a year prior - he has established himself as a big-time winner and playoff performer, and will be instrumental in any three-peat efforts from the Express.

 

The Express' blueline looks very solid. The main returnee here is Jordan Bennett, a VHLE veteran entering his seventh VHLE season. Bennett had 47 points in 72 games last season, though he's just one year removed from an even bigger 88-point campaign with Istanbul in S89. Bennett has 432 VHLE games to his credit and has seen it all at this level. Marty Byrd @Marty_B is also back after putting up 19 points in 72 games as a VHLE rookie.

 

Bolstering the blueline will be another VHLE veteran, Swinsola, who has actually played mostly forward to this point in their career and is entering their fourth VHLE campaign, joining their fifth different VHLE team. Joseph Dubois has earned his way up to the E after a 77-point S90 campaign with the VHLM's Mississauga Hounds, and Lionel Collberg figures to play a huge role. The VHL first-round pick had 92 points in Miami last year and will almost certainly just spend the one year in Cologne, but it should be a good one.

 

There are eleven forwards currently under contract to the Express, so we'll see how the situation shakes down in regards to playing time, but it theoretically should be a strong, deep group. Al Land is the leader here as he enters his fifth season in Cologne. Land has 300 career points in an Express jersey and should put up a whole bunch more this year. After a 23-point rookie campaign in the E, Martin Kemp is poised to step into a much bigger role this season and is a very talented offensive player. In a similar vein, Brad Marchand posted 24 points in his own VHLE rookie campaign last season and is poised for a big promotion of his own.

 

As far as new guys go, look for Eric White Jr to make a big impact right out of the gate. White is a gifted goal scorer with a responsible two-way game, and he showed what he was capable of by laying waste to the VHLM last year (53 goals, 104 points). He will definitely be a big part of the Cologne offense this season. Fellow 100-point VHLMer Theo Allard is here too and is the most natural centre on the team. Joshua Schwarzer and Phillip Rave are two more point-per-game players at the VHLM level who are coming into Cologne this year. While none of the latter three are as assured of a big role as White seems to be, they're all very talented players who will grow into a bigger role and, by season's end, Cologne should be able to roll three extremely good scoring lines.

 

The Express have a number of high-profile VHL prospects from the S91 draft in Schwarzer, Collberg, Allard, and Rave - plus S90 first-rounder Kemp - and can probably expect to see Clark, Marchand, and White move on after the season, too, so there will certainly be some pressure on this group. There are a number of strong teams in the VHLE this year, and nothing will come easy, especially with the target on their backs that comes with being back-to-back champions, but the Express have a chance to win a third-straight Renaissance Cup - a rare feat indeed in any of the three VHL-affiliated hockey leagues. It will soon be time to find out if they can put on the finishing touches and become a true dynasty.