Chicago Phoenix and George Richmond Great Starts to the Season

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Chicago Phoenix and George Richmond Great Starts to the Season

 

 

Chicago Phoenix on Fire Early

 

The Chicago Phoenix have started off the season 5-2-1, a very solid start to the season and find themselves second in NA currently. On paper, this will be Chicago's best roster they've put together and they need to do some serious damage in the playoffs, otherwise, the team's future could be in question. With lots of players not having contracts after this season, it's do or die for the Phoenix where they will either rise to the occasion, or burn into ashes. "The pressure is for sure on, we need to show up this season," said GM Cole H. They know that no matter what, they have to at least win a series with the ultimate goal being the cup at the end of the season. Led by star defenseman YaBoi Oven, the team looks destined to make some noise in the playoffs and finally win a series under Cole H. Last season, they came back down 3-1 against Seattle, only to lose Game 7. A lot of players from that team are returning though, as Chicago didn't make many big moves in the off-season. With the departure of UghSike, they were able to bring in better depth in Laakkonen, who has been fantastic so far for the team, dropping 10 points in 8 games played. We'll see what they're going to bring come playoff time, but playoffs shouldn't be a guarantee as NA is stacked.

 

George Richmond Goalscoring Machine

 

George Richmond is heading into his third season where he should be able to finally make some noise. In the past two seasons, Richmond has failed to break the point-per-game mark, however, his playoff performance last year helped him ink a two year extension with the Moscow Menace. Richmond put up 25 points in 21 games played with a +10 on route to the cup last season, so the extension was warranted as the young center seems to finally be honing his game. Just 9 games into the season, Richmond already has 7 goals, with 12 points and a +1. On top of that, he's already had a 4 goal game and seems destined to break his career high in goals with 35. However, one thing seems to plague Richmond his entire career, where he starts off extremely hot in the first half, then becomes a ghost in the second half of the regular season. Many analysts have attributed it to conditioning, as Richmond is playing over 25 minutes a night as a forward, which can tire out players extremely fast. In the off-season, Richmond trained on his cardio and conditioning, hoping to be able to stop the slump in the second half of the season. Regardless, Richmond will have to play a bigger role this season if Moscow wants to repeat. With the departure of Axle Gunner, the team is going to need someone to step up and be their main man, which Richmond is primed to do. If he's able to help lead Moscow to yet another deep playoff run, he could be a very big piece for Moscow for a long time to come.