New-Look Titans Ready To Win

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After missing the playoffs for five straight seasons, the Helsinki Titans made some moves in the off-season in an effort to change that. Several big acquisitions come from the S91 draft class, which means the Titans will basically be opening up a two-year window of contention in exchange for selling off assets acquired through their rebuild.

 

The biggest pickups made in the early part of the off-season were Grimgor Ironhide from Davos and then Martin Kemp and Phillip Rave in separate trades with Malmo, and it appeared that young netminder Vladimir Trunov was set to become the team's goalie of the future. But in a recent development, Trunov was shipped with a package of depth players in a third trade with Malmo that brought in Jørgen Løvstrøm, whose brilliant S97 campaign was a big reason for Malmo winning the Victory Cup. Løvstrøm went 50-12-2 with a .934 save percentage and is a strong contender to win the Slobodzian, Campbell, and Shaw Trophies. It's undoubtedly a huge acquisition that gives the Titans arguably the league's best goalie.

 

Other off-season additions include forwards Theo Allard and Vanuza Kolesinska and defensemen Karol Lamb and Armas Jortikka as the Titans seek to make an impact on the European Conference. With longtime contenders Malmo selling and Riga's status uncertain - they still have top-end talent, but only 7 players currently on the roster - there is certainly an opportunity for a new team to climb the standings in the EU. Though the Titans may inevitably fall back into rebuilding mode after a couple of seasons with this new-look roster, fans are excited to see winning hockey and believe there is a chance to make some noise in the playoffs.