Team Mercenaries Breakdown

[FacePuncher 1,343]

 

Team Mercenaries, lovingly referred to as the Mercs, were always written off....that is, until they won a medal two years ago. Last year they spent a little bit of time in first place before taking eventual gold medalist Scandinavia to overtime in the quarterfinals. Can the Mercs pull off another Cinderella story, or will they fall short? This is the squad that @Gunner put together:

 

FORWARDS

 

Jory Rose - @Zero - Rose would have likely been on Team Scandinavia last year, but his production absolutely fell off this season. After an S49 that saw him finish 20th in points (26 G, 52 A, 78 Pts), 95 hits, and 51 blocked shots, Rose barely scraped into the top 50 in scoring. The Mercs are hoping that he can return to S49 form as he centers the top line.

 

Maxime Perron - @JumpierPegasus - On the other spectrum of Rose, Perron had a fairly disappointing S49 campaign with Cologne, but this season he had a very nice rebound year with Helsinki. He upped his points, hits, and shot blocks, and fans are hoping that he will continue this improvement on the top line.

 

Jace Hines - @HF92 - Hines is a major sniper, scoring 25 goals last season and 21 the season before. Before he relied on strength, racking up goals and hits, but as his strength started to wane, he has started to rely on his wrist shot more, lowering his hits but actually raising his goal totals. He will be on the top line for the Mercs.

 

Sven Wolf - @Banackock - After transitioning from goalie to skater this year, Sven Wolf showed us two things: he's great at winning faceoffs, and he has elite playmaker potential. He is a huge piece of the Bears rebuild and should improve rapidly. Will that start in the World Cup as he centers the second line? Only time will tell.

 

Giovanni Reuel - @Glaciem - Last year Reuel got a full-time gig with the New York Americans and made the most of it, putting up 28 goals and assists. This will be his last chance to be in the World Cup, and he hopes to make an impact on the second line.

 

Asher Donovan - @Dangles13 - If you're skating up the ice with the puck, you better hope to god that Asher Donovan isn't out there with you. The league leader in hits as a rookie, Donovan is 100% unadulterated raw power, racking up goals, hits, and penalty minutes. He will be a vital part to the second line.

 

DEFENSEMEN

 

Pablo Escabar - @Mr. Escabar - Escabar is going to be the top skater on this team as he closes out his career. Escabar is a very sound defensive player, laying down a fair amount of hits, usually getting triple digit blocks, and has solid playmaking abilities. He will anchor the top pairing.

 

Thomas Duddy - @Duddy - Another defenseman who is ending on his career with Team Mercenaries, Duddy is cut in a very same mold as Escabar, but a little less physical. He will be paired up with his fellow vet on the first line.

 

Pavel Komarov - @Gooningitup - Can you pass, hit, and block shots while playing technical defense? Well then chances are you're on Team Mercenaries. Komarov fits this same build, but is much younger, giving the team some youthful energy. Kallio hopes that will make the second pairing very dangerous.

 

Nikki Kissanen - @linsangeles - The longtime VHLMer looks to make the jump to the pros finally, but he will start with a cameo in the World Cup. Kissanen has destroyed the VHLM at his year, leading the league in scoring and looking like an MVP frontrunner. He will be paired up with fellow S48 draftee Komarov in the second line.

 

GOALIES

 

Sandro Clegane - @JardyB10 - Sandro, the longtime Mercs starting goalie, may be in his final World Cup, and he is prepared to make it a great one. Once again the best player on the team, Clegane put up much better stats with Davos full-time this year. He will be the starter, but will it be his final time?

 

Dmitri Dadonov - @Daniel - The Helsinki Sensation, Dadonov was the legendary snub of last year's rookie of the year award. He saw his stats all rise slightly this year, great sign for the Titans moving forward. He will be the backup this year, but he could be the starter in the near future, either for the Mercs or Team World.

[Dangles13 373]

Keep your fucking head up!