Leading The Pack 17 Games In

[Exlaxchronicles 415]

      Leading The Pack 17 Games In.
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          THE CALGARY WRANGLERS    

The Wranglers have taken top spot in the standings at this moment and are a team with one of the best goalies in the league in  Norris Stopko. His game is elevated due to having players like Mats Johnson direct traffic in the defensive zone.
The club has one of the better defensive corps as a whole.

Not having as much depth as some of the other clubs like Dynamo, none the less the Wranglers have some high profile members on their team.

They're strongest on the right side ever since Keaton Louth was moved from defense to wing joining Niko Bogdanovic bring a one two punch along that wing. Louth hasn't let the club down proving he's more than comfortable playing forward and has taken over first line duties away from Bogdanovic.

After star player Jason Canmore the center position thins out . Johannes Vihjalmsson is the only other center who is solid if unspectacular.

Where the club needs the most help would be on leftwing. If either Oyorra Arroya or Evan Lawson are able to amp it up a notch and keep improving on their skills, it just might help give the team that boost to propel them one step closer to winning it all.

     
                   HELSINKI TITANS

At second place in the league the Titan's have possibly the deepest roster when it comes to depth. They are well stocked at the center position with four offensive players. 
The wings are thin depth wise so it may be in their best interest to move some of that talent to either wing for a well balanced offensive attack. 

As it is, Helsinki already have the most potent scoring by leading the league offensively with 69 goals against opposing teams and having a strong defensive core led by Aye Aye Ron and young net minder Marcus King, they are a formidable team to play against.
Look for the Titans once again to be fighting for top stop come seasons end.
                   
               

                        HC DYNAMO

Currently sitting third over all in the standings we have the HC Dynamo. Leading the pack is super star Gabriel McAllister. He leads his team and is fifth in scoring, three points behind Mattias Forsberg for the league lead.

Behind McAllister is a solid supporting cast with most of the depth at center and the back end. 

Bassolino could probably stand to benefit a move to the right side to add a little more offense there, as he isn't producing as much as Charm and Axellsson are at the center position.

The team is solid on defense with three capable players having Kane lead the charge behind the blue line. They generate quite a fair amount offense from the back end so Dynamo is capable of scoring down low and from the blue line.

Lastly,  between the pipes is Shawn Brodeur, a young and exciting goalie who is fun to watch. He's coming into his own and is only going to get better as he gains more experience with the club.

               NEW YORK AMERICANS

Situated at fourth position in the standings are the American's who looking to try and make a repeat of last years success and over come their heart breaking loss in the playoffs.

When it comes to New York's depth, not a lot has changed from last years club that made the finals. Management is banking on the success of last year, hoping it will carry over to this season.

Having Bo Boeser retiring at the end of last season, they brought in David Kiaskov whom they hoped would be able to fill in with Boesers departure. At this point in time Kiaskov has some big shoes to fill. If the Americans are looking to repeat last years success, he needs to pick his game up to a higher level.

Another forward recently acquired was Daring Do. Hopefully he can add some depth to the clubs line up.

The team has a solid one two punch up front and two strong defenders in Colton Rayne and Casey Jones. And with a sound Ike Arkander in the net, the club has the potential to be fighting for first in the standings.

Players like Savard and Kiaskov have to pick it up a notch it the team expects a repeat of last years success. 

This may be the last year to make a run of it before the rebuild draft. The American's will be needing to focus on the future in the coming years.

                 THE QUEBEC MEUTE

The Meute are in the stages of a rebuild having sent away former members such as Keaton Louth, Adam Warlock and David Kiaskov to competitive teams.

As far as depth goes for the Meute they have relied on the draft to replenish theclub and stock the shelves. GM Beavis has done a masterful job of acquiring picks, trading up in the draft standings.

Drafting players such as Bryce Shields, goalie Tristan Iseault, Samuel Gate and Beau Louth the future of the club seems bright.

With veteran player Lavar Ball taking on the lead and an up and coming promising young cast, look to see the Quebec Meute compete within the next couple if seasons.

It's too early in the season to make predictions on which team will come out on top but expect the top four teams to be jockeying for first place, with a possibility of the Helsinki Titans grabbing the over all first place position.

Can the Wrangler's top line continue to carry the club offensively while the defensive core bolsters the back end supporting Stopko? We will see as the season continues.

Helsinki has the ability to produce with all the talent they have. As a club, they're solid all around and odds are in the teams favor to win the cup.

Talent wise you can expect the Dynamo to battle neck and neck with the Wrangler's for second position in league standings.
While Calgary has more high caliber players, HC's depth may just be enough to over come the Wrangler's and push them ahead in the standings.

New York has the talent to fight for a top three standing, but the club needs more consistent production from a few of the players. If this happens, you can expect the team to be fighting to be top dog this season.
As it stand's now, New York will have to battle it out with the Meute whom are playing well with what they have.

Quebec is a few seasons away and the playoffs are a reality. This is a team on the rise and you expect that trend to continue.

Word count: 1115.
( claim for the week June 17-24 and for June 25-July1st.)

Holy fuck that took awhile.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Exlaxchronicles