CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL, CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS UNDERWAY, DUBNYK PUTTING NUTS ON THE TABLE
BOSTON, MA—There won't be any more underdog upsets this year, as two of the top three seeds have punched their tickets to the 2015 WHL Championship. This is the first championship appearance for both the Portland Pints and Altoona Angry Beavers, who emerged triumphant in their respective semifinal showdowns against Sparta Praha and the defending champion California Kwijibos.
Altoona and California entered the final day of last week's match up separated by less than eight points. The Pints, meanwhile, began the final day of their semifinal series with a 30-point edge and didn't look back. After seeking back-to-back titles for the first time since Lokomotiv Yukon (now the CHEEFS) in 2012 and 2013, California will have to settle for a third-place thrown down with the Spartans.
On the total points front, Portland started the final day of the playoff quarterfinals just 36 points behind top-ranked Beantown. The Pints have been steadily closing the gap since trailing Beantown by roughly 270 points in late January. While the sting of an early exist is still fresh for Ball Busters GM Nathan Asdourian, there is still a $200 prize up for grabs if his team can rekindle some of its mojo from December and January when they looked downright untouchable.
Three of the four Consolation quarterfinal match ups entered Sunday with teams separated by less than ten points, but experience won out in the end. Les Canadiens de Montreal and CSKA Moscow--two of the WHL's Original Six franchises--dispatched the West Palm Beach Ranges and New Jersey Wall Flowers en route to berths in the consolation semifinals.
The black sheep of last week was a spirited affair against Saginaw and the suddenly hopped-up Boston Beernuts. Save for Portland, Boston outscored every other team across both playoff brackets, thanks in large part to the superb play of Devan Dubnyk. Through four starts last week, Dubnyk allowed just five goals and racked up 31.2 fantasy points, which just so happens to mirror Boston's margin of victory over the Spirit.
In case that wasn't enough good ju-ju for Boston, the Beernuts will be in great shape come September. In addition to its own first rounder, Boston also owns the top pick of their semifinal opponent, the Wolfsburg Vipers. Boston is guaranteed at least the 2nd overall pick regardless of how the remaining two rounds shake out, and barring any offseason trades, Mastrangelo will approach the podium with two of the top four picks.
Both playoff brackets conclude on Saturday, April 11th. The Championship and 3rd place series will both run for the final two weeks of the season, while the consolation semifinal and final will go one week apiece.
Game on, and good luck!
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
BALL BUSTED
BEANTOWN BOUNCED, KWIJIBOS EYEING REPEAT, SEMIFINALS/CONSOL QUARTERFINALS UNDERWAY
BOSTON, MA—After a wild and tense opening round, the 2015 WHL semifinals and consolation quarterfinals are off and running. Last week saw the #1 seed suffer a first-round upset for the second time in the WHL's three playoff seasons. The inaugural WHL playoff bracket debuted in 2012 and then resumed in 2014 following a hiatus brought about by the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign. While this is just the first pair of back-to-back playoffs in league history, several rivalries are already alive and well.
Make it two straight years that the Beantown Ball Busters have met, and lost, to Sparta Praha in the quarterfinals. After last season's defeat as the lower seed, Nathan Asdourian's crew built themselves the largest home ice advantage in WHL history (22.9 points), but still fell short of their goal after mustering just two goals in 51 skater games. Beantown remains very much in the mix for the total points prize, although, second-seeded Portland has been steadily chipping away at the Ball Busters once insurmountable lead over the last month and change.
Portland and Sparta's semifinal showdown marks the third consecutive postseason meeting between the two commissioners. The benevolent dictators previously duked it out in the 2012 quarterfinals, and again in the 2014 semis. Both match ups were decided by less than 20 points, so it stands to reason that we're in for another war of attrition.
Rich Abbondante's Tayutic Team Rasta bowed out to Portland last week despite racking up the most assists among all playoff teams. Sixth-seeded Stuttgart actually outscored Altoona by two fantasy points, but lost out due to the Beaver's home ice advantage. A curious series of events unfolded last week involving Brian Elliott and the Northern CHEEFS. Two nights after Elliott posted a 25-save shutout, GM Kyle Hamel rolled the dice by benching Elliott in favor of Petr Mrazek. Elliott allowed just one goal in a solid 6.5 point start to Mrazek's 0.5. Two nights later during a pivotal Saturday night slate, Elliott returned to the Northern lineup, only to surrender four goals on 12 shots.
Two of the WHL's Original Six clubs--the Saginaw Spirit and Brooklyn Cyclones--met in the first round of the consolation playoffs. Saginaw was able to sneak through with 10 points to spare, but will need to elevate their game against a well-rested Boston Beernuts team. The Wolfsburg Vipers, meanwhile, now take aim at knocking off the Porter Pirates after dispatching the Mount Vernon Blades last week. This is the third lackluster finish in a row for Chet Merola and the Blades after placing 3rd and 5th, respectively, in 2011 and 2012. After a week's reprieve to heal some bumps and bruises, Porter, Boston, Montreal, West Palm, NJ, and Moscow have rejoined the consolation fray.
The defending champion California Kwijibos are looking to become the third team in league history to win back-to-back titles. Lokomotiv Yukon (now the Northern CHEEFS) most recently accomplished that feat in 2012 and 2013. Sparta Praha--vying for its fourth league championship in eight years--also repeated in 2010 and 2011. The Pints and Altoona Angry Beavers are in the hunt for their first championship victories.
Game on, and good luck!
BOSTON, MA—After a wild and tense opening round, the 2015 WHL semifinals and consolation quarterfinals are off and running. Last week saw the #1 seed suffer a first-round upset for the second time in the WHL's three playoff seasons. The inaugural WHL playoff bracket debuted in 2012 and then resumed in 2014 following a hiatus brought about by the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign. While this is just the first pair of back-to-back playoffs in league history, several rivalries are already alive and well.
Make it two straight years that the Beantown Ball Busters have met, and lost, to Sparta Praha in the quarterfinals. After last season's defeat as the lower seed, Nathan Asdourian's crew built themselves the largest home ice advantage in WHL history (22.9 points), but still fell short of their goal after mustering just two goals in 51 skater games. Beantown remains very much in the mix for the total points prize, although, second-seeded Portland has been steadily chipping away at the Ball Busters once insurmountable lead over the last month and change.
Portland and Sparta's semifinal showdown marks the third consecutive postseason meeting between the two commissioners. The benevolent dictators previously duked it out in the 2012 quarterfinals, and again in the 2014 semis. Both match ups were decided by less than 20 points, so it stands to reason that we're in for another war of attrition.
Rich Abbondante's Tayutic Team Rasta bowed out to Portland last week despite racking up the most assists among all playoff teams. Sixth-seeded Stuttgart actually outscored Altoona by two fantasy points, but lost out due to the Beaver's home ice advantage. A curious series of events unfolded last week involving Brian Elliott and the Northern CHEEFS. Two nights after Elliott posted a 25-save shutout, GM Kyle Hamel rolled the dice by benching Elliott in favor of Petr Mrazek. Elliott allowed just one goal in a solid 6.5 point start to Mrazek's 0.5. Two nights later during a pivotal Saturday night slate, Elliott returned to the Northern lineup, only to surrender four goals on 12 shots.
Two of the WHL's Original Six clubs--the Saginaw Spirit and Brooklyn Cyclones--met in the first round of the consolation playoffs. Saginaw was able to sneak through with 10 points to spare, but will need to elevate their game against a well-rested Boston Beernuts team. The Wolfsburg Vipers, meanwhile, now take aim at knocking off the Porter Pirates after dispatching the Mount Vernon Blades last week. This is the third lackluster finish in a row for Chet Merola and the Blades after placing 3rd and 5th, respectively, in 2011 and 2012. After a week's reprieve to heal some bumps and bruises, Porter, Boston, Montreal, West Palm, NJ, and Moscow have rejoined the consolation fray.
The defending champion California Kwijibos are looking to become the third team in league history to win back-to-back titles. Lokomotiv Yukon (now the Northern CHEEFS) most recently accomplished that feat in 2012 and 2013. Sparta Praha--vying for its fourth league championship in eight years--also repeated in 2010 and 2011. The Pints and Altoona Angry Beavers are in the hunt for their first championship victories.
Game on, and good luck!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
AND THEY'RE OFF!
WHL PLAYOFFS, CONSOLATION BRACKETS UNDERWAY, OVECHKIN HEADS TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
BOSTON, MA—You knew it was bound to shake out this way. The World Hockey League's 2014-15 regular season--widely regarded as the most tense and fiercely competitive season in its storied eight-year existence--fittingly took until the final day to lock down playoff seeding for its top eight franchises. As the gates open on the "second season" of twenty-fifteen, all 18 owners are left with a host of burning questions that only time can answer. Can California defend its crown with so many worthy competitors poised to steal it away? Who will win the right to draft Connor McDavid in September? Will Sparta pull off the biggest upset in league history? All riddles whose solutions lie a month beyond our grasp. The WHL playoff and consolation bracket run through the end of the NHL's regular season on Saturday, April 11th.
#1 Beantown Ball Busters vs. #8 Sparta Praha
Tale of the tape: I genuinely wish there was something new to report about Beantown. All they've done since October is compile the most fantasy points from goalies (thats wins, saves, OTL, the works), as well as the second most points from skaters. That's a formidable combination at no mistake, and a daunting mountain for 8th-seeded Sparta Praha to attempt to scale. The Spartans have plenty of pep talk fodder in the form of three league championships, but it will take one hell of a sling shot to spell this giant.
Beantown will win if: Their marquee players show up to play. Some injuries and platoon action have toned things down a shade in the Ball Busters net, but none of that will matter if ironman Braden Holtby can build off his most recent shutout. Sparta will win if: They get some major league help from the schedule, and hey, maybe a win from Mike Smith. Sparta will look to channel some Yukon-esque fortune, thinking back to 2009 when the flu suddenly struck top-seeded Mount Vernon's Henrik Lundqvist during the opening round, allowing 8th place Lokomotiv Yukon to sneak through en route to a league championship.
Keep an eye on: For Beantown--Milan Lucic, Henrik Zetterbeg and Kris Russell. Russell in particular leads the entire league in blocked shots, which could be a difference-maker if this series somehow gets close. For Prague, their hottest skaters, Stamkos and Gabe Landeskog, only play two games apiece this week, so they will have to make every shift count. Subban, Schneider and Hamonic will need to exceed their averages and then some to have a prayer.
#2 Portland Pints vs. #7 Tayutic Team Rasta
Tale of the tape: There isn't a hotter team so far in the month of March than the Portland Pints. Over the last two weeks, 12 Pints skaters have been averaging two points per game or better, compared to seven for Rasta. Portland far and away leads the league in fantasy points generated by skaters (+500 above league average), while Tayutic has posted a respectable 4th-most points from the same skater categories. In addition, Tayutic and Portland are the top two teams in the faceoff circle in terms of net fantasy points won on the dots.
Portland will win if: Nicklas Backstrom keeps doing Backstrom things and Craig Anderson joins the party. Do I really need to mention Crosby, Toews, Bobrovsky and Lehtonen? Guess I just did, but a less obvious key to success for the Pints will be the continued second wave of offensive production from Curtis Glencross, Matt Hoffman, and Mark Stone. Tayutic will win if: Cam Talbot keeps pumping out wins while keeping Lundqvist's throne warm, and Zidlicky, Trouba & Co. elevate their games in the absence of leader Mark Giordano.
Keep an eye on: Dennis Wideman, who "quietly" has been Portland's fourth most valuable skater this season, and Justin Abdelkader, who has been on a nice run since being acquired from Sparta. For Tayutic, look out for Jiri Hudler--easily his team's hottest skater over the past two weeks (averaging a robust 3.4 points per game over that span), and a top four producer on the season.
#3 Altoona Angry Beavers vs. #6 Stuttgart Scorpions
Tale of the tape: Apparently "Beaver Fever" can lead to prolonged fits of aggression and a muted sense of self preservation, as Altoona has racked up the most fantasy points from hits and blocked shots this season. The Scorpions, meanwhile, were the league's most productive team for the week ending March 15th.
Altoona will win if: Rinne and Fleury rebound from a lacklustre end to the WHL regular season (at least, by their standards). The Beavers score their share of goals, and leading in hits and blocks is certainly impressive, but the key to Altoona's success is between the pipes. It's been that way since October and should true even more in the playoffs. Stuttgart will win if: Jonathan Quick, Blake Wheeler and Marian Hossa stay scorching hot. Scorpions fans know that their club doesn't pack the same punch in net as Altoona (hey, Jon Quick is just one man), so GM Josh Deitell will need to lean heavily on his club's depth beyond the blue.
Keep an eye on: Scott Hartnell, who leads all Altoona skaters in goals over the last two weeks, and the Beavers defensive corps as a whole. They don't have one stand out guy--in fact, over the last 14 days, four of their key defenders have all tallied between 11-13 fantasy points. Also, with Patrick Kane sidelined with a fractured clavicle, Wayne Simmonds has become the pulse of this Altoona club. Stuttgart is dealing with some major injuries of its own. With Nathan MacKinnon done for the year and Tyler Seguin effectively playing on one leg, the spotlight grows even larger on Johnny Gaudreau, Only Blake Wheeler has scored more fantasy points for the Scorpions over the last two weeks than Johnny Hockey.
#4 California Kwijibos vs. #5 Northern CHEEFS
Tale of the tape: The defending champion Kwijbos goe toe-to-toe with the Northern CHEEFS--alternatively known as the Chefs because rookie sensation GM Kyle Hamel is always cooking up new trade ideas. Front and center in this one we have Carey Price, a logical (see: obvious) choice for league MVP at this point, pitted against Brian Elliott and Andrew Hammond, who has Hamburglar-ed his way to a 10-1 record at the most opportune time of the season. This series could swing either way, given that both clubs have averaged 140 fantasy points in each of the last two weeks.
California will win if: They score more points than Northern. Heyoo! In all seriousness, the Kwiji King shall emerge victorious if Logan Couture can regain his usual dominant form, and if Brayden Schenn has actually woken up from his long nap. Northern will win if: they can capitalize on Patric Hornqvist's untimely injury, as he's been California's top skater over the last month. Even more pivotal for the Cheefs will be the health of Evgeni Malkin, and continued Norris-caliber production from Kris Letang.
Keep and eye on: Marko Dano, the second most productive Kwijibo skater over the last 14 days. For Northern, watch out for Adam Henrique and Ryan Spooner, who quietly kept pace with the superior Jamie Benn and Ryan Kesler last week.
Meanwhile, in the magical land of consolation, the Porter Pirates, Boston Beernuts, Canadiens de Montreal, NJ Wall Flowers, CSKA Moscow, and West Palm Beach Rangers have earned first round byes after finishing the regular season as the WHL’s six most improved non-playoff teams. All six teams will slot into next week's quarterfinal round, but not before the following four clubs duke it out:
#7 Saginaw Spirit vs. #10 Brooklyn Cyclones
Tale of the tape: This opening round affair has the scale tipped in Saginaw's favor, which can mean a lot or absolutely nothing this time of year (yay, broadcaster speak!). The Spirit have topped 100 points in three of the last four weeks, while the Cyclones have hit that mark just once over the last six weeks. Bigger upsets have happened, but this one is GM Tom Lusty's to lose.
Saginaw will win if: Tuukka Time keeps on ticking for another week. In true money goalie fashion, Rask is strutting his best stuff at the most crucial time of the year, which is why he's one of the greats. Brooklyn will win if: Roberto Luongo fails to return to his opponents lineup and Antti Niemi and Steve Mason can capitalize. Both of Brooklyn's starters have posted a shutout in March, so the potential is there.
Keep an eye on: Saginaw forward Joffrey Lupul, who is searching in earnest for his first goal in the month of March. For Mike Zecca and the Cyclones, keep tabs on Kyle Okposo--a 2+ fantasy point-per-game player fresh who is fresh off the IR just in time for the main event.
#8 Mount Vernon Blades vs. #9 Wolfsburg Vipers
Tale of the tape: The only other consolation meeting this week appears to be a bit closer on paper, Looking at the season as a whole thus far, the Blades have a slight edge over the Vipers in total fantasy points derived from skaters, while the Vipers hold a similar advantage in point generated from goalies. More recently, though, Mount Vernon has scored fewer points in each successive week since netting a team-high 152.4 points in mid February. Mike Greeley's Vipers, on the other hand, have turned things around in a big way since a rough first half of February. As they say, timing is everything in the playoffs.
Mount Vernon will win if: Rick Nash and Vladimir Tarasenko can maintain their elite production into the postseason and if Cam Ward can steal at least two wins over a tough slate of games. Wolfsburg will win if: the stars align and his four backup goalies draw a few starts. Niklas Svedberg and Keith Kinkaid, in particular, look poised to see time against the lowly Sabres, which could pay off handsomely.
Keep an eye on: Bo Horvat, who has produced on par with Wolfsburg teammate Ryan Johansen over the last two weeks. For the Blades, this series could come down to GM Chet Merola and whether or not he continues to play with a short bench or make a few maneuvers on the wire.
Trade Deadline Roundup
Much like the NHL trade deadline, the WHL saw more action leading up to its deadline than on the actual day. Still, the one deal that did go down was monster. In the eleventh hour, les Canadiens de Montreal shipped All-Star Alex Ovechkin, Niklas Kronwall, and a 6th round pick in 2015 to the Northern CHEEFS for up-and-comers Tyler Myers, Brendan Gallagher, a 3rd round selection in 2015, and a 1st round pick in 2016. The move clearly gives Northern some extra teeth in its first round playoff battle, while Montreal is content to slide into the consolation bracket and fight for improved draft position. Northern GM Kyle Hamel continues to turn heads in his debut season. Mere weeks prior to landing Ovie, the Cheefs moved Henrik and Daniel Sedin to the Boston Beernuts for Andrei Vasilevskiy and the 1st rounder that was eventually used to fetch the Great 8. And a handful of weeks before the Sedin trade, Hamel doled out it’s own first round picks in the next two drafts to acquire Chris Kunitz and David Krejci. It’s cup or bust for the New Hampshire greenhorn.
The Boston Beernuts were busy themselves leading up to hour zero. Across four separate transactions between February 27th and Match 2nd, GM Joe Mastrangelo moved Sam Bennett, Brandon Gormley, Sven Baertschi, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Boone Jenner, Nikita Zadorov, as well as 1st, 3rd and 6th round picks for Brett Connolly (oops), Michael Frolik, Cal Clutterbuck, the Sedin Brothers, Tommy Wingels, and Antoine Vermette. Boston had plenty of young assets to trade, and many of their veteran acquisitions should receive keeper consideration in addition to the short-term boost for the consol bracket. Somewhat overshadowed by the monster Ovie deal and the Boston overhaul, Stuttgart and Saginaw pulled off an interesting trade of their own. Josh Deitell sent blue chip prospects Teuvo Teravainen and Adam Larsson plus a 4th round pick in 2015 for Alex Steen, Brent Burns, and a luxury beard grooming kit.
The Road Ahead
This year's playoff and consolation brackets are sure to keep us glued to our computers for the next month, but the action won't stop there. Once a league champion is crowned, owners will enter an important two week stretch before settling into the comforts of the offseason. The first week following playoffs will provide owners with a window to sign their RFA players that did not qualify for in-season signing. After that week is up, all unsigned RFAs will enter a week-long auction where owners will be able to submit offer sheets. Contract signing will be frozen during the auction, and original owners will always receive a chance to match the high bid. Full details are available in the official league rule book below.
Game on, and good luck!
BOSTON, MA—You knew it was bound to shake out this way. The World Hockey League's 2014-15 regular season--widely regarded as the most tense and fiercely competitive season in its storied eight-year existence--fittingly took until the final day to lock down playoff seeding for its top eight franchises. As the gates open on the "second season" of twenty-fifteen, all 18 owners are left with a host of burning questions that only time can answer. Can California defend its crown with so many worthy competitors poised to steal it away? Who will win the right to draft Connor McDavid in September? Will Sparta pull off the biggest upset in league history? All riddles whose solutions lie a month beyond our grasp. The WHL playoff and consolation bracket run through the end of the NHL's regular season on Saturday, April 11th.
#1 Beantown Ball Busters vs. #8 Sparta Praha
Tale of the tape: I genuinely wish there was something new to report about Beantown. All they've done since October is compile the most fantasy points from goalies (thats wins, saves, OTL, the works), as well as the second most points from skaters. That's a formidable combination at no mistake, and a daunting mountain for 8th-seeded Sparta Praha to attempt to scale. The Spartans have plenty of pep talk fodder in the form of three league championships, but it will take one hell of a sling shot to spell this giant.
Beantown will win if: Their marquee players show up to play. Some injuries and platoon action have toned things down a shade in the Ball Busters net, but none of that will matter if ironman Braden Holtby can build off his most recent shutout. Sparta will win if: They get some major league help from the schedule, and hey, maybe a win from Mike Smith. Sparta will look to channel some Yukon-esque fortune, thinking back to 2009 when the flu suddenly struck top-seeded Mount Vernon's Henrik Lundqvist during the opening round, allowing 8th place Lokomotiv Yukon to sneak through en route to a league championship.
Keep an eye on: For Beantown--Milan Lucic, Henrik Zetterbeg and Kris Russell. Russell in particular leads the entire league in blocked shots, which could be a difference-maker if this series somehow gets close. For Prague, their hottest skaters, Stamkos and Gabe Landeskog, only play two games apiece this week, so they will have to make every shift count. Subban, Schneider and Hamonic will need to exceed their averages and then some to have a prayer.
#2 Portland Pints vs. #7 Tayutic Team Rasta
Tale of the tape: There isn't a hotter team so far in the month of March than the Portland Pints. Over the last two weeks, 12 Pints skaters have been averaging two points per game or better, compared to seven for Rasta. Portland far and away leads the league in fantasy points generated by skaters (+500 above league average), while Tayutic has posted a respectable 4th-most points from the same skater categories. In addition, Tayutic and Portland are the top two teams in the faceoff circle in terms of net fantasy points won on the dots.
Portland will win if: Nicklas Backstrom keeps doing Backstrom things and Craig Anderson joins the party. Do I really need to mention Crosby, Toews, Bobrovsky and Lehtonen? Guess I just did, but a less obvious key to success for the Pints will be the continued second wave of offensive production from Curtis Glencross, Matt Hoffman, and Mark Stone. Tayutic will win if: Cam Talbot keeps pumping out wins while keeping Lundqvist's throne warm, and Zidlicky, Trouba & Co. elevate their games in the absence of leader Mark Giordano.
Keep an eye on: Dennis Wideman, who "quietly" has been Portland's fourth most valuable skater this season, and Justin Abdelkader, who has been on a nice run since being acquired from Sparta. For Tayutic, look out for Jiri Hudler--easily his team's hottest skater over the past two weeks (averaging a robust 3.4 points per game over that span), and a top four producer on the season.
#3 Altoona Angry Beavers vs. #6 Stuttgart Scorpions
Tale of the tape: Apparently "Beaver Fever" can lead to prolonged fits of aggression and a muted sense of self preservation, as Altoona has racked up the most fantasy points from hits and blocked shots this season. The Scorpions, meanwhile, were the league's most productive team for the week ending March 15th.
Altoona will win if: Rinne and Fleury rebound from a lacklustre end to the WHL regular season (at least, by their standards). The Beavers score their share of goals, and leading in hits and blocks is certainly impressive, but the key to Altoona's success is between the pipes. It's been that way since October and should true even more in the playoffs. Stuttgart will win if: Jonathan Quick, Blake Wheeler and Marian Hossa stay scorching hot. Scorpions fans know that their club doesn't pack the same punch in net as Altoona (hey, Jon Quick is just one man), so GM Josh Deitell will need to lean heavily on his club's depth beyond the blue.
Keep an eye on: Scott Hartnell, who leads all Altoona skaters in goals over the last two weeks, and the Beavers defensive corps as a whole. They don't have one stand out guy--in fact, over the last 14 days, four of their key defenders have all tallied between 11-13 fantasy points. Also, with Patrick Kane sidelined with a fractured clavicle, Wayne Simmonds has become the pulse of this Altoona club. Stuttgart is dealing with some major injuries of its own. With Nathan MacKinnon done for the year and Tyler Seguin effectively playing on one leg, the spotlight grows even larger on Johnny Gaudreau, Only Blake Wheeler has scored more fantasy points for the Scorpions over the last two weeks than Johnny Hockey.
#4 California Kwijibos vs. #5 Northern CHEEFS
Tale of the tape: The defending champion Kwijbos goe toe-to-toe with the Northern CHEEFS--alternatively known as the Chefs because rookie sensation GM Kyle Hamel is always cooking up new trade ideas. Front and center in this one we have Carey Price, a logical (see: obvious) choice for league MVP at this point, pitted against Brian Elliott and Andrew Hammond, who has Hamburglar-ed his way to a 10-1 record at the most opportune time of the season. This series could swing either way, given that both clubs have averaged 140 fantasy points in each of the last two weeks.
California will win if: They score more points than Northern. Heyoo! In all seriousness, the Kwiji King shall emerge victorious if Logan Couture can regain his usual dominant form, and if Brayden Schenn has actually woken up from his long nap. Northern will win if: they can capitalize on Patric Hornqvist's untimely injury, as he's been California's top skater over the last month. Even more pivotal for the Cheefs will be the health of Evgeni Malkin, and continued Norris-caliber production from Kris Letang.
Keep and eye on: Marko Dano, the second most productive Kwijibo skater over the last 14 days. For Northern, watch out for Adam Henrique and Ryan Spooner, who quietly kept pace with the superior Jamie Benn and Ryan Kesler last week.
Meanwhile, in the magical land of consolation, the Porter Pirates, Boston Beernuts, Canadiens de Montreal, NJ Wall Flowers, CSKA Moscow, and West Palm Beach Rangers have earned first round byes after finishing the regular season as the WHL’s six most improved non-playoff teams. All six teams will slot into next week's quarterfinal round, but not before the following four clubs duke it out:
#7 Saginaw Spirit vs. #10 Brooklyn Cyclones
Tale of the tape: This opening round affair has the scale tipped in Saginaw's favor, which can mean a lot or absolutely nothing this time of year (yay, broadcaster speak!). The Spirit have topped 100 points in three of the last four weeks, while the Cyclones have hit that mark just once over the last six weeks. Bigger upsets have happened, but this one is GM Tom Lusty's to lose.
Saginaw will win if: Tuukka Time keeps on ticking for another week. In true money goalie fashion, Rask is strutting his best stuff at the most crucial time of the year, which is why he's one of the greats. Brooklyn will win if: Roberto Luongo fails to return to his opponents lineup and Antti Niemi and Steve Mason can capitalize. Both of Brooklyn's starters have posted a shutout in March, so the potential is there.
Keep an eye on: Saginaw forward Joffrey Lupul, who is searching in earnest for his first goal in the month of March. For Mike Zecca and the Cyclones, keep tabs on Kyle Okposo--a 2+ fantasy point-per-game player fresh who is fresh off the IR just in time for the main event.
#8 Mount Vernon Blades vs. #9 Wolfsburg Vipers
Tale of the tape: The only other consolation meeting this week appears to be a bit closer on paper, Looking at the season as a whole thus far, the Blades have a slight edge over the Vipers in total fantasy points derived from skaters, while the Vipers hold a similar advantage in point generated from goalies. More recently, though, Mount Vernon has scored fewer points in each successive week since netting a team-high 152.4 points in mid February. Mike Greeley's Vipers, on the other hand, have turned things around in a big way since a rough first half of February. As they say, timing is everything in the playoffs.
Mount Vernon will win if: Rick Nash and Vladimir Tarasenko can maintain their elite production into the postseason and if Cam Ward can steal at least two wins over a tough slate of games. Wolfsburg will win if: the stars align and his four backup goalies draw a few starts. Niklas Svedberg and Keith Kinkaid, in particular, look poised to see time against the lowly Sabres, which could pay off handsomely.
Keep an eye on: Bo Horvat, who has produced on par with Wolfsburg teammate Ryan Johansen over the last two weeks. For the Blades, this series could come down to GM Chet Merola and whether or not he continues to play with a short bench or make a few maneuvers on the wire.
Trade Deadline Roundup
Much like the NHL trade deadline, the WHL saw more action leading up to its deadline than on the actual day. Still, the one deal that did go down was monster. In the eleventh hour, les Canadiens de Montreal shipped All-Star Alex Ovechkin, Niklas Kronwall, and a 6th round pick in 2015 to the Northern CHEEFS for up-and-comers Tyler Myers, Brendan Gallagher, a 3rd round selection in 2015, and a 1st round pick in 2016. The move clearly gives Northern some extra teeth in its first round playoff battle, while Montreal is content to slide into the consolation bracket and fight for improved draft position. Northern GM Kyle Hamel continues to turn heads in his debut season. Mere weeks prior to landing Ovie, the Cheefs moved Henrik and Daniel Sedin to the Boston Beernuts for Andrei Vasilevskiy and the 1st rounder that was eventually used to fetch the Great 8. And a handful of weeks before the Sedin trade, Hamel doled out it’s own first round picks in the next two drafts to acquire Chris Kunitz and David Krejci. It’s cup or bust for the New Hampshire greenhorn.
The Boston Beernuts were busy themselves leading up to hour zero. Across four separate transactions between February 27th and Match 2nd, GM Joe Mastrangelo moved Sam Bennett, Brandon Gormley, Sven Baertschi, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Boone Jenner, Nikita Zadorov, as well as 1st, 3rd and 6th round picks for Brett Connolly (oops), Michael Frolik, Cal Clutterbuck, the Sedin Brothers, Tommy Wingels, and Antoine Vermette. Boston had plenty of young assets to trade, and many of their veteran acquisitions should receive keeper consideration in addition to the short-term boost for the consol bracket. Somewhat overshadowed by the monster Ovie deal and the Boston overhaul, Stuttgart and Saginaw pulled off an interesting trade of their own. Josh Deitell sent blue chip prospects Teuvo Teravainen and Adam Larsson plus a 4th round pick in 2015 for Alex Steen, Brent Burns, and a luxury beard grooming kit.
The Road Ahead
This year's playoff and consolation brackets are sure to keep us glued to our computers for the next month, but the action won't stop there. Once a league champion is crowned, owners will enter an important two week stretch before settling into the comforts of the offseason. The first week following playoffs will provide owners with a window to sign their RFA players that did not qualify for in-season signing. After that week is up, all unsigned RFAs will enter a week-long auction where owners will be able to submit offer sheets. Contract signing will be frozen during the auction, and original owners will always receive a chance to match the high bid. Full details are available in the official league rule book below.
Game on, and good luck!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
CRUNCH TIME
WHL GMS WORKING PHONES, CHECKBOOKS DOWN THE HOME STRETCH, TRADE DEADLINE APPROACHES
PORTLAND, ME—As the final three weeks count down on the WHL regular season, more than half of the league's 18 clubs have at least a puncher's chance at cracking the postseason. No one is catching the runaway Beantown Ball Busters at this point. If the playoffs began today and Beantown's league-leading 520 fantasy points from goalies were cut in half, they would still be the #4 seed. If those points disappeared entirely, Beantown would only be ~20 points out of the final playoff spot. The other seven playoffs seeds, meanwhile, are very much in flux. The Portland Pints, Altoona Angry Beavers, and California Kwijibos appear destined to finish in the top four, but actual seeding remains fungible. 5th seeded Stuttgart and 8th ranked Montreal are separated by 70 points while 8th and 12th sit roughly 70 points removed as well, promising much leap-frogging and tough sledding down the stretch.
Vipers Loosen Coils
While most GM’s are playing things close to the chest, third year Wolfsburg GM Mike Greeley has made a conscious decision to sell, sell, sell his team's way into the consolation ranks. The Vipers shifted into full rebuild mode with a flurry of trades in mid February, reeling in three 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick and four promising young players--Morgan Rielly, Micheal Dal Colle, Matt Dumba, and goalie Alex Stalock--across four separate transactions. This infusion of futures came at a price, though. Gone are fantasy regulars Craig Anderson, David Krejci and Chris Kunitz, along with Jonathan Bernier and his highly favorable $19 contract for next season.
On the other side of these trades, the Pints and Scorpions shored up their goaltending by bringing in Anderson and Bernier, respectively. Once Anderson and Sergei Bobrovsky awake from their IR slumber and join Kari Lehtonen, Portland figures to have itself a stout trio of tenders for the playoff push. For Stuttgart, Bernier will provide a much-welcomed 1B complement to workhorse Jonathan Quick for the duration of the season and beyond. Meanwhile, the Northern CHEEFS, perhaps fueled by a desire to impress fans in their inaugural campaign, doled out its top draft choices for the next two seasons to make a run now. Steady production from Kunitz and Krejci will certainly help in that regard, but time will tell if Brian Elliott and an army of backups will be able to get the job done in net for rookie GM Kyle Hamel.
Signed, Sealed, Pending Delivery
In addition to owners swapping players and picks, we’ve also seen an influx of owners putting pen to paper. Six teams have signed a combined 27 contracts since in-season eligibility conditions were met (40GP for skates, 30 GS for goalies), with the Wolfsburg Vipers and Saginaw Spirit combining for half of those deals. Most recently, the Altoona Angry Beavers protected their future in net by committing a combined $229 to proven All Stars Pekka Rinne and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Boston Beernuts, meanwhile, threw big money at a red-hot, but ultimately less-proven commodity, Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk will earn a combined $188 over the next four seasons, just $10 less than what Portland's Sidney Crosby will collect over that same span. Speaking of The Kid, Crosby was the recipient of the WHL's first four-year contract back in January.
The most valuable contract as of 2/15 belongs to Frederik Andersen of the Beantown Ball Busters. Andersen will earn $17 next year, a $30 savings over his current price tag. In a similar vein, Mount Vernon Blades forward Valdimir Tarasenko and Cory Schnieder of Sparta Praha are currently delivering a $21 savings to their respective owners. In all, 104 players are under contract for the 2015-16 season, with an average savings of $1. 47 of the 104 deals (45%) are saving owners money, including 10 deals saving $10 or more. 18 contracts (17%) are neither saving nor losing, while the remaining 39 deals are losing money on next season due to on-ice performance, injuries, and the flat rate contract structure, which is designed to swap a short term loss for longer term savings.
Second Half Turnaround
The suddenly awake Porter Pirates are leading the way in the Most Improve Race, clicking at over 77% improvement since January 1st. Porter is followed by a pack of four teams—Montreal, New Jersey, Sparta, and Northern—which are rolling between 65 and 68% improvement in the New Year as of February 22nd. The Beernuts and West Palm Rangers are sitting right there as well in the 62% range, and could move up in a hurry. M.I. standing will be used to seed teams in the consolation bracket and to resolve draft order tiebreaker scenarios when teams are eliminated simultaneously.
Around the Rink
The Mount Vernon Blades currently own the most productive day of the 2014-15 season with +58.6 on 11/28/14*** This sounds about right: Beantown holds the top two most productive months of the season, plus three of the top five weeks. *** No goalie has more fantasy points than Boston's Devan Dubnyk over the last 30 days ***Vezina Alert--we all know Pekka Rinne is good, but 34-8-3 through 45 starts? I'm struggling to remember a more dominant regular season performance *** I thought it would be noteworthy to point out Alex Ovechkin's average of five shots per game over the last month, but turns out he's been doing that since October. *** Only three skaters have been hotter than the Great Eight over the last two weeks: Max Pacioretty, John Tavares, and blossoming Saginaw star, Anders Lee.
WHL playoffs begin Sunday, March 15th and run through Saturday, April 11th.
PORTLAND, ME—As the final three weeks count down on the WHL regular season, more than half of the league's 18 clubs have at least a puncher's chance at cracking the postseason. No one is catching the runaway Beantown Ball Busters at this point. If the playoffs began today and Beantown's league-leading 520 fantasy points from goalies were cut in half, they would still be the #4 seed. If those points disappeared entirely, Beantown would only be ~20 points out of the final playoff spot. The other seven playoffs seeds, meanwhile, are very much in flux. The Portland Pints, Altoona Angry Beavers, and California Kwijibos appear destined to finish in the top four, but actual seeding remains fungible. 5th seeded Stuttgart and 8th ranked Montreal are separated by 70 points while 8th and 12th sit roughly 70 points removed as well, promising much leap-frogging and tough sledding down the stretch.
Vipers Loosen Coils
While most GM’s are playing things close to the chest, third year Wolfsburg GM Mike Greeley has made a conscious decision to sell, sell, sell his team's way into the consolation ranks. The Vipers shifted into full rebuild mode with a flurry of trades in mid February, reeling in three 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick and four promising young players--Morgan Rielly, Micheal Dal Colle, Matt Dumba, and goalie Alex Stalock--across four separate transactions. This infusion of futures came at a price, though. Gone are fantasy regulars Craig Anderson, David Krejci and Chris Kunitz, along with Jonathan Bernier and his highly favorable $19 contract for next season.
"I'm selling high because a lot of my players have been on the decline all year,” said Greeley. “I was in this same spot last year and I did the opposite to barely squeak in and get eliminated anyways, which kinda screwed me for this year. So I'm trying this approach. I have a lot of young guys now as well as 2 first rounders and 2 seconds as well. So next year probably won’t be a huge year but the year after that I should be in good shape for years to come!”
Signed, Sealed, Pending Delivery
In addition to owners swapping players and picks, we’ve also seen an influx of owners putting pen to paper. Six teams have signed a combined 27 contracts since in-season eligibility conditions were met (40GP for skates, 30 GS for goalies), with the Wolfsburg Vipers and Saginaw Spirit combining for half of those deals. Most recently, the Altoona Angry Beavers protected their future in net by committing a combined $229 to proven All Stars Pekka Rinne and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Boston Beernuts, meanwhile, threw big money at a red-hot, but ultimately less-proven commodity, Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk will earn a combined $188 over the next four seasons, just $10 less than what Portland's Sidney Crosby will collect over that same span. Speaking of The Kid, Crosby was the recipient of the WHL's first four-year contract back in January.
The most valuable contract as of 2/15 belongs to Frederik Andersen of the Beantown Ball Busters. Andersen will earn $17 next year, a $30 savings over his current price tag. In a similar vein, Mount Vernon Blades forward Valdimir Tarasenko and Cory Schnieder of Sparta Praha are currently delivering a $21 savings to their respective owners. In all, 104 players are under contract for the 2015-16 season, with an average savings of $1. 47 of the 104 deals (45%) are saving owners money, including 10 deals saving $10 or more. 18 contracts (17%) are neither saving nor losing, while the remaining 39 deals are losing money on next season due to on-ice performance, injuries, and the flat rate contract structure, which is designed to swap a short term loss for longer term savings.
Second Half Turnaround
The suddenly awake Porter Pirates are leading the way in the Most Improve Race, clicking at over 77% improvement since January 1st. Porter is followed by a pack of four teams—Montreal, New Jersey, Sparta, and Northern—which are rolling between 65 and 68% improvement in the New Year as of February 22nd. The Beernuts and West Palm Rangers are sitting right there as well in the 62% range, and could move up in a hurry. M.I. standing will be used to seed teams in the consolation bracket and to resolve draft order tiebreaker scenarios when teams are eliminated simultaneously.
Around the Rink
The Mount Vernon Blades currently own the most productive day of the 2014-15 season with +58.6 on 11/28/14*** This sounds about right: Beantown holds the top two most productive months of the season, plus three of the top five weeks. *** No goalie has more fantasy points than Boston's Devan Dubnyk over the last 30 days ***Vezina Alert--we all know Pekka Rinne is good, but 34-8-3 through 45 starts? I'm struggling to remember a more dominant regular season performance *** I thought it would be noteworthy to point out Alex Ovechkin's average of five shots per game over the last month, but turns out he's been doing that since October. *** Only three skaters have been hotter than the Great Eight over the last two weeks: Max Pacioretty, John Tavares, and blossoming Saginaw star, Anders Lee.
WHL playoffs begin Sunday, March 15th and run through Saturday, April 11th.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
OPEN SEASON
SECOND HALF, MOST IMPROVED RACE UNDERWAY, PINTS SIGN KARI LEHTONEN FOR TWO YEARS
PORTLAND, ME—With 2014 in the books, World Hockey League owners are geared up for an action-packed second half. On January 1st the league kicked off its annual Most Improved Race, a mechanic that will determine seeding for the consolation bracket based on percentage of improvement in the new year. In-season contract season is also underway. Skaters and goalies become eligible for signing once they reach 40 games played or 30 games started, respectively, and new for this season--owners have the option to sign players for up to four years. The Portland Pints struck the first deal of the season over the weekend, penning Kari Lehtonen to a $117 contract ($58/$59) through 2016-17. There's certainly a lot to look forward to, but lets take a moment to review what went down in the final months of twenty-fourteen.
The Beantown Ball Busters refuse to mellow, and it doesn't take a forensics team to figure out why things are going so well for Mr. Asdourian. For starters, he currently has three starting goalies under his employ, plus another in Michael Hutchinson who could soon make it four. Beantown has racked up a league-high 56 wins along with just 17 losses, and leads the league in total fantasy points from both goalies and skaters.
Less obvious yet perhaps more impressive is Beantown's formidable depth up front and on the blue line. For every Getzlaf, Byfuglien, and Zetterberg doing their thing, players like Nikita Kucherov and Erik Johnson are exceeding their draft day expectations by a country mile. Kucherov is actually out-producing Zetterberg on five fewer minutes per night, challenging teammate and Calder favorite Filip Forsberg for breakout performance of the year. Meanwhile, Erik Johnson has been one of the hottest defenseman in the league over the past two weeks, a top ten option over the last month, and is on pace to eclipse his career best marks for goals and assists.
While the Ball Busters are off in a world of its own, the Portland Pints and Altoona Angry Beavers are locking horns in the 2nd and 3rd positions. Nicklas Backstrom, Martin Hanzal and Kari Lehtonen have been driving the boat for Portland lately, bolstered by an uptick in production from Marian Gaborik, Matt Calvert, and Marco Scandella. Meanwhile in Altoona, headlines continue to be dominated by Pekka Rinne and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Angry Beavers trail only Beantown in fantasy points earned by goalies.
A mere 50 points behind third place is where the race really opens up. Defending champion California (4th) and 8th-ranked Wolfsburg are separated by 100 points, with Stuttgart, Mount Vernon, and Tayutic all sandwiched between them, hungry for more. And it hardly stops there. Beyond the playoff barrier, five teams sit less than 120 points away from a playoff berth. The Saginaw Spirit and the Northern CHEEFS, in particular, are less than 30 points out. In all, 13 (arguably 14) of the 18 WHL clubs have a shot at making the playoffs, which feels unprecedented at the mid-way mark of the season.
No one is shooting the puck more than the Stuttgart Scorpions, thanks in large part to Tyler Seguin who trails only the incomparable Alex Ovechkin in total shots on net. ** Altoona has amassed the most "grit" points from hits and blocked shots, led by Brooks Orpik, Micheal Stone, and Dion Phaneuf. ** Beaver goalies have also posted a league-high nine shutouts, six of which belong to Marc-Andre Fleury. ** Portland leads the WHL in face-off differential by more than +50, which may have something to do with rolling out Toews, Backstrom and Crosby every week. ** Despite sitting in limbo between playoff hopefuls and teams destined to do battle in the consolation ranks, CSKA Moscow has generated the most fantasy points in the league from goals and assists by defensemen (DEF).
As you may have read, CapGeek.com has ceased operations due to the personal health of its founder and director. Horrible news all around--obviously on a human level, but also on the hockey information front. NHLNumbers.comseems to be an adequate resource for NHL cap and contract info, but CapGeek will be sorely missed.
GAME ON!
PORTLAND, ME—With 2014 in the books, World Hockey League owners are geared up for an action-packed second half. On January 1st the league kicked off its annual Most Improved Race, a mechanic that will determine seeding for the consolation bracket based on percentage of improvement in the new year. In-season contract season is also underway. Skaters and goalies become eligible for signing once they reach 40 games played or 30 games started, respectively, and new for this season--owners have the option to sign players for up to four years. The Portland Pints struck the first deal of the season over the weekend, penning Kari Lehtonen to a $117 contract ($58/$59) through 2016-17. There's certainly a lot to look forward to, but lets take a moment to review what went down in the final months of twenty-fourteen.
The Beantown Ball Busters refuse to mellow, and it doesn't take a forensics team to figure out why things are going so well for Mr. Asdourian. For starters, he currently has three starting goalies under his employ, plus another in Michael Hutchinson who could soon make it four. Beantown has racked up a league-high 56 wins along with just 17 losses, and leads the league in total fantasy points from both goalies and skaters.
Less obvious yet perhaps more impressive is Beantown's formidable depth up front and on the blue line. For every Getzlaf, Byfuglien, and Zetterberg doing their thing, players like Nikita Kucherov and Erik Johnson are exceeding their draft day expectations by a country mile. Kucherov is actually out-producing Zetterberg on five fewer minutes per night, challenging teammate and Calder favorite Filip Forsberg for breakout performance of the year. Meanwhile, Erik Johnson has been one of the hottest defenseman in the league over the past two weeks, a top ten option over the last month, and is on pace to eclipse his career best marks for goals and assists.
While the Ball Busters are off in a world of its own, the Portland Pints and Altoona Angry Beavers are locking horns in the 2nd and 3rd positions. Nicklas Backstrom, Martin Hanzal and Kari Lehtonen have been driving the boat for Portland lately, bolstered by an uptick in production from Marian Gaborik, Matt Calvert, and Marco Scandella. Meanwhile in Altoona, headlines continue to be dominated by Pekka Rinne and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Angry Beavers trail only Beantown in fantasy points earned by goalies.
A mere 50 points behind third place is where the race really opens up. Defending champion California (4th) and 8th-ranked Wolfsburg are separated by 100 points, with Stuttgart, Mount Vernon, and Tayutic all sandwiched between them, hungry for more. And it hardly stops there. Beyond the playoff barrier, five teams sit less than 120 points away from a playoff berth. The Saginaw Spirit and the Northern CHEEFS, in particular, are less than 30 points out. In all, 13 (arguably 14) of the 18 WHL clubs have a shot at making the playoffs, which feels unprecedented at the mid-way mark of the season.
No one is shooting the puck more than the Stuttgart Scorpions, thanks in large part to Tyler Seguin who trails only the incomparable Alex Ovechkin in total shots on net. ** Altoona has amassed the most "grit" points from hits and blocked shots, led by Brooks Orpik, Micheal Stone, and Dion Phaneuf. ** Beaver goalies have also posted a league-high nine shutouts, six of which belong to Marc-Andre Fleury. ** Portland leads the WHL in face-off differential by more than +50, which may have something to do with rolling out Toews, Backstrom and Crosby every week. ** Despite sitting in limbo between playoff hopefuls and teams destined to do battle in the consolation ranks, CSKA Moscow has generated the most fantasy points in the league from goals and assists by defensemen (DEF).
As you may have read, CapGeek.com has ceased operations due to the personal health of its founder and director. Horrible news all around--obviously on a human level, but also on the hockey information front. NHLNumbers.comseems to be an adequate resource for NHL cap and contract info, but CapGeek will be sorely missed.
GAME ON!
Friday, December 26, 2014
LEADER OF THE PACK
FORSBERG PACING ROOKIES, BEANTOWN, NEWBIES PAYING DUES, CONTRACT SEASON APPROACHES
PORTLAND, ME—With a quarter of the 2014-15 WHL season behind us, the standings are really starting to take shape. While the white-hot Beantown Ball Busters have built themselves a 100-point lead over second place California, those same Kwijibos are only 70 points ahead of 8th ranked Saginaw. Plenty of leap frogging will ensue given how fiercely competitive the top half has been so far. South of the border, so to speak, a handful of teams are a good night or two away from joining the playoff pack, illustrating just how many strong teams we have this year. Only four teams look to be at, or very near the point of no return. After 14th place CSKA Moscow, which sits 75 points out of 8th, New Jersey and West Palm are roughly 160 points beyond the grasp of that same target. Rounding out the standings we have the Porter Pirates, who’s owner has been MIA since October, and of course, the Boston Beernuts, who hardily continue Operation McDavid.
Unlikely Leaders
On a team stacked with the likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Andrew Ladd, and Dustin Byfuglien, it’s Calder frontrunner Filip Forsberg who’s leading all Beantown Ball Buster skaters in fantasy points scored. Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews being the top two scoring forwards for the Portland Pints is about as surprising as football on Thanksgiving, but how about Johnny Boychuk emerging as Portland’s top-scoring defenseman through the first quarter? Speaking of surprising d-men performances, T.J. Brodie is quietly leading all Wolfsburg Vipers skaters in fantasy points scored. Another unanticipated leader is Tyler Bozak of the Altoona Angry Beavers. Bozak currently leads his team in goals and fantasy points—no small task considering that he’s wearing the same virtual jersey as Patrick Kane, Dion Phaneuf and Matt Duchene. Meanwhile, Mount Vernon’s Vladimir Tarasenko has been out-dueling teammates Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron to lead his team on the fantasy points front, and trails only Tyler Seguin and Alex Ovechkin in total points among all right wing-eligible players.
Welcome to the Jungle
As impressive as Filip Forsberg’s start to the year has been, he’s hardly the only rookie to be making waves in the early going. Jori Lehtera and Johnny Gaudreau have provided key value to a Stuttgart Scorpions team who’s GM has long displayed a keen eye for young talent. Lehtera, in particular, has been producing points at a slightly higher clip than last year’s Calder winner (and fellow Scorpions forward) Nathan MacKinnon. Wolfsburg Vipers forward Tanner Pearson trails only Filip Forsberg in goals scored among rookies, while Saginaw forward Andre Burakovsky and Northern CHEEFs blue-chip defenseman Aaron Ekblad rank 4th and 5th, respectively, in totals goals and assists among rookies. Bolstering Portland’s impressive stable of veteran talent, Mike Hoffman and John Klingberg have been outstanding free-agent finds for Colin Smith’s Pints. Over the last 15 days, only Kris Letang and Alex Pietrangelo have racked up more fantasy points than Klingberg.
Defending the Keep
Fans of the defending champion California Kwijibos must be pleased with their team’s title defense thus far. While the Kwijibos have mustered the 8th most fantasy points from skaters so far this season, exceptional play from California veterans Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak has propelled their team into 2nd place in the standings. That’s not to say that California hasn’t received solid contributions from its skaters. When GM Paul Zeman drafted Patric Hornqvist 36th overall, ahead of more proven options like Joe Thornton, Bobby Ryan, and Martin St. Louis, Zeman clearly had a hunch that the Finnish forward was due for a big year. So far that hunch has been proven correct as Hornqvist currently leads all Kwijbo skaters in goals, assists, and fantasy points. Also, I am incapable of writing anything about the Kwijibos without mentioned Radko Gudas, mainly because I love saying Radko Gudas.
Tweakend Check-in
So far the off-season scoring tweaks are working as expected. Elite goalies are still dominating the Top 10—Tyler Seguin is currently the only forward in this group, however, Claude Giroux, Ovie, and Mark Giordano (!) are on the cusp of moving up. The 16-20 keeper “tax bracket” (see the value table in the keeper doc for all brackets) is packed with players—Crosby, Rask, Stamkos, Schneider, Tarasenko, that all have high potential to rocket up into more expensive territory. 21-50 is where the scoring tweaks are really felt. For example, Kari Lehtonen, Darcy Kuemper and Braden Holtby have all played reasonably well so far this season, but they aren’t automatically in the top 25 simply for wearing goalie pads. Instead, they, and other comparable goalies, are in the mix with skaters like Shea Weber, Patrice Bergeron, and Evgeni Malkin.
It’s Still a Goalie’s World
Swinging back around to the top of the player rater, Altoona’s Pekka Rinne has apparently put his injury issues behind him and is back with a vengeance. Rinne has posted a massive 15-3-1 record along with a 1.86/.932 peripheral split through his first 19 starts. Quick, Fleury and Price are more or less where you’d expect them to be (top 5), followed by another huge bounce-back in Ryan Miller. Miller Time may never live up to the gargantuan contract that Mount Vernon doled out at the last RFA auction, but he has poured it on lately with just one goal against and two shutouts over his last three starts. And Holy Toledo do owners love their goalies. Since lifting the player limit for all positions this season, most teams are carrying the standard 2-4, however some teams are rocking six goalies or more!
GMs Ready Your Checkbooks
It’s never too soon to start looking at player prices and to earmark prime candidates for in-season signings. Skaters become eligible for in-season signing once they reach 40 games played this season, or 30 games started for goalies, and as a reminder, you now have the option to sign players for up to four seasons. Another noteworthy refresher—there are two types of contract structures: The traditional escalating structure in which each year of the deal is higher than the previous one, or a flat-rate structure that uses a rounded average of the costs from the escalating structure. You can easily preview player costs under either format using the 2015 Keeper Costs doc below. Happy shopping and good hunting as we plow through winter and towards the new year!
PORTLAND, ME—With a quarter of the 2014-15 WHL season behind us, the standings are really starting to take shape. While the white-hot Beantown Ball Busters have built themselves a 100-point lead over second place California, those same Kwijibos are only 70 points ahead of 8th ranked Saginaw. Plenty of leap frogging will ensue given how fiercely competitive the top half has been so far. South of the border, so to speak, a handful of teams are a good night or two away from joining the playoff pack, illustrating just how many strong teams we have this year. Only four teams look to be at, or very near the point of no return. After 14th place CSKA Moscow, which sits 75 points out of 8th, New Jersey and West Palm are roughly 160 points beyond the grasp of that same target. Rounding out the standings we have the Porter Pirates, who’s owner has been MIA since October, and of course, the Boston Beernuts, who hardily continue Operation McDavid.
Unlikely Leaders
On a team stacked with the likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Andrew Ladd, and Dustin Byfuglien, it’s Calder frontrunner Filip Forsberg who’s leading all Beantown Ball Buster skaters in fantasy points scored. Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews being the top two scoring forwards for the Portland Pints is about as surprising as football on Thanksgiving, but how about Johnny Boychuk emerging as Portland’s top-scoring defenseman through the first quarter? Speaking of surprising d-men performances, T.J. Brodie is quietly leading all Wolfsburg Vipers skaters in fantasy points scored. Another unanticipated leader is Tyler Bozak of the Altoona Angry Beavers. Bozak currently leads his team in goals and fantasy points—no small task considering that he’s wearing the same virtual jersey as Patrick Kane, Dion Phaneuf and Matt Duchene. Meanwhile, Mount Vernon’s Vladimir Tarasenko has been out-dueling teammates Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron to lead his team on the fantasy points front, and trails only Tyler Seguin and Alex Ovechkin in total points among all right wing-eligible players.
Welcome to the Jungle
As impressive as Filip Forsberg’s start to the year has been, he’s hardly the only rookie to be making waves in the early going. Jori Lehtera and Johnny Gaudreau have provided key value to a Stuttgart Scorpions team who’s GM has long displayed a keen eye for young talent. Lehtera, in particular, has been producing points at a slightly higher clip than last year’s Calder winner (and fellow Scorpions forward) Nathan MacKinnon. Wolfsburg Vipers forward Tanner Pearson trails only Filip Forsberg in goals scored among rookies, while Saginaw forward Andre Burakovsky and Northern CHEEFs blue-chip defenseman Aaron Ekblad rank 4th and 5th, respectively, in totals goals and assists among rookies. Bolstering Portland’s impressive stable of veteran talent, Mike Hoffman and John Klingberg have been outstanding free-agent finds for Colin Smith’s Pints. Over the last 15 days, only Kris Letang and Alex Pietrangelo have racked up more fantasy points than Klingberg.
Defending the Keep
Fans of the defending champion California Kwijibos must be pleased with their team’s title defense thus far. While the Kwijibos have mustered the 8th most fantasy points from skaters so far this season, exceptional play from California veterans Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak has propelled their team into 2nd place in the standings. That’s not to say that California hasn’t received solid contributions from its skaters. When GM Paul Zeman drafted Patric Hornqvist 36th overall, ahead of more proven options like Joe Thornton, Bobby Ryan, and Martin St. Louis, Zeman clearly had a hunch that the Finnish forward was due for a big year. So far that hunch has been proven correct as Hornqvist currently leads all Kwijbo skaters in goals, assists, and fantasy points. Also, I am incapable of writing anything about the Kwijibos without mentioned Radko Gudas, mainly because I love saying Radko Gudas.
Tweakend Check-in
So far the off-season scoring tweaks are working as expected. Elite goalies are still dominating the Top 10—Tyler Seguin is currently the only forward in this group, however, Claude Giroux, Ovie, and Mark Giordano (!) are on the cusp of moving up. The 16-20 keeper “tax bracket” (see the value table in the keeper doc for all brackets) is packed with players—Crosby, Rask, Stamkos, Schneider, Tarasenko, that all have high potential to rocket up into more expensive territory. 21-50 is where the scoring tweaks are really felt. For example, Kari Lehtonen, Darcy Kuemper and Braden Holtby have all played reasonably well so far this season, but they aren’t automatically in the top 25 simply for wearing goalie pads. Instead, they, and other comparable goalies, are in the mix with skaters like Shea Weber, Patrice Bergeron, and Evgeni Malkin.
It’s Still a Goalie’s World
Swinging back around to the top of the player rater, Altoona’s Pekka Rinne has apparently put his injury issues behind him and is back with a vengeance. Rinne has posted a massive 15-3-1 record along with a 1.86/.932 peripheral split through his first 19 starts. Quick, Fleury and Price are more or less where you’d expect them to be (top 5), followed by another huge bounce-back in Ryan Miller. Miller Time may never live up to the gargantuan contract that Mount Vernon doled out at the last RFA auction, but he has poured it on lately with just one goal against and two shutouts over his last three starts. And Holy Toledo do owners love their goalies. Since lifting the player limit for all positions this season, most teams are carrying the standard 2-4, however some teams are rocking six goalies or more!
GMs Ready Your Checkbooks
It’s never too soon to start looking at player prices and to earmark prime candidates for in-season signings. Skaters become eligible for in-season signing once they reach 40 games played this season, or 30 games started for goalies, and as a reminder, you now have the option to sign players for up to four seasons. Another noteworthy refresher—there are two types of contract structures: The traditional escalating structure in which each year of the deal is higher than the previous one, or a flat-rate structure that uses a rounded average of the costs from the escalating structure. You can easily preview player costs under either format using the 2015 Keeper Costs doc below. Happy shopping and good hunting as we plow through winter and towards the new year!
Saturday, November 1, 2014
EARLY SEASON EXCHANGE
BOSTON, MA—It’s been six long months since the California Kwijibos skated to their first ever World Hockey League championship. For nearly 200 days, 17 other franchises and fan bases were left to stew over what could have been, and to plan for the road ahead. Now, with the eighth season of WHL action underway, the waiting is finally over. The Kwijibos look poised to mount a formidable title defense, two-time champion Lokomotiv Yukon has undergone new management, and a slew of rule changes have opened the gates as we churn full steam ahead on the Dynasty Express.
Welcome Back
The Mount Vernon Blades, always one of the most active teams on the trade market, have re-acquired two familiar faces from the Brooklyn Cyclones. Veteran Martin St. Louis and goalie Antti Raanta rejoin the Blades after spending most of the 2013-14 season in Mount Vernon. Heading to Brooklyn are goalie Steve Mason and sophomore forward Sean Monahan. This was already the second trade in the first week of WHL action. Immediately following the draft, the Boston Beernuts flipped first round selection Craig Anderson to the Wolfsburg Vipers for Sven Baertschi and Wolfsburg's 2015 fist round pick.
Shields Up
Paul Zeman’s Kwijibos aren't as stacked as they were last season (yet), but this team will compete. Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak return in goal, joined by newcomer Jake Allen, whom Zeman plucked at last season’s RFA auction for a cool $5. While Logan Couture is looking more like Patrice Bergeron every year, and Radko Gudas is a lock to continue doing the Monster Mash, a big part of the Kwijibos attack could fall on the shoulders of Patric Hornqvist. Zeman took a chance on this guy, drafting him ahead of Bobby Ryan and Rick Nash, but the chance is there for Hornqvist to take advantage of his plush new real-life surroundings and see Zeman’s faith rewarded.
Early Impressions
Everyone knows that a contending team is usually deep down the center, but the Portland Pints are taking that time-honored philosophy to a new level. After approaching the podium with Sidney Crosby and a dynamic Swedish trio of Nicklas Backstrom, Mikael Granlund and Mikael Backlund already under contract, Pints GM Colin Smith proceeded to add Jonathan Toews and Martin Hanzal just for good measure. The Pints are once again looking stacked in goal with the return of Bobrovsky and Lehtonen, however, there are plenty of solid goalie partnerships around the league. Take for example, King Henrik and Mike Smith, who seem to have been patrolling the West Palm crease forever, or the formidable triad of Ben Bishop, Braden Holtby, and Frederik Andersen in Beantown. For all of the talent around the league though, it’s hard to beat what’s cooking in Sagniaw, where steady veteran Roberto Luongo complements the premier tender of the modern age, Tuuka Rask, and with Darcy Kuemper looking ready for heavier lifting.
Big surprises are generally hard to come by in the early rounds, but we always seem to have a few. Brian Elliott was taken before Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Toews. True to form, GM Joseph Mastrangelo of the Boston Beernuts delivered the first off-the-board selection of the draft, taking Sam Reinhart towards the end of the third round ahead of more established options such as Martin Hanzal, Brent Seabrook, and Brayden Schenn. Rumor has it that Boston is already starting to print McDavid jerseys, although that could change quickly when GM Joe Mastrangelo inevitably decides to trade all of his rookies by Christmas.
Auto Bots Unite!
An unprecedented seven (call it six and a half once everyone showed up) teams were on autopilot at the draft this year. Putting aside the obvious disappointment that comes with nearly a fourth of the league not being able to attend, the flip side is that more “safe” picks were distributed across a greater number of teams than in past years. This means that the annual musings about how so many teams look competitive on paper, and how it’s “anyone’s year” have a little more oomph behind them this time around. Automation also led to an interesting run on seven defensemen in the second round, which may have prompted a few owners to pluck from the d-man well a bit earlier than anticipated in subsequent rounds.
Easy There, CHEEF
Since taking the reins for two-time champion Lokomotiv Yukon, first year GM Kyle Hamel has come out of the gates swinging. Hamel is new, but he’s hardly a rookie—flashing his six years of fantasy hockey experience by signing some excellent contracts, followed by a remarkably balanced draft. Hamel keenly balanced proven players like Bobby Ryan and Daniel Sedin with blue chippers Aaron Ekblad (4th round, 60th overall) and David Pastrnak (9th round, 150th overall). The newly christened Northern CHEEFS look ready to continue the Lokomotiv tradition of competing now without leaving the cupboards bare. For all of Hamel’s impressive management thus far, it’s hard to rationalize his decision to take Brian Elliott in the first round. Still, I’ll have an apology letter on standby for when Elliott leads the league in shutouts and paces the CHEEFS to a successful debut.
Brotherly Love
Bro power is all the rage in the WHL, with two pairs of real-life NHL brothers currently wearing the same WHL uniform. The CHEEFS reunited Henrik Sedin with brother Daniel by drafting the latter 24th overall, and the Beernuts followed suit, plucking Sam and Griffin Reinhart in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. Naturally, this brovalanche extends from the ice all the way to league offices. ‘Nuts owner Joe Mastrangelo and Wolfburg’s Mike Greeley are brothers on the real, as are Michael and Mario Zecca of Brooklyn and New Jersey, and Alex and Joe Dahms, co-owners of the Altoona Angry Beavers. Sibling bias certainly contributed to one of the more entertaining moments of the draft, when the Stuttgart Scorpions sniped Johnny Gaudreau from Mastrangelo with the very pick after Mastrangelo insisted on completing his aforementioned Reinhart duo.
What’s New in Review
In case you missed out on previous league emails or simply need a refresher, here’s a rundown of what’s new for 2014-15. Goals, assists, and goals against were all increased by 0.1, bringing the respective totals to +1.9, +1.1, and -1.6.. As you have surely noticed by looking at the standings, we no longer have physical JWHL teams. Instead, everyone's bench has been expanded to seven spots, and you are free to fill those spots with any players in the ESPN universe. Another significant change that you should familiarize yourself with if you haven't already -- player activations. Activating a player means moving him from your bench into your active lineup, and clicking save. You get 450 activations for the entire season (including playoffs) and it's up to you to pace and monitor your usage throughout the season. Also note that moving a player from one active roster spot to another (e.g. from D to Utility) does NOT count as an activation, since the player was already active. In other fresh biz, once players become eligible for in-season signing you will have the option to sign them for a max of four years. In addition, the salary cap has been increased to $400 and there is no longer a keeper limit. This means you could sign a smaller number of all-stars, an entire roster of cheap players, or some combination therein.
Welcome Back
The Mount Vernon Blades, always one of the most active teams on the trade market, have re-acquired two familiar faces from the Brooklyn Cyclones. Veteran Martin St. Louis and goalie Antti Raanta rejoin the Blades after spending most of the 2013-14 season in Mount Vernon. Heading to Brooklyn are goalie Steve Mason and sophomore forward Sean Monahan. This was already the second trade in the first week of WHL action. Immediately following the draft, the Boston Beernuts flipped first round selection Craig Anderson to the Wolfsburg Vipers for Sven Baertschi and Wolfsburg's 2015 fist round pick.
Shields Up
Paul Zeman’s Kwijibos aren't as stacked as they were last season (yet), but this team will compete. Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak return in goal, joined by newcomer Jake Allen, whom Zeman plucked at last season’s RFA auction for a cool $5. While Logan Couture is looking more like Patrice Bergeron every year, and Radko Gudas is a lock to continue doing the Monster Mash, a big part of the Kwijibos attack could fall on the shoulders of Patric Hornqvist. Zeman took a chance on this guy, drafting him ahead of Bobby Ryan and Rick Nash, but the chance is there for Hornqvist to take advantage of his plush new real-life surroundings and see Zeman’s faith rewarded.
Early Impressions
Everyone knows that a contending team is usually deep down the center, but the Portland Pints are taking that time-honored philosophy to a new level. After approaching the podium with Sidney Crosby and a dynamic Swedish trio of Nicklas Backstrom, Mikael Granlund and Mikael Backlund already under contract, Pints GM Colin Smith proceeded to add Jonathan Toews and Martin Hanzal just for good measure. The Pints are once again looking stacked in goal with the return of Bobrovsky and Lehtonen, however, there are plenty of solid goalie partnerships around the league. Take for example, King Henrik and Mike Smith, who seem to have been patrolling the West Palm crease forever, or the formidable triad of Ben Bishop, Braden Holtby, and Frederik Andersen in Beantown. For all of the talent around the league though, it’s hard to beat what’s cooking in Sagniaw, where steady veteran Roberto Luongo complements the premier tender of the modern age, Tuuka Rask, and with Darcy Kuemper looking ready for heavier lifting.
Big surprises are generally hard to come by in the early rounds, but we always seem to have a few. Brian Elliott was taken before Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Toews. True to form, GM Joseph Mastrangelo of the Boston Beernuts delivered the first off-the-board selection of the draft, taking Sam Reinhart towards the end of the third round ahead of more established options such as Martin Hanzal, Brent Seabrook, and Brayden Schenn. Rumor has it that Boston is already starting to print McDavid jerseys, although that could change quickly when GM Joe Mastrangelo inevitably decides to trade all of his rookies by Christmas.
Auto Bots Unite!
An unprecedented seven (call it six and a half once everyone showed up) teams were on autopilot at the draft this year. Putting aside the obvious disappointment that comes with nearly a fourth of the league not being able to attend, the flip side is that more “safe” picks were distributed across a greater number of teams than in past years. This means that the annual musings about how so many teams look competitive on paper, and how it’s “anyone’s year” have a little more oomph behind them this time around. Automation also led to an interesting run on seven defensemen in the second round, which may have prompted a few owners to pluck from the d-man well a bit earlier than anticipated in subsequent rounds.
Easy There, CHEEF
Since taking the reins for two-time champion Lokomotiv Yukon, first year GM Kyle Hamel has come out of the gates swinging. Hamel is new, but he’s hardly a rookie—flashing his six years of fantasy hockey experience by signing some excellent contracts, followed by a remarkably balanced draft. Hamel keenly balanced proven players like Bobby Ryan and Daniel Sedin with blue chippers Aaron Ekblad (4th round, 60th overall) and David Pastrnak (9th round, 150th overall). The newly christened Northern CHEEFS look ready to continue the Lokomotiv tradition of competing now without leaving the cupboards bare. For all of Hamel’s impressive management thus far, it’s hard to rationalize his decision to take Brian Elliott in the first round. Still, I’ll have an apology letter on standby for when Elliott leads the league in shutouts and paces the CHEEFS to a successful debut.
Brotherly Love
Bro power is all the rage in the WHL, with two pairs of real-life NHL brothers currently wearing the same WHL uniform. The CHEEFS reunited Henrik Sedin with brother Daniel by drafting the latter 24th overall, and the Beernuts followed suit, plucking Sam and Griffin Reinhart in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. Naturally, this brovalanche extends from the ice all the way to league offices. ‘Nuts owner Joe Mastrangelo and Wolfburg’s Mike Greeley are brothers on the real, as are Michael and Mario Zecca of Brooklyn and New Jersey, and Alex and Joe Dahms, co-owners of the Altoona Angry Beavers. Sibling bias certainly contributed to one of the more entertaining moments of the draft, when the Stuttgart Scorpions sniped Johnny Gaudreau from Mastrangelo with the very pick after Mastrangelo insisted on completing his aforementioned Reinhart duo.
What’s New in Review
In case you missed out on previous league emails or simply need a refresher, here’s a rundown of what’s new for 2014-15. Goals, assists, and goals against were all increased by 0.1, bringing the respective totals to +1.9, +1.1, and -1.6.. As you have surely noticed by looking at the standings, we no longer have physical JWHL teams. Instead, everyone's bench has been expanded to seven spots, and you are free to fill those spots with any players in the ESPN universe. Another significant change that you should familiarize yourself with if you haven't already -- player activations. Activating a player means moving him from your bench into your active lineup, and clicking save. You get 450 activations for the entire season (including playoffs) and it's up to you to pace and monitor your usage throughout the season. Also note that moving a player from one active roster spot to another (e.g. from D to Utility) does NOT count as an activation, since the player was already active. In other fresh biz, once players become eligible for in-season signing you will have the option to sign them for a max of four years. In addition, the salary cap has been increased to $400 and there is no longer a keeper limit. This means you could sign a smaller number of all-stars, an entire roster of cheap players, or some combination therein.
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