2014 ATD Assasination Thread-Foster Hewitt Division

[tony d]

The following teams can post their lineups for assassination in this thread:

chaosrevolver & Dreakmur - Montreal Shamrocks
King Forsberg - Modo Hockey
ted1971 - As de Québec
tony_d - Indianapolis Racers
Hedberg & VanIslander - New York Rangers
Johnny Engine - Buchans Miners
TheDevilMadeMe - New Jersey Swamp Devils

Click to read more...

 

[tony d]

Indianapolis Racers

Head Coach: Dick Irvin Sr.

Brendan Shanahan-Newsy Lalonde-Sergei Makarov
Brian Propp- Dale Hawerchuk-Joe Mullen
Wendel Clark-Dave poulin-Jim Pappin
Kelly Miller- Rick Macleish-John Maclean

Doug Harvey-Lionel Conacher
Gary Suter-Joe Hall
Mike Ramsey--James Patrick

Billy Smith
Harry Lumley

Extras: Ron Stackhouse, Doug Weight, Andre Dupont, Ab Mcdonald

Captain: Newsy Lalonde
Alternates: Doug Harvey, Dale Hawerchuk

Special Teams:

PP 1: Brendan Shanahan, Newsy Lalonde, Sergei Makarov, Doug Harvey, Gary Suter
PP 2: Brian Propp, Dale Hawerchuk, Joe Mullen, James Patrick, Lionel Conacher
PK 1: Kelly Miller, Dave Poulin, Doug Harvey, Mike Ramsey
PK 2: Brian Propp, Rick Macleish, Lionel Conacher, Joe Hall

 

[Dreakmur]

MONTREAL SHAMROCKS


Lester Patrick
Frank Patrick

Frank Mahovlich – Hooley Smith "A" – Frank Foyston "A"
Dean Prentice - Marty Barry - Andy Bathgate
Herbie Lewis – Ken Mosdell – Jack Darragh
Vic Hadfield - Red Sullivan – John McKenzie

Ray Bourque "C" – Lionel Hitchman
Jacques Laperriere – Reed Larson
Jean-Guy Talbot – Yuri Liapkin

Bernie Parent
Mike Liut

Goldie Prodger
Jimmy Roberts
Corb Denneny


Power Play #1
Frank Mahovlich - Marty Barry - Andy Bathgate - Ray Bourque - Reed Larson

Power Play #2
XXXX - Hooley Smith - Frank Foyston - Jean-Guy Talbit - Yuri Liapkin

XXXX will be filled with any of Dean Prentice, Herbie Lewis, Vic Hadfield, or John McKenzie

Also, Andy Bathgate will take some time on the point on the second unit, depending on the situation.


Penalty Kill #1
Hooley Smith - Herbie Lewis - Ray Bourque - Jacques Laperriere

Jack Darragh will take some time on the first unit if a goal is needed.

Penalty Kill #2
Red Sullivan - Ken Mosdell - Lionel Hitchman - Jean-Guy Talbot


Forward Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Hooley Smith | 14 | 3 | 3 | 20
Frank Mahovlivh | 15 | 4 | 0 | 19
Frank Foyston | 13 | 3 | 0 | 16
Marty Barry | 14 | 4 | 0 | 18
Dean Prentice | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13
Andy Bathgate | 15 | 5 | 0 | 20
Ken Mosdell | 10 | 0 | 4 | 15
Herbie Lewis | 10 | 0 | 2 | 13
Jack Darragh | 10 | 1 | 1 | 12
Red Sullivan | 8 | 0 | 4 | 13
Vic Hadfield | 8 | 1 | 0 | 10
John McKenzie | 8 | 1 | 0 | 10
TOTAL | 138 | 22 | 14 | 174

Defense Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Ray Bourque | 20 | 4 | 3.5 | 27.5
Lionel Hitchman | 16 | 0 | 3.5 | 19.5
Jacques Laperriere | 20 | 0 | 4 | 24
Reed Larson | 11 | 3 | 0 | 14
Jean-Guy Talbot | 14 | 3 | 3 | 20
Yuri Liapkin | 11 | 3 | 0 | 14
TOTAL | 92 | 13 | 14 | 119

 

[ted2019]

Quebec Aces Roster​

Head Coach: Claude Julien
Assistant Coach: Barry Trotz
Bert Olmstead- Denis Savard - Maurice Richard (" C ")
Alexander Ovechkin - Joe Primeau - Claude Lemieux
Marty Pavelich - Butch Goring - Jack Walker
Mel Bridgman - Bobby Smith- Johnny Peirson
Jason Arnott - Patrick Kane

Leo Boivin ( "A") - Dit Clapper ( "A")
Phil Housley- Dallas Smith
Clarency Abel - Steve Duchene
Phil Russell

Turk Broda
Rogie Vachon

PP1: Olmstead - Savard - Richard - Ovechkin - Housley
PP2: Bridgman - Smith - Primeau - Clapper - Duchene
PK1: Walker - Goring - Smith - Abel
PK2: Pavelich - Primeau - Clapper - Boivin

Name|ES|PP|SH|Total
Olmstead|15|4|0|19
Primeau|13|3|3|19
Richard|15|5|0|20
Ovechkin|13|5|0|18
Savard|14|5|0|19
Lemieux|14|0|0|14
Pavelich|13|0|5|18
Goring|13|0|5|18
Peirson|6|0|0|6
Bridgman|6|3|0|9
Smith|6|3|0|9
Walker|13|0|5|18|

Name|ES|PP|SH|Total
Clapper|18|3|4|27
Boivin|18|3|4|27
Housley|15|5|0|20
Abel|14|0|4|18
Smith|15|0|5|20
Duchene|8|5|0|13

 

[Dreakmur]

Quebec Aces Roster​

Head Coach: Claude Julien
Assistant Coach: Barry Trotz
Bert Olmstead- Joe Primeau - Maurice Richard (" C ")
Alexander Ovechkin - Denis Savard - Claude Lemieux
Marty Pavelich - Butch Goring - Johnny Peirson
Mel Bridgman - Bobby Smith- Jack Walker
Jason Arnott - Patrick Kane

Leo Boivin ( "A") - Dit Clapper ( "A")
Phil Housley- Clarency Abel
Dallas Smith - Steve Duchene
Phil Russell

Turk Broda
Rogie Vachon

PP1: Ovechkin - Savard - Richard - Clapper - Housley
PP2: Bridgman - Smith - Primeau - Boivin - Duchene
PK1: Pavelich - Goring - Smith - Abel
PK2: Walker - Olmstead - Clapper - Boivin

Name|ES|PP|SH|Total
Olmstead|15|0|3|18
Primeau|14|3|0|17
Richard|15|5|0|20
Ovechkin|13|5|0|18
Savard|13|5|0|18
Lemieux|14|0|0|14
Pavelich|11|0|5|16
Goring|13|0|5|18
Peirson|11|0|0|11
Bridgman|8|3|0|11
Smith|8|3|0|11
Walker|8|0|3|11|

Name|ES|PP|SH|Total
Clapper|18|5|4|27
Boivin|18|3|4|25
Housley|15|5|0|20
Abel|16|0|4|20
Smith|13|0|5|18
Duchene|8|5|0|13

Get Jack Walker on your 3rd line and your 1st PK unit. He is by far your best bottom 6 player. Butch Gorin couldn't even carry Walker's equipment...

 

[King Forsberg]

Modo Hockey
General Manager: King Forsberg
Coach: Glen Sather
Assistant Coach: Larry Robinson

Captain: Darryl Sittler
Alternate Captain: Chris Pronger
Alternate Captain: Danny Gare

Steve Shutt --- Sidney Crosby --- Jaromir Jagr
Anatoli Firsov --- Darryl Sittler (C) --- Danny Gare (A)
Gilles Tremblay --- Jacques Lemaire --- Bobby Rousseau
Fleming MacKell --- Keith Primeau --- Kevin Dineen
Alexei Yashin, Dustin Byflugien, W/D

Chris Pronger (A) --- Jan Suchy
Shea Weber --- Eric Desjardins
Frantisek Tikal --- Glen Wesley
Al Iafrate

Bill Durnan
Chris Osgood

PP1: Firsov - Sittler - Jagr - Weber - Pronger
PP2: Shutt - Crosby - Gare - Desjardins - Suchy
PK1: Tremblay - Rousseau - Desjardins - Tikal
PK2: Primeau - MacKell - Pronger - Weber
PK3: Lemaire - Wesley


​

Have at it

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I'll post my lineup in a couple of days, but anyway...

Indianapolis Racers

Head Coach: Dick Irvin Sr.

Brendan Shanahan-Newsy Lalonde-Sergei Makarov
Brian Propp- Dale Hawerchuk-Joe Mullen
Wendel Clark-Dave poulin-Jim Pappin
Kelly Miller- Rick Macleish-John Maclean

Doug Harvey-Lionel Conacher
Gary Suter-Joe Hall
Mike Ramsey--James Patrick

Billy Smith
Harry Lumley

Extras: Ron Stackhouse, Doug Weight, Andre Dupont, Ab Mcdonald

Captain: Newsy Lalonde
Alternates: Doug Harvey, Dale Hawerchuk

Special Teams:

PP 1: Brendan Shanahan, Newsy Lalonde, Sergei Makarov, Doug Harvey, Gary Suter
PP 2: Brian Propp, Dale Hawerchuk, Joe Mullen, James Patrick, Lionel Conacher
PK 1: Kelly Miller, Dave Poulin, Doug Harvey, Mike Ramsey
PK 2: Brian Propp, Rick Macleish, Lionel Conacher, Joe Hall

Who are the captain and assistant captains on this team?

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Montreal Shamrocks Review

MONTREAL SHAMROCKS


Lester Patrick
Frank Patrick

Frank Mahovlich – Hooley Smith "A" – Frank Foyston "A"
Dean Prentice - Marty Barry - Andy Bathgate
Herbie Lewis – Ken Mosdell – Jack Darragh
Vic Hadfield - Red Sullivan – John McKenzie

Ray Bourque "C" – Lionel Hitchman
Jacques Laperriere – Reed Larson
Jean-Guy Talbot – Yuri Liapkin

Bernie Parent
Mike Liut

Goldie Prodger
Jimmy Roberts
Corb Denneny


Power Play #1
Frank Mahovlich - Marty Barry - Andy Bathgate - Ray Bourque - Reed Larson

Power Play #2
XXXX - Hooley Smith - Frank Foyston - Jean-Guy Talbit - Yuri Liapkin

XXXX will be filled with any of Dean Prentice, Herbie Lewis, Vic Hadfield, or John McKenzie

Also, Andy Bathgate will take some time on the point on the second unit, depending on the situation.


Penalty Kill #1
Hooley Smith - Herbie Lewis - Ray Bourque - Jacques Laperriere

Jack Darragh will take some time on the first unit if a goal is needed.

Penalty Kill #2
Red Sullivan - Ken Mosdell - Lionel Hitchman - Jean-Guy Talbot​

Dreakmur always builds teams with lots of talent in non-traditional builds, and this one is no exception.

Coaching and Leadership

Lester Patrick is one of the best of all time, capable of coaching offensive or defensive hockey. He was something of a strick coach, and I assume his brother Patrick is there to be a player's coach assistant, and he's good for that role. Overall, one of the best coached teams in the entire draft. The Patricks will be good for players like Bathgate and Mahovlich who chaffe under a defensive system, or Larson and Liapkin who aren't capable of playing in one.

Solid group of leaders, not the best ever, but strong. Laperriere and Sullivan provide good secondary leadership.

Forwards

First line - Fantastic intangibles but one of the weakest first line in the draft from an offensive perspective - that's what happens when 2 of your top 3 scorers are on the second line. Also one of the top first lines from an intangibles perspective. The line is built around Frank Mahovlich, a guy who is really tough to evaluate. On the one hand, his regular season offensive numbers really don't stand out from guys drafted several rounds later than him (in fact, they are worse than Andy Bathgate), and he doesn't provide much other than offense. On the other hand, he was quite clearly held back by spending most of his athletic prime in Punch Imlach's stiffling defensive system, constantly in Imlach's dog house. He also has stellar longevity as a top scorer, which really isn't taken into account by VsX-7 or other metrics that look at scoring prime. He's also clutch in the playoffs. Hooley Smith is mister intangibles, fantastic defensively, physically, leadership, all around glue guy. As a scorer, he's one of the weakest first line centers in the draft, definitely inferior to Barry as a scorer. I would like this line a lot better with a stronger RW, using Smith as the glue (I think that's how you originally set up the line with Bathgate there). Foyston is a strong all-round player, and a clutch guy himself, but I like him better on a second line ideally.

Second line - if your first line is one of the weakest in the draft from an offensive standpoint, your second line is likely the strongest. Bathgate is an offensive force, and Barry is a strong goal scoring center, who can make use of Bathgate's playmaking. Prentice is a solid 2nd line glue guy for them, with the added bonus of chemistry with Bathgate. Barry definitely needs a playmaker from the wing, and Bathgate can do that. I think an argument could certainly be made that your second line is better offensively than the first.

Solid two-way third line. Lewis is a great two-way third liner, and Mosdell is an excellent defensive player, who was a good enough goal scorer to cash in on Lewis's passes. Darragh adds offense, puckhandlig, and a decent defensive game, but is not the kind of player you want to check a strong LW.

Versatile 4th line. Sullivan could be a 3rd liner in this thing, with only a short prime and career keeping him from being one of the better 3rd liners. Good agitator too. His wings provide physicality - I love McKenzie as a 4th liner and Hadfield is solid.

Overall - you completely ignored ATD convention of having a strong first line, with a 2nd line for secondary scoring. Two pretty equal lines, with the 1st better away from the puck, and the second probably better with the puck. You'll give teams with only one checking unit fits, but you do lack that one game-breaking unit that teams like to have.

Defense

If you kept Bourque-Laperriere together, you would have had a good case for 2nd best pairing in the draft (after the Orr one). As currently aligned, you still have a strong pairing because Ray Bourque is awesome at everything. Hitchman is okay as a defensive-minded partner - though as your 3rd best defenseman, I always thought of him as a solid but unspectacular #3 in a 32 team draft, which means he's probably a bit below average overall (due mainly to lack of offense) in a 28 team one. Nonetheless, a very strong pairing in their own zone, with Bourque excellent at transition.

Reed Larson on a 2nd pairing? Ugh. I understand drafting him as a RH bomb for the 1st PP (though you already had Bathgate to do that). But in a top 4 role? His awards recognition: Norris voting – 11th(1980), 18th(1981). All-Star voting – 10th(1978), 10th(1979), 12th(1980), 14th(1981). You know who has a better record than that? Ed Van Impe. And probably a lot of other #7 defensemen in this thing. I realize Larson put up fantastic offensive numbers, but the man was terrible in his own zone and will be abused by teams with strong scoring depth. Laperriere is obviously about as good anyone can possibly get as a defensive-minded 2nd pairing guy. Big, long reach, solid skater, pretty much no weakness defensively. Decent outlet pass. Somewhat injury prone though. Laperriere is obviously a fantastic choice to cover for Larson's regular mistakes, but he can still only cover one half of the ice surface.

Talbot is a versatile #5 (who should probably play on your second pairing over Larson). Not particularly great at anything, but solid all-round. Liapkin is another Larson type - RH-shot who put up great numbers, but was not recognized as a great overall defenseman.

Overall: Your top 3 defensemen are strong, with Bourque an elite #1, Laperriere an average to maybe slightly above average #2, and Hitchman an average to maybe slightly below average #3. I really think both Larsson and Liapkin are guys who need to see sheltered #6 minutes at even strength, not playing together.

Spares
Good mix of versatile players

Goaltending

Parent is a good goaltender here who raises his game in the playoffs. Liut is an average backup who won't hurt you.

Special Teams

Strong first PP with Ray Bourque elite in his role, and everyone else between average and above average. Bathgate usually played the point on the PP, but I see no reason why he wouldn't be strong along the boards. I guess Barry is the net guy?

Second PP is decent. Liapkin is very strong for a second unit QB. The forwards are fairly unspectacular, but no gaping holes. I don't really see how Bathgate is supposed to move to the point after just taking a full shift at forward though.

Bourque-Laperriere is an elite first PK pairing. IMO, Ken Mosdell is your best PKer and should probably be on the first unit. The rest of your PK is pretty strong, though you could get in trouble if one of your defensemen takes a penalty and you have to use Liapkin.

Overall

I like: Scoring depth - All 4 lines can chip in offensively. A 2nd line that will give teams that rely on only 1 checking unit fits. 3 of your lines (all but the 2nd) are at least a plus defensively. A fantastic coaching duo that can really make the best use of your team. Above average 1st PP unit and above average 1st PK unit (especially if you move Mosdell there)

I have concerns about: You don't have that one dominant scoring unit to put out there when you absolutely need a goal. You could run into trouble against teams with a LW who needs specific checking attention.

I absolutely hate: Reed Larson in the top 4. I think Talbot would be a weak #4 defenseman, but I see Larson as a liability.

 

[tony d]

I'll post my lineup in a couple of days, but anyway...



Who are the captain and assistant captains on this team?

Lalonde is captain with harvey and hawerchuk as alternates.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Lalonde is captain with harvey and hawerchuk as alternates.

Oops - I was expecting to see it at the top of the post, not bottom, sorry.

I'll probably get to your team tomorrow.

 

[Dreakmur]

Dreakmur always builds teams with lots of talent in non-traditional builds, and this one is no exception.

Coaching and Leadership

Lester Patrick is one of the best of all time, capable of coaching offensive or defensive hockey. He was something of a strick coach, and I assume his brother Patrick is there to be a player's coach assistant, and he's good for that role. Overall, one of the best coached teams in the entire draft. The Patricks will be good for players like Bathgate and Mahovlich who chaffe under a defensive system, or Larson and Liapkin who aren't capable of playing in one.

Solid group of leaders, not the best ever, but strong. Laperriere and Sullivan provide good secondary leadership.

Forwards

First line - Fantastic intangibles but one of the weakest first line in the draft from an offensive perspective - that's what happens when 2 of your top 3 scorers are on the second line. Also one of the top first lines from an intangibles perspective. The line is built around Frank Mahovlich, a guy who is really tough to evaluate. On the one hand, his regular season offensive numbers really don't stand out from guys drafted several rounds later than him (in fact, they are worse than Andy Bathgate), and he doesn't provide much other than offense. On the other hand, he was quite clearly held back by spending most of his athletic prime in Punch Imlach's stiffling defensive system, constantly in Imlach's dog house. He also has stellar longevity as a top scorer, which really isn't taken into account by VsX-7 or other metrics that look at scoring prime. He's also clutch in the playoffs. Hooley Smith is mister intangibles, fantastic defensively, physically, leadership, all around glue guy. As a scorer, he's one of the weakest first line centers in the draft, definitely inferior to Barry as a scorer. I would like this line a lot better with a stronger RW, using Smith as the glue (I think that's how you originally set up the line with Bathgate there). Foyston is a strong all-round player, and a clutch guy himself, but I like him better on a second line ideally.

Second line - if your first line is one of the weakest in the draft from an offensive standpoint, your second line is likely the strongest. Bathgate is an offensive force, and Barry is a strong goal scoring center, who can make use of Bathgate's playmaking. Prentice is a solid 2nd line glue guy for them, with the added bonus of chemistry with Bathgate. Barry definitely needs a playmaker from the wing, and Bathgate can do that. I think an argument could certainly be made that your second line is better offensively than the first.

Solid two-way third line. Lewis is a great two-way third liner, and Mosdell is an excellent defensive player, who was a good enough goal scorer to cash in on Lewis's passes. Darragh adds offense, puckhandlig, and a decent defensive game, but is not the kind of player you want to check a strong LW.

Versatile 4th line. Sullivan could be a 3rd liner in this thing, with only a short prime and career keeping him from being one of the better 3rd liners. Good agitator too. His wings provide physicality - I love McKenzie as a 4th liner and Hadfield is solid.

Overall - you completely ignored ATD convention of having a strong first line, with a 2nd line for secondary scoring. Two pretty equal lines, with the 1st better away from the puck, and the second probably better with the puck. You'll give teams with only one checking unit fits, but you do lack that one game-breaking unit that teams like to have.

Defense

If you kept Bourque-Laperriere together, you would have had a good case for 2nd best pairing in the draft (after the Orr one). As currently aligned, you still have a strong pairing because Ray Bourque is awesome at everything. Hitchman is okay as a defensive-minded partner - though as your 3rd best defenseman, I always thought of him as a solid but unspectacular #3 in a 32 team draft, which means he's probably a bit below average overall (due mainly to lack of offense) in a 28 team one. Nonetheless, a very strong pairing in their own zone, with Bourque excellent at transition.

Reed Larson on a 2nd pairing? Ugh. I understand drafting him as a RH bomb for the 1st PP (though you already had Bathgate to do that). But in a top 4 role? His awards recognition: Norris voting – 11th(1980), 18th(1981). All-Star voting – 10th(1978), 10th(1979), 12th(1980), 14th(1981). You know who has a better record than that? Ed Van Impe. And probably a lot of other #7 defensemen in this thing. I realize Larson put up fantastic offensive numbers, but the man was terrible in his own zone and will be abused by teams with strong scoring depth. Laperriere is obviously about as good anyone can possibly get as a defensive-minded 2nd pairing guy. Big, long reach, solid skater, pretty much no weakness defensively. Decent outlet pass. Somewhat injury prone though. Laperriere is obviously a fantastic choice to cover for Larson's regular mistakes, but he can still only cover one half of the ice surface.

Talbot is a versatile #5 (who should probably play on your second pairing over Larson). Not particularly great at anything, but solid all-round. Liapkin is another Larson type - RH-shot who put up great numbers, but was not recognized as a great overall defenseman.

Overall: Your top 3 defensemen are strong, with Bourque an elite #1, Laperriere an average to maybe slightly above average #2, and Hitchman an average to maybe slightly below average #3. I really think both Larsson and Liapkin are guys who need to see sheltered #6 minutes at even strength, not playing together.

Spares
Good mix of versatile players

Goaltending

Parent is a good goaltender here who raises his game in the playoffs. Liut is an average backup who won't hurt you.

Special Teams

Strong first PP with Ray Bourque elite in his role, and everyone else between average and above average. Bathgate usually played the point on the PP, but I see no reason why he wouldn't be strong along the boards. I guess Barry is the net guy?

Second PP is decent. Liapkin is very strong for a second unit QB. The forwards are fairly unspectacular, but no gaping holes. I don't really see how Bathgate is supposed to move to the point after just taking a full shift at forward though.

Bourque-Laperriere is an elite first PK pairing. IMO, Ken Mosdell is your best PKer and should probably be on the first unit. The rest of your PK is pretty strong, though you could get in trouble if one of your defensemen takes a penalty and you have to use Liapkin.

Overall

I like: Scoring depth - All 4 lines can chip in offensively. A 2nd line that will give teams that rely on only 1 checking unit fits. 3 of your lines (all but the 2nd) are at least a plus defensively. A fantastic coaching duo that can really make the best use of your team. Above average 1st PP unit and above average 1st PK unit (especially if you move Mosdell there)

I have concerns about: You don't have that one dominant scoring unit to put out there when you absolutely need a goal. You could run into trouble against teams with a LW who needs specific checking attention.

I absolutely hate: Reed Larson in the top 4. I think Talbot would be a weak #4 defenseman, but I see Larson as a liability.

Thanks for the review. It's very fair, and I only need to make a few comments.

Agreed that when Mahovlich and Bathgate are separated, we do lack a big offensive unit. When we took Bourque at 5h overall, we knew we would have to build a forward group who scores rather than one big player or one big unit. Having said that, what stops us from uniting the two above players in clutch situations? In those key situations, a line of Mahovlich-Smith-Bathgate can easily work effectively. Barry in place of Smith could also work.

I unfortunately cannot disagree with your concerns over having both Larson and Liapkin. Both guys bring a very specific set of skills and have clear weaknesses. In an effort to minimize their weaknesses, we have tries to pair them with steady partners. Make no mistake thought, reed Larson is not our #4 defenseman. Jean-Guy Talbot is that guy and he will play more than Larson. In defensive situations, he will take the place beside Laperriere.

Just because we have to list our teams in lines and defense pairs doesn't mean those are the only combinations that will be used.

 

[VanIslander]

New York Rangers

GMs: Hedberg & VanIslander

Coaches Billy Reay & Father David Bauer

Aurel Joliat - Joe Sakic (C) - Yvan Cournoyer
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Rick Tocchet
Johnny Gottselig - Frank McGee - Blair Russel
Smokey Harris - Marty Walsh - Reggie Leach
Louis Berlinguette, Brian Skrudland

Brad Park (A) - Rod Langway
Harry Howell (A) - Sergei Zubov
Albert Leduc - Dollard St. Laurent
George McNamara

Clint Benedict
Normie Smith​

 

[chaosrevolver]

Dreakmur always builds teams with lots of talent in non-traditional builds, and this one is no exception.

Coaching and Leadership

Lester Patrick is one of the best of all time, capable of coaching offensive or defensive hockey. He was something of a strick coach, and I assume his brother Patrick is there to be a player's coach assistant, and he's good for that role. Overall, one of the best coached teams in the entire draft. The Patricks will be good for players like Bathgate and Mahovlich who chaffe under a defensive system, or Larson and Liapkin who aren't capable of playing in one.

Solid group of leaders, not the best ever, but strong. Laperriere and Sullivan provide good secondary leadership.

Forwards

First line - Fantastic intangibles but one of the weakest first line in the draft from an offensive perspective - that's what happens when 2 of your top 3 scorers are on the second line. Also one of the top first lines from an intangibles perspective. The line is built around Frank Mahovlich, a guy who is really tough to evaluate. On the one hand, his regular season offensive numbers really don't stand out from guys drafted several rounds later than him (in fact, they are worse than Andy Bathgate), and he doesn't provide much other than offense. On the other hand, he was quite clearly held back by spending most of his athletic prime in Punch Imlach's stiffling defensive system, constantly in Imlach's dog house. He also has stellar longevity as a top scorer, which really isn't taken into account by VsX-7 or other metrics that look at scoring prime. He's also clutch in the playoffs. Hooley Smith is mister intangibles, fantastic defensively, physically, leadership, all around glue guy. As a scorer, he's one of the weakest first line centers in the draft, definitely inferior to Barry as a scorer. I would like this line a lot better with a stronger RW, using Smith as the glue (I think that's how you originally set up the line with Bathgate there). Foyston is a strong all-round player, and a clutch guy himself, but I like him better on a second line ideally.

Second line - if your first line is one of the weakest in the draft from an offensive standpoint, your second line is likely the strongest. Bathgate is an offensive force, and Barry is a strong goal scoring center, who can make use of Bathgate's playmaking. Prentice is a solid 2nd line glue guy for them, with the added bonus of chemistry with Bathgate. Barry definitely needs a playmaker from the wing, and Bathgate can do that. I think an argument could certainly be made that your second line is better offensively than the first.

Solid two-way third line. Lewis is a great two-way third liner, and Mosdell is an excellent defensive player, who was a good enough goal scorer to cash in on Lewis's passes. Darragh adds offense, puckhandlig, and a decent defensive game, but is not the kind of player you want to check a strong LW.

Versatile 4th line. Sullivan could be a 3rd liner in this thing, with only a short prime and career keeping him from being one of the better 3rd liners. Good agitator too. His wings provide physicality - I love McKenzie as a 4th liner and Hadfield is solid.

Overall - you completely ignored ATD convention of having a strong first line, with a 2nd line for secondary scoring. Two pretty equal lines, with the 1st better away from the puck, and the second probably better with the puck. You'll give teams with only one checking unit fits, but you do lack that one game-breaking unit that teams like to have.

Defense

If you kept Bourque-Laperriere together, you would have had a good case for 2nd best pairing in the draft (after the Orr one). As currently aligned, you still have a strong pairing because Ray Bourque is awesome at everything. Hitchman is okay as a defensive-minded partner - though as your 3rd best defenseman, I always thought of him as a solid but unspectacular #3 in a 32 team draft, which means he's probably a bit below average overall (due mainly to lack of offense) in a 28 team one. Nonetheless, a very strong pairing in their own zone, with Bourque excellent at transition.

Reed Larson on a 2nd pairing? Ugh. I understand drafting him as a RH bomb for the 1st PP (though you already had Bathgate to do that). But in a top 4 role? His awards recognition: Norris voting – 11th(1980), 18th(1981). All-Star voting – 10th(1978), 10th(1979), 12th(1980), 14th(1981). You know who has a better record than that? Ed Van Impe. And probably a lot of other #7 defensemen in this thing. I realize Larson put up fantastic offensive numbers, but the man was terrible in his own zone and will be abused by teams with strong scoring depth. Laperriere is obviously about as good anyone can possibly get as a defensive-minded 2nd pairing guy. Big, long reach, solid skater, pretty much no weakness defensively. Decent outlet pass. Somewhat injury prone though. Laperriere is obviously a fantastic choice to cover for Larson's regular mistakes, but he can still only cover one half of the ice surface.

Talbot is a versatile #5 (who should probably play on your second pairing over Larson). Not particularly great at anything, but solid all-round. Liapkin is another Larson type - RH-shot who put up great numbers, but was not recognized as a great overall defenseman.

Overall: Your top 3 defensemen are strong, with Bourque an elite #1, Laperriere an average to maybe slightly above average #2, and Hitchman an average to maybe slightly below average #3. I really think both Larsson and Liapkin are guys who need to see sheltered #6 minutes at even strength, not playing together.

Spares
Good mix of versatile players

Goaltending

Parent is a good goaltender here who raises his game in the playoffs. Liut is an average backup who won't hurt you.

Special Teams

Strong first PP with Ray Bourque elite in his role, and everyone else between average and above average. Bathgate usually played the point on the PP, but I see no reason why he wouldn't be strong along the boards. I guess Barry is the net guy?

Second PP is decent. Liapkin is very strong for a second unit QB. The forwards are fairly unspectacular, but no gaping holes. I don't really see how Bathgate is supposed to move to the point after just taking a full shift at forward though.

Bourque-Laperriere is an elite first PK pairing. IMO, Ken Mosdell is your best PKer and should probably be on the first unit. The rest of your PK is pretty strong, though you could get in trouble if one of your defensemen takes a penalty and you have to use Liapkin.

Overall

I like: Scoring depth - All 4 lines can chip in offensively. A 2nd line that will give teams that rely on only 1 checking unit fits. 3 of your lines (all but the 2nd) are at least a plus defensively. A fantastic coaching duo that can really make the best use of your team. Above average 1st PP unit and above average 1st PK unit (especially if you move Mosdell there)

I have concerns about: You don't have that one dominant scoring unit to put out there when you absolutely need a goal. You could run into trouble against teams with a LW who needs specific checking attention.

I absolutely hate: Reed Larson in the top 4. I think Talbot would be a weak #4 defenseman, but I see Larson as a liability.

Dreakmur already responded but I wanted to thank you for your excellent critical analysis of our team TDMM!

 

[tony d]

I plan on reviewing each team in my division, let me start with this one.

MONTREAL SHAMROCKS


Lester Patrick
Frank Patrick

Coaching: Lester Patrick's a very good coach, perhaps one of the better ones of all time so you can't go wrong with having him as a coach. For an assistant coach Frank Patrick is a pretty good one. There's a familiarity with both guys given they're brothers, so overall a good coaching duo.

Frank Mahovlich – Hooley Smith "A" – Frank Foyston "A"
Dean Prentice - Marty Barry - Andy Bathgate
Herbie Lewis – Ken Mosdell – Jack Darragh
Vic Hadfield - Red Sullivan – John McKenzie

Forwards:

1st Line: Mahovlich is a very good start to a forward unit. Elite left wingers are very rare in this but you got 1 of them. I have Mahovlich among my top left wingers of all time so very solid pick. Smith's a decent enough pick and is a good 2 way guy, question though is will his 2 way game be enough to keep up with Mahovlich who was offense only? Foyston looks to be a 2 way guy as well but he seems to be more of a playmaker. Overall a decent 1st line but it's weak offensively.

2nd Line: Prentice is one of the better glue guy wingers in the ATD. Had him last year. Solid offensively but should always be considered a glue guy for a line. Marty Barry's a very good goal scoring centre, those are a bit rare but you got 1 of the better ones. Andy Bathgate's a good one as well. When I picked Makarov I thought very strongly about picking Bathgate so he was in high demand. Very solid selection who'll create plays for Barry to score goals and he also is known to Prentice. Your 2nd line is very strong, good job.

3rd Line: Lewis is another good 2 way guy that you have on your team. You can never have too many of them. He can score you goals and also prevent them, solid pick. Mosdell's defense first and foremost but he'll chip in with a goal every now and then. Darragh's solid enough but could be the weak link on a defensive 3rd line, overall a solid 2 way 3rd line.

4th Line: Hadfield's a very solid selection, very good 4th line winger. Sullivan reads as a super talented pest, very good pick. John McKenzie'sz the prototypical ATD 4th liner, like Sullivan he was a good pest. Overall this 4th line should be very pesky.

Ray Bourque "C" – Lionel Hitchman
Jacques Laperriere – Reed Larson
Jean-Guy Talbot – Yuri Liapkin

1st Defensive Pairing:

When I went with Doug Harvey, I figured you would go with Mario Lemieux you didn't and maybe reached a little for Ray Bourque. Bourque is still a solid selection though and a very good defenseman. Hitchman was a guy I looked at but not as a #2 but rather as a #3, solid defenseman for sure but maybe a little out of place on an ATD 1st pairing. Bourque makes this a strong pairing but Hitchman prevents it from being an elite 1.

2nd Defensive Pairing:

If Hitchman is a weak #2 then Laperriere is a strong #3 and one of the strongest in the draft. I like Reed Larson and all and think he is a decent enough #4 in this. Overall a good 2nd pairing.

3rd Defensive Pairing:

Talbot is another guy I looked at so very good pick. Liapkin's a good offensive defenseman as well but not 1 that is suited for a shutdown pairing. Decent pairing I guess but not a classical shutdown pairing.

Bernie Parent
Mike Liut

Goalies:

Parent is a very strong #1 goalie in this, short peak though but what a peak it was. Liut is a very good backup as well, solid goaltending duo

Goldie Prodger
Jimmy Roberts
Corb Denneny

Extras:

Overall a solid group of extras who can step in and help your team when need be.

Power Play #1
Frank Mahovlich - Marty Barry - Andy Bathgate - Ray Bourque - Reed Larson

Power Play #2
XXXX - Hooley Smith - Frank Foyston - Jean-Guy Talbit - Yuri Liapkin

XXXX will be filled with any of Dean Prentice, Herbie Lewis, Vic Hadfield, or John McKenzie

Also, Andy Bathgate will take some time on the point on the second unit, depending on the situation.


Penalty Kill #1
Hooley Smith - Herbie Lewis - Ray Bourque - Jacques Laperriere

Jack Darragh will take some time on the first unit if a goal is needed.

Penalty Kill #2
Red Sullivan - Ken Mosdell - Lionel Hitchman - Jean-Guy Talbot

Special Teams

No comments really but I'd have Vic Hadfield on that 2nd line power play if I where you.

Final Thoughts:

Overall a solid team, I look forward to seeing how it does in both the regular season and the playoffs.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Still not 100% sure this will be the final set up, but here goes:

New Jersey Swamp Devils

Style = fast, aggressive, puck possession. Built around skilled defensemen, puck possession centers, and gritty wingers.

Head coach: Tommy Ivan

Toe Blake - Bill Cowley - Bill Cook (C)
Gordon Roberts - Peter Forsberg - Gordon Drillon
Tony Leswick - Patrice Bergeron - Frank Finnigan
Sergei Kapustin - Vladimir Shadrin - Todd Bertuzzi

Babe Siebert - Red Kelly (A)
Herb Gardiner (A) - Harry Cameron
Ryan Suter - Kevin Hatcher

Grant Fuhr
Chuck Rayner

Spares: Ray Getliffe (LW/C), Ryan Kesler (C/RW), Alexei Kovalev (RW/C), Ed Van Impe (D)

PP1: Drillon - Cowley - Cook - Kelly - Cameron
PP2: Roberts - Forsberg - Blake - Siebert - Hatcher

PK1: Shadrin - Finnigan - Gardiner - Siebert
PK2: Bergeron - Leswick - Suter - Kelly
PK3: Forsberg - Blake​

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Skipping around a little bit because I feel like doing this one next. I'll get to every team in my division before the end though.

Modo Hockey
General Manager: King Forsberg
Coach: Glen Sather
Assistant Coach: Larry Robinson

Captain: Darryl Sittler
Alternate Captain: Chris Pronger
Alternate Captain: Danny Gare

Steve Shutt --- Sidney Crosby --- Jaromir Jagr
Anatoli Firsov --- Darryl Sittler (C) --- Danny Gare (A)
Gilles Tremblay --- Jacques Lemaire --- Bobby Rousseau
Fleming MacKell --- Keith Primeau --- Kevin Dineen
Alexei Yashin, Dustin Byflugien, W/D

Chris Pronger (A) --- Jan Suchy
Shea Weber --- Eric Desjardins
Frantisek Tikal --- Glen Wesley
Al Iafrate

Bill Durnan
Chris Osgood

PP1: Firsov - Sittler - Jagr - Weber - Pronger
PP2: Shutt - Crosby - Gare - Desjardins - Suchy
PK1: Tremblay - Rousseau - Desjardins - Tikal
PK2: Primeau - MacKell - Pronger - Weber
PK3: Lemaire - Wesley


​

Have at it

Coaching and Leadership

Sather is one of the best run-and-gun coaches out there. This isn't really a run-and-gun team past the first line, but nonetheless, he's a coach well equipped to get the most out of Jaromir Jagr and let him do his thing. Leaders are okay, none of them scream all-time great captains, but they are all pretty solid. Personally, I'd make Pronger the C, but I guess you're worried that you might get "bad Pronger." I like Larry Robinson as an assistant in charge of the defense - he'll make you much more likely you'll get "good Pronger." Robinson also makes me a lot more comfortable with the idea of "wild thing" Iafrate in the lineup.

Forwards

Jagr is an awesome offensive force, but he's high maintenance, and he really can only play one style at a high level - a offensive-minded European puck possession style, where Jagr himself is the focal point. This line works. Crosby, as a superstar in the real NHL is usually the one controlling the play, but he is a smart player, decent away from the puck, and very good in front of the net, so I think he'll work well off the puck, as Jagr does his thing with it. It's always hard to evaluate still-active players, but I think Crosby has accomplished enough to be a decent 1st line center in this - I would not like him as the catalyst of a top line at this level, but he's perfectly fine as the 2nd best member of the line. From a talent perspective, Shutt is a weak 1st liner, but he works perfectly from a fit perspective - this line working similarly to how the Shutt-Lemaire-Lafleur line worked in real life (with Crosby a big offensive upgrade from Lemaire and something of a defensive downgrade). Shutt has experience playing off the puck and going to the net himself. Also, I don't know if you did this on purpose, but back to Jagr being high maintenance, I think it's good that you got another Czech speaker in Tikal in your starting lineup - that should help keep Jagr happy.

2/3 of an awesome second line. Again, another line built around a winger, with the fast and fiery Firsov being a very strong 2nd line catalyst. Sittler is kind of a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none and fits as a complimentary 2nd line C. I'm not a fan of Gare on a second line at 28 teams - he brings toughness to your top 6 and something of a goal scoring touch, but as an overall offensive player, he was nothing special outside of his career season. As an even strength scorer, he wasn't much different from Don Luce and Craig Ramsey over the course of his career. I'm also not sure of the fit - does Gare have the speed to keep up with Firsov? Do his linemates have the playmaking abilities to set him up and make him offensively useful?

Strong two-way third line built around Lemaire (a truly elite 3rd line center at even strength), with Bobby Rousseau the two-way playmaker from the wing Lemaire can use. Tremblay is okay as a third line LW - he has all the skills you'd want (speed, grit, decent two-way ability); I just never think of him as a top 3rd liner though... maybe his injuries, I don't know. I guess if I had a criticism of the line, it's that you could have used more grit next to Rousseau's softness, but overall it's a pretty strong third line for an offensive-minded team.

Primeau is a 4th liner with size who can kill penalties competently. Dineen can chip in scoring. I had MacKell before and as far as I could tell, he was only a LW for a few years and was basically a grinder, so don't expect much from him at LW. I understand why you'd put him at LW though - gives you another guy who can take faceoffs on the PK.

Neither Yashin or Buff brings any defensive ability, so you could get in trouble if someone in your bottom 6 is injured.

Overall, a good, offensive minded bunch with defensive ability sprinkled throughout the lineup. I like the Crosby-Jagr, Sittler-Firsov, and Lemaire-Rousseau duos. The third wheels of each line aren't as strong, though Tremblay isn't exactly bad as the 3rd best member of a 3rd line.

Defense

Pronger is a solid #1, very physical, good both ways, somewhat injury prone. I find his value to be higher on special teams than at even strength, where he is probably somewhat below average. Larry Robinson's presence behind the bench should hopefully minimize bad penalties. Suchy is a good puck moving #2 who wasn't bad in his own zone. Suchy peaked against somewhat weak European competition in the late 60s/early 70s, so I always preferred him as a 2nd pairing puck mover to a first pairing guy who sees the best competition here, even if I think he has the talent to be a #2. Still, his skating-based two-way game should be a good fit net to Pronger.

I think you drafted Desjardins just a bit early, but nonetheless, he's a good third pairing anchor and a solid two-way #3. I think Weber could pass for a #3, which makes him an above average #4, and his physical game compliments Desjardins' more cerebral game very well.

Overall, a really well balanced top 4 - nothing really stands out as awe-inspiring, but they get the job done.

Tikal is something of a mystery man - can you make the case for him as a #5?Pelletier says "Father David Bauer, the legendary Canadian national team coach of the 1960s, considered Tikal the best defensman in Europe in the 1960s." I wish Joe cited his sources, I would want to know when Father David Bauer said that and if he was knowingly comparing Tikal to Ragulin. Skillset-wise, he reads like a pretty tough stay at home guy. I'm not a big fan of Glen Wesley in the starting lineup at 28 teams - he played for a long time, but never really was recognized as a great defenseman league-wide. Iafrate is such a high-risk, high-reward guy, but I can definitely see him playing a decent number of games under Robinson's tutelage.

Goaltending

Durnan is one of many goalies that falls into the "pretty good" or average category here. Probably a better regular season goalie than a playoff one, but I can't see him hurting you. Osgood seems like one of the weaker backups.

Powerplay

Sittler seems weak for a first unit center. Also, who is going to go after rebounds on this team, Firsov? Jagr is awesome along the boards and along with Firsov form one of the better winger pairs here.

Weber-Pronger are solid, maybe a bit below average as first unit pointmen, but Desjardins-Suchy seem above average for 2nd unit guys.

Crosby is obviously very strong for a 2nd unit PP (why do you have Sittler over him on the first)? His wingers - not so good. Shutt is fine as a net presence, but I don't really think Gare has the offensive chops for ATD powerplay duty, especially at 28 teams. Why not put Lemaire and/or Rousseau there? I think both of them are better offensive players than Gare.

Penalty Kill

I couldn't understand why your first PK looked so awful, until I saw that your best penalty killers were on the second unit! I think Pronger has to be on the first unit to anchor the D - I don't see any of your other defensemen who are particularly strong on the PK, though Tikal, Desjardins, Weber, and Suchy are all alright. I think Pronger's so much better than the rest of your D on the PK, you just play him there and cut time out of even strength if need be.

Can either Tremblay or Rousseau take faceoffs? Regardless, I think MacKell is your best penalty killing forward and should center the first unit. Ideally, he'd have a better partner for MacKell, but I don't see one. When you picked Lemaire, you got an elite two-way third liner at even strength, but it cut down on the options for penalty killing. (Lemaire is perfectly fine as a spare PKer though).

Overall

I like: Strong scoring depth. In particular, the Crosby-Jagr, Sittler-Firsov, and Lemaire-Rousseau combos are very good. Your 1st and 3rd lines and top 4 defensemen are all great fits for each other and should be more than the sum of their parts.

I have concerns about: Shutt and Gare are pretty weak for their roles, and while I understand Shutt from a chemistry perspective, I really don't like Gare in a top 6 role or on the PP here. Your PK as currently configured is a team weakness, and while it will be helped by moving MacKell and Pronger to the first unit, it still won't be spectacular. Suchy is not used to this level of competition and may struggle on a top pairing (but he might adjust fine, it's a ?)

 

[overpass]

Can either Tremblay or Rousseau take faceoffs? Regardless, I think MacKell is your best penalty killing forward and should center the first unit. Ideally, he'd have a better partner for MacKell, but I don't see one. When you picked Lemaire, you got an elite two-way third liner at even strength, but it cut down on the options for penalty killing. (Lemaire is perfectly fine as a spare PKer though).

Rousseau played some C and should be able to take face-offs. Strange to see him on an ATD first PK unit and completely off the PP though.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Quebec Aces Review

Quebec Aces Roster​

Head Coach: Claude Julien
Assistant Coach: Barry Trotz
Bert Olmstead- Joe Primeau - Maurice Richard (" C ")
Alexander Ovechkin - Denis Savard - Claude Lemieux
Marty Pavelich - Butch Goring - Jack Walker
Mel Bridgman - Bobby Smith- Johnny Peirson
Jason Arnott - Patrick Kane

Leo Boivin ( "A") - Dit Clapper ( "A")
Phil Housley- Clarency Abel
Dallas Smith - Steve Duchene
Phil Russell

Turk Broda
Rogie Vachon

PP1: Ovechkin - Savard - Richard - Clapper - Housley
PP2: Bridgman - Smith - Primeau - Boivin - Duchene
PK1: Walker - Goring - Smith - Abel
PK2: Pavelich - Olmstead - Clapper - Boivin

Name|ES|PP|SH|Total
Olmstead|15|0|3|18
Primeau|14|3|0|17
Richard|15|5|0|20
Ovechkin|13|5|0|18
Savard|13|5|0|18
Lemieux|14|0|0|14
Pavelich|11|0|5|16
Goring|13|0|5|18
Peirson|8|0|0|8
Bridgman|8|3|0|11
Smith|8|3|0|11
Walker|11|0|5|16|

Name|ES|PP|SH|Total
Clapper|18|5|4|27
Boivin|18|3|4|25
Housley|15|5|0|20
Abel|16|0|4|20
Smith|13|0|5|18
Duchene|8|5|0|13

Coaching and Leadership

I think Julien has accomplished enough by now to be a viable ATD coach for a defensive-minded team. He is, at his heart, a defensive systems coach, and I really don't know how he'd handle a team built around Rocket Richard and Alexander Ovechkin. Trotz is a viable ATD assistant; what's his role here?

The Rocket captained a dynasty and nobody would ever question his intensity or will to win. Depending on the coaching, he could show a lack of discipline though. Clapper is a fantastic A and I guess Boivin is fine as the other A.

Forwards

The Rocket is awesome. I would not have drafted him over Mario Lemieux, but I think he's a worthy top 10 pick. Olmstead is the classic "glue guy" - dominating the corners, solid defensively, can chip in offensively. He's usually used as the glue guy next to two top end scorers, and Primeau is not what I would call a top end scorer in the ATD. Primeau's a solid two-way playmaker, but I really would prefer someone more dynamic next to The Rocket. Perhaps switch Savard and Primeau? Savard isn't anything special as a #1 center, but I like him in that role better than Primeau. Olmstead has the intangibles for the line covered.

I think you took a lot of unfair criticism when you drafted Ovechkin. Don't get me wrong - I would not have drafted him when I already had Richard in the fold - I think the two of them have weaknesses that are too similar. But from a value standpoint, Ovechkin was a solid pick IMO. Savard is a solid playmaking #2 center. Like I said before, I really think you should swap him with Primeau to beef up the first line. Plus, Olmstead is probably better defensively than Lemieux, so you need Primeau's D less on the first line. I love what Lemieux brings to a team - all-time agitation, solid defensive player, clutch scorer. I do not like him in a top 6 role in the ATD at all - he just wasn't that good a scorer on a consistent basis.

Jack Walker is a top notch third liner - elite defensively, can chip in on offense. Pavelich won't score much at all, but he's also elite defensively. Goring is a solid two-way player - I don't really consider him a shut down center at this level, but he'll contribute at both ends of the ice. I can see Julien giving this line a lot of ice time.

Good 4th line - they'll chip in offensively and bring the grit. Bridgman in particular is a good who can play.

Arnott and Kane are really good spares. If he keeps up his pace, I could see Kane as a 2nd line winger in this next year.

Defense

I think you fell into a bit of a trap that a lot of rookies do, where you (understandably) don't want to draft defensemen at poor value, but then end up waiting too long because defensemen are never good value in the ATD. Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet.

Clapper is a solid #1, probably somewhat below average, but with a very useful skill set - very physically strong, very durable, decent first pass. I do not like Boivin as a #2 at all - he's a physical beast, but his overall Norris/All-Star records are those of a #4 defenseman, not a #2 or even a #3.

Housley brings the offense, along with his well-known issues in his own zone. I'm a major Housley-hater; other GMs think of him more highly than I do. Richard and Ovechkin will love his stretch passes, however. If you do have Housley in your top 4, he really needs a strong defensive partner, and I'm not sure if that's Abel. Abel was a big hitter and a crease clearer. Only half his career was in the era of All-Star records, so it's hard to tell whether he has the talent to be a #4 or a #6. (The record we know of - 7th, 9th, 10th - is more that of a #6, but only half his career is covered by the All-Star teams, so we have to assume he's at least somewhat better than that).

Bottom pairing is the classic offense/defense mix - seems pretty average.

Russell is a very good spare.

Goaltending
Broda is yet another of those "average" goalies - I'd say probably a bit below average in the regular season but raises his game quite a bit in the playoffs. He's going to see a lot of rubber when Phil Housley is out on the ice. Vachon is a good backup who will rarely play, since Broda is a workhorse.

Special Teams

Any PP with Ovechkin and Richard is going to be very dangerous. Savard and Housley are pretty good, Clapper seems a bit weak for a first unit, but he does have a big slapshot that will be useful. Overall, an above average first unit talent-wise. Is there a net guy? I guess Ovechkin can do it - he played that role for team Russia - even if he is usually on the half boards or point in the NHL.

None of the forwards on the second unit impress me. Duchesne is good on the point, Boivin isn't as good.

Walker and Pavelich are elite PKers, and you can play then together since both can take faceoffs. Goring is solid, I see him as more of a 2nd unit PKer, but he's strong there. I would remove Olmstead (who as far as I know never killed penalties in Montreal) in favor of Joe Primeau, who was known as a strong penalty killer in his day.

Clapper is a strong PKing defensemen. The rest of your unit are okay.

Suggestion: I think your PP would be stronger if you moved Ovechkin to the point, bumping Clapper to the second unit. Olmstead could then be moved up front as a net presence. Clapper could then bump Boivin off the PP entirely. Moving Clapper to the 2nd PP would also give him more freedom to play on the 1st PK, where you really need him.

Overall

I like: The one-two punch of Richard and Ovechkin bring the goals. Good mix of players in your bottom 6. Broda is a fantastic clutch goalie.

I have concerns about: Lack of a true #2 or #3 defenseman gives you a subpar blueline. Primeau and Lemieux are both weak for their roles.

Suggestion: Swap Savard and Primeau. I think an Olmstead-Savard-Richard line would actually be quite nice. Richard had some good years with his brother, a major puck possession player, so he should work well with Savard. It hurts the second line a bit, reducing it mainly to Ovechkin and slaves, I mean glue guys, but it definitely makes the first line more dynamic.

Solid first time entry from one member of our strong group of rookies. The nature of the ATD makes it really hard to put together a good team your first time around, and I think you really did wait too long to draft your second defenseman, but this is not a bad first time entry at all.

 

[tony d]

Continuing my review of all the teams in my division I'll do this 1, my comments are in bold:

Quebec Aces

Head Coach: Claude Julien
Assistant Coach: Barry Trotz

Coaching: Julien is a fantastic coach currently in the NHL and is slowly becoming 1 of the better all-time coaches. He's still in the lower tier of ATD coaches but he's getting better and could go higher next year. Trotz is a very good coach as well, he does a great job with the Nashville team. Overall you have a solid group of coaches, good job.

Bert Olmstead- Joe Primeau - Maurice Richard (" C ")
Alexander Ovechkin - Denis Savard - Claude Lemieux
Marty Pavelich - Butch Goring - Jack Walker
Mel Bridgman - Bobby Smith- Johnny Peirson
Jason Arnott - Patrick Kane

Forwards:

1st Line: Of all the left wing glue guys Olmstead seems to be one of the top ones,he probably won't add much offensively but he's still a good guy to have. Joe Primeau's good to have as well. You're going to want an elite playmaker next to Richard and I think you got a pretty good 1. Maurice Richard is Maurice Richard and is one of the better goal scoring wingers of all time, this line certainly has all the bases covered as it comes to the prototypical ATD 1st line with the glue guy, playmaker and goal scorer, good job.

2nd Line: Ovechkin's an amazing talent but I don't see the need for Ovechkin when you already had Richard and where still without a defenseman or centre when you picked him. Denis Savard's a very good 2nd line centre and has the speed to keep up with Ovechkin. Claude Lemieux's a good 1 as well, very pesky and knows how to get under the skin of his opponents. The 2nd line in an ATD may be to high for Lemieux but he's still a solid player who should fit in well on this line, good job.

3rd Line: Pavelich seems to be the prototypical 3rd liner in this, he won't score much but he'll probably prevent other teams from scoring so he's a good pick. Goring's a good 1 as well, perhaps one of the better 3rd line centres in the draft. His work ethic is pretty good so he's a good pick. Jack Walker's a great pick, reads as a very good checker, Goring didn't play a dirty game so Walker should cover for Goring in a lot of situations. Solid 3rd line here.

4th Line: Bridgman's a fantastic pick and should handle a lot of the dirty work for your team. Smith was more of an offensive guy but he could hold his own on the defensive side of the puck as well so he'll work qutie well here. Peirson's a good one as well, his offense should gel well with Smith while he offers a good defensive game as well, solid 4th line as well.

Defense:

Leo Boivin ( "A") - Dit Clapper ( "A")
Phil Housley- Clarency Abel
Dallas Smith - Steve Duchene
Phil Russell

1st Defensive Pairing: Boivin's a good defenseman and is one of the better defensive defensemen in this but he's a very weak #2 in the ATD setting. Clapper's a good pick as well albeit one of the weaker #1 defenseman, he probably won't hurt you but he's going to be one of the worse #1 defensemen in this draft.

2nd Defensive Pairing: Phil Housley's an amazing offense only defenseman. He's going to hurt you defensively, he'd look quite good next to Boivin IMO as it would give you the offensive/defensive defenseman pairing I always go for. Abel looks like he's a willing defensive defenseman but he's more suited for a 3rd pairing, overall it's a good pairing but there are weaknesses here.

3rd Defensive Pairing: Dallas Smith looks like a very good defenseman who played with Bobby Orr so I think he can handle playing with Steve Duschene. Duschene's a very good pick and should help the team out offensively, overall it's a very good pairing.

Turk Broda
Rogie Vachon

Goaltending: Broda's a very good goalie, perhaps one of the better playoff and clutch goalies of all time, that's very important in the ATD setting. Vachon's a very good backup and should help out should broda get hurt.

PP1: Ovechkin - Savard - Richard - Clapper - Housley
PP2: Bridgman - Smith - Primeau - Boivin - Duchene
PK1: Walker - Goring - Smith - Abel
PK2: Pavelich - Olmstead - Clapper - Boivin

Special Teams: Ovechkin, Savard, Richard and Housley should make for an awesome PP 1, I don't know if it would be a problem though with both of Richard and Ovechkin battling for the puck. Other than that Leo Boivin sticks out like a sore thumb on an ATD power play but when he's next to Duchene it shouldn't be an issue and both Boivin and Bridgman can do the dirty work and allow Smith, Primeau and Duchene to create scoring opportunities. Nothing to say about your PK units.

Spares: Kane and Arnott are 2 very good spares, I think both would have made for a good 1st line in the MLD had they made it there. Phil Russell's a good one as well.


Final Thoughts: Overall a solid 1st entry here for you. Probably should have went with a defenseman instead of Ovechkin but other than that you did a good job of drafting, I wish you good luck and think it will be interesting to see how you do.

 

[ted2019]

Coaching and Leadership

I think Julien has accomplished enough by now to be a viable ATD coach for a defensive-minded team. He is, at his heart, a defensive systems coach, and I really don't know how he'd handle a team built around Rocket Richard and Alexander Ovechkin. Trotz is a viable ATD assistant; what's his role here?

The Rocket captained a dynasty and nobody would ever question his intensity or will to win. Depending on the coaching, he could show a lack of discipline though. Clapper is a fantastic A and I guess Boivin is fine as the other A.

Forwards

The Rocket is awesome. I would not have drafted him over Mario Lemieux, but I think he's a worthy top 10 pick. Olmstead is the classic "glue guy" - dominating the corners, solid defensively, can chip in offensively. He's usually used as the glue guy next to two top end scorers, and Primeau is not what I would call a top end scorer in the ATD. Primeau's a solid two-way playmaker, but I really would prefer someone more dynamic next to The Rocket. Perhaps switch Savard and Primeau? Savard isn't anything special as a #1 center, but I like him in that role better than Primeau. Olmstead has the intangibles for the line covered.

I think you took a lot of unfair criticism when you drafted Ovechkin. Don't get me wrong - I would not have drafted him when I already had Richard in the fold - I think the two of them have weaknesses that are too similar. But from a value standpoint, Ovechkin was a solid pick IMO. Savard is a solid playmaking #2 center. Like I said before, I really think you should swap him with Primeau to beef up the first line. Plus, Olmstead is probably better defensively than Lemieux, so you need Primeau's D less on the first line. I love what Lemieux brings to a team - all-time agitation, solid defensive player, clutch scorer. I do not like him in a top 6 role in the ATD at all - he just wasn't that good a scorer on a consistent basis.

Jack Walker is a top notch third liner - elite defensively, can chip in on offense. Pavelich won't score much at all, but he's also elite defensively. Goring is a solid two-way player - I don't really consider him a shut down center at this level, but he'll contribute at both ends of the ice. I can see Julien giving this line a lot of ice time.

Good 4th line - they'll chip in offensively and bring the grit. Bridgman in particular is a good who can play.

Arnott and Kane are really good spares. If he keeps up his pace, I could see Kane as a 2nd line winger in this next year.

Defense

I think you fell into a bit of a trap that a lot of rookies do, where you (understandably) don't want to draft defensemen at poor value, but then end up waiting too long because defensemen are never good value in the ATD. Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet.

Clapper is a solid #1, probably somewhat below average, but with a very useful skill set - very physically strong, very durable, decent first pass. I do not like Boivin as a #2 at all - he's a physical beast, but his overall Norris/All-Star records are those of a #4 defenseman, not a #2 or even a #3.

Housley brings the offense, along with his well-known issues in his own zone. I'm a major Housley-hater; other GMs think of him more highly than I do. Richard and Ovechkin will love his stretch passes, however. If you do have Housley in your top 4, he really needs a strong defensive partner, and I'm not sure if that's Abel. Abel was a big hitter and a crease clearer. Only half his career was in the era of All-Star records, so it's hard to tell whether he has the talent to be a #4 or a #6. (The record we know of - 7th, 9th, 10th - is more that of a #6, but only half his career is covered by the All-Star teams, so we have to assume he's at least somewhat better than that).

Bottom pairing is the classic offense/defense mix - seems pretty average.

Russell is a very good spare.

Goaltending
Broda is yet another of those "average" goalies - I'd say probably a bit below average in the regular season but raises his game quite a bit in the playoffs. He's going to see a lot of rubber when Phil Housley is out on the ice. Vachon is a good backup who will rarely play, since Broda is a workhorse.

Special Teams

Any PP with Ovechkin and Richard is going to be very dangerous. Savard and Housley are pretty good, Clapper seems a bit weak for a first unit, but he does have a big slapshot that will be useful. Overall, an above average first unit talent-wise. Is there a net guy? I guess Ovechkin can do it - he played that role for team Russia - even if he is usually on the half boards or point in the NHL.

None of the forwards on the second unit impress me. Duchesne is good on the point, Boivin isn't as good.

Walker and Pavelich are elite PKers, and you can play then together since both can take faceoffs. Goring is solid, I see him as more of a 2nd unit PKer, but he's strong there. I would remove Olmstead (who as far as I know never killed penalties in Montreal) in favor of Joe Primeau, who was known as a strong penalty killer in his day.

Clapper is a strong PKing defensemen. The rest of your unit are okay.

Suggestion: I think your PP would be stronger if you moved Ovechkin to the point, bumping Clapper to the second unit. Olmstead could then be moved up front as a net presence. Clapper could then bump Boivin off the PP entirely. Moving Clapper to the 2nd PP would also give him more freedom to play on the 1st PK, where you really need him.

Overall

I like: The one-two punch of Richard and Ovechkin bring the goals. Good mix of players in your bottom 6. Broda is a fantastic clutch goalie.

I have concerns about: Lack of a true #2 or #3 defenseman gives you a subpar blueline. Primeau and Lemieux are both weak for their roles.

Suggestion: Swap Savard and Primeau. I think an Olmstead-Savard-Richard line would actually be quite nice. Richard had some good years with his brother, a major puck possession player, so he should work well with Savard. It hurts the second line a bit, reducing it mainly to Ovechkin and slaves, I mean glue guys, but it definitely makes the first line more dynamic.

Solid first time entry from one member of our strong group of rookies. The nature of the ATD makes it really hard to put together a good team your first time around, and I think you really did wait too long to draft your second defenseman, but this is not a bad first time entry at all.

I appreciate it. I thought that the #1-2 Defenseman depth would've been higher. I'm learning and enjoying at the same time. I've bought 4 books since doing the 2013 AAA and the top 60 Centers draft. Next year in the ATD, I will know better and realize My mistakes. When I drafted Primeau at the time, I thought that He was a better Offensive talent then He originally was. I will make the proper changes. The reason I took Richard over Mario, was the lack of top end talent at RW.

 

[ted2019]

Continuing my review of all the teams in my division I'll do this 1, my comments are in bold:

Quebec Aces

Head Coach: Claude Julien
Assistant Coach: Barry Trotz

Coaching: Julien is a fantastic coach currently in the NHL and is slowly becoming 1 of the better all-time coaches. He's still in the lower tier of ATD coaches but he's getting better and could go higher next year. Trotz is a very good coach as well, he does a great job with the Nashville team. Overall you have a solid group of coaches, good job.

Bert Olmstead- Joe Primeau - Maurice Richard (" C ")
Alexander Ovechkin - Denis Savard - Claude Lemieux
Marty Pavelich - Butch Goring - Jack Walker
Mel Bridgman - Bobby Smith- Johnny Peirson
Jason Arnott - Patrick Kane

Forwards:

1st Line: Of all the left wing glue guys Olmstead seems to be one of the top ones,he probably won't add much offensively but he's still a good guy to have. Joe Primeau's good to have as well. You're going to want an elite playmaker next to Richard and I think you got a pretty good 1. Maurice Richard is Maurice Richard and is one of the better goal scoring wingers of all time, this line certainly has all the bases covered as it comes to the prototypical ATD 1st line with the glue guy, playmaker and goal scorer, good job.

2nd Line: Ovechkin's an amazing talent but I don't see the need for Ovechkin when you already had Richard and where still without a defenseman or centre when you picked him. Denis Savard's a very good 2nd line centre and has the speed to keep up with Ovechkin. Claude Lemieux's a good 1 as well, very pesky and knows how to get under the skin of his opponents. The 2nd line in an ATD may be to high for Lemieux but he's still a solid player who should fit in well on this line, good job.

3rd Line: Pavelich seems to be the prototypical 3rd liner in this, he won't score much but he'll probably prevent other teams from scoring so he's a good pick. Goring's a good 1 as well, perhaps one of the better 3rd line centres in the draft. His work ethic is pretty good so he's a good pick. Jack Walker's a great pick, reads as a very good checker, Goring didn't play a dirty game so Walker should cover for Goring in a lot of situations. Solid 3rd line here.

4th Line: Bridgman's a fantastic pick and should handle a lot of the dirty work for your team. Smith was more of an offensive guy but he could hold his own on the defensive side of the puck as well so he'll work qutie well here. Peirson's a good one as well, his offense should gel well with Smith while he offers a good defensive game as well, solid 4th line as well.

Defense:

Leo Boivin ( "A") - Dit Clapper ( "A")
Phil Housley- Clarency Abel
Dallas Smith - Steve Duchene
Phil Russell

1st Defensive Pairing: Boivin's a good defenseman and is one of the better defensive defensemen in this but he's a very weak #2 in the ATD setting. Clapper's a good pick as well albeit one of the weaker #1 defenseman, he probably won't hurt you but he's going to be one of the worse #1 defensemen in this draft.

2nd Defensive Pairing: Phil Housley's an amazing offense only defenseman. He's going to hurt you defensively, he'd look quite good next to Boivin IMO as it would give you the offensive/defensive defenseman pairing I always go for. Abel looks like he's a willing defensive defenseman but he's more suited for a 3rd pairing, overall it's a good pairing but there are weaknesses here.

3rd Defensive Pairing: Dallas Smith looks like a very good defenseman who played with Bobby Orr so I think he can handle playing with Steve Duschene. Duschene's a very good pick and should help the team out offensively, overall it's a very good pairing.

Turk Broda
Rogie Vachon

Goaltending: Broda's a very good goalie, perhaps one of the better playoff and clutch goalies of all time, that's very important in the ATD setting. Vachon's a very good backup and should help out should broda get hurt.

PP1: Ovechkin - Savard - Richard - Clapper - Housley
PP2: Bridgman - Smith - Primeau - Boivin - Duchene
PK1: Walker - Goring - Smith - Abel
PK2: Pavelich - Olmstead - Clapper - Boivin

Special Teams: Ovechkin, Savard, Richard and Housley should make for an awesome PP 1, I don't know if it would be a problem though with both of Richard and Ovechkin battling for the puck. Other than that Leo Boivin sticks out like a sore thumb on an ATD power play but when he's next to Duchene it shouldn't be an issue and both Boivin and Bridgman can do the dirty work and allow Smith, Primeau and Duchene to create scoring opportunities. Nothing to say about your PK units.

Spares: Kane and Arnott are 2 very good spares, I think both would have made for a good 1st line in the MLD had they made it there. Phil Russell's a good one as well.


Final Thoughts: Overall a solid 1st entry here for you. Probably should have went with a defenseman instead of Ovechkin but other than that you did a good job of drafting, I wish you good luck and think it will be interesting to see how you do.

As I said in a previous post, I'm learning on the fly. I still don't understand the whole, if a Goalie gets hurt issue and how that works. I took Ovechkin when I did instead of Defense was the reason I took Rocket over Mario. I thought there was a severe drop off after a certain number of LW were taken.

 

[Johnny Engine]

The Buchans Miners

GM: Johnny Engine
Coach: Tommy Gorman
Captain: Lester Patrick
Alternate Captains: Doug Gilmour, Al MacInnis

Dickie Moore - Aleksandr Maltsev - Didier Pitre
Luc Robitaille - Doug Gilmour - Odie Cleghorn
Esa Tikkanen - Brad Richards - Bill Guerin
Percy Galbraith - Mike Richards - Floyd Curry

Brad McCrimmon - Al MacInnis
Jimmy Watson - Lester Patrick
Gus Mortson - Robert Svehla

Patrick Roy
Dave Kerr

Spares
Red Berenson
Paul MacLean
Ian Turnbull
Al Shields

Powerplay:
MacInnis - Moore - Robitaille - Maltsev - Patrick
Pitre - Gilmour - Richards - Cleghorn - Mortson

Turnbull, MacLean, Svehla and Berenson will receive occasional spot duty on the PP.

Penalty
Tikkanen - Richards - Watson - McCrimmon
Galbraith - Gilmour - MacInnis - Svehla

A third unit of Dickie Moore, Floyd Curry, Lester Patrick and Gus Mortson will receive occasional spot duty on long penalty kills. Al Shields will be given chances to play on the PK when he dresses.

Last minute when trailing: Moore - Maltsev - Robitaille - Gilmour - MacInnis - Patrick
Last minute when ahead: Moore - Gilmour - Tikkanen - McCrimmon - MacInnis


and a word from singer-songwriter Matthew Hornell:

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Indianapolis Racers Review

Indianapolis Racers

Head Coach: Dick Irvin Sr.

Brendan Shanahan-Newsy Lalonde-Sergei Makarov
Brian Propp- Dale Hawerchuk-Joe Mullen
Wendel Clark-Dave poulin-Jim Pappin
Kelly Miller- Rick Macleish-John Maclean

Doug Harvey-Lionel Conacher
Gary Suter-Joe Hall
Mike Ramsey--James Patrick

Billy Smith
Harry Lumley

Extras: Ron Stackhouse, Doug Weight, Andre Dupont, Ab Mcdonald

Captain: Newsy Lalonde
Alternates: Doug Harvey, Dale Hawerchuk

Special Teams:

PP 1: Brendan Shanahan, Newsy Lalonde, Sergei Makarov, Doug Harvey, Gary Suter
PP 2: Brian Propp, Dale Hawerchuk, Joe Mullen, James Patrick, Lionel Conacher
PK 1: Kelly Miller, Dave Poulin, Doug Harvey, Mike Ramsey
PK 2: Brian Propp, Rick Macleish, Lionel Conacher, Joe Hall

Coaching and Leadership

Irvin's a very solid coach here. He tended to work his teams hard, and his teams were generally more offensive-minded than most. He was also a big fan of smash-mouth-in-your-face-don't-care-if-we-take-penalties hockey, pretty much just the kind of hockey his captain Newsy Lalonde embraces. Lalonde was something of a loose canon, but nobody ever questioned his drive or his ability to lead his teammates. Harvey, Hawerchuk, Shanahan, and Conacher provide good secondary leadership.

Forwards

Lalonde is a really talented guy - big time goal scorer, big time leader, big time face basher in both legal and completely illegal ways. Makarov brings blazing speed and a well-rounded offensive game. How was Lalonde's speed? I always assumed he was fast, but Dreakmur said he thought Lalonde was more of a "cerebral" puck rusher than a speedster. Shanahan adds more toughness and goal scoring to the line. Decent 1st line power forward, though I think you did take him a bit high. I'm not sure if he's exactly what the line needs though. Makarov's game was so much about a speedy transition; I would have preferred a LW who could keep up with him and help feed him and Lalonde. Was Propp a strong skater?

Second line seems solid across the board with Hawerchuk the offensive catalyst, Mullen the goal scorer, and Propp the worker and defensive conscience. Nothing that wows you, but they get the job done.

I'm not really a fan of your third line. Poulin is one of the draft's great penalty killers and a passable 3rd line checker at even strength. I see Wendel Clark as strictly a 4th line goon/energy player at this level. He was not a strong defensive player at all and kind of kill's the line's ability to be a shut down line. Pappin seems like a another energy line player, not really a checker. I also think you could really use a better playmaker than Poulin to make Clark and Pappin most effective.

MacLeisch and MacLean are both plus defensive players who can score. Again, I would like to see more playmaking here. I really thought Kelly Miller getting drafted last time was an aberration, but here he is again on a 4th line. He has strong team penalty killing stats, but barely any Selke record and doesn't provide much offense. I buy him as a penalty killer here, but at even strength he's pretty much a plug.

Doug Weight and Ab McDonald are excellent spares. Weight in particular was a great pick when you got him. On a team without much playmaking from your starting 4 centers (beyond Hawerchuk and kind of Lalonde who was a solid playmaker despite being shoot-first), Weight could be a major asset.

I really would try to get Weight into the starting lineup somehow - I feel Clark, Pappin, and MacLean in particular are players who need playmakers to be most effective. It hurts your checking though, so maybe it's not such a good idea.

Defense

First pairing is obviously a team strength. I see Harvey as basically Lidstrom + a nasty streak that makes him even tougher to score on. Conacher was a big, strong, crease clearer with a booming shot who was a slow skater. I see him as an average #2 overall, below average at even strength (because of his skating), above average on special teams (because of his shot on the PP, strength and shot blocking on the PK).

Suter's a decent #3, Hall is usually used as a #4, but it's hard to get a read on him. I know Hall was mega-tough and put up decent points, but how was he defensively? Gary Suter really needs to play next to a strong defensive player - he was a great rusher with a nasty streak but he wasn't anything special in his own zone.

Ramsey is a fantastic stay-at-home guy. I'd definitely buy him as a #4, so he's an excellent #5. Patrick is a decent bottom pairing puck mover, nothing special, but he won't hurt you as a #6.

Stackhouse and Dupont are very good spares and have all the bases covered.

Goaltending

Billy Smith is the man in the playoffs, but I feel he's one of the weaker starters in the regular season. He was also used to platooning, so it was wise to get one of the top backups in the draft in Lumley.

Special Teams

First PP is strong. In a PP setting, the fact that Makarov's linemates may or may not be able to keep up with him isn't that big a deal. Lalonde and Shanahan will cause all kinds of havoc in the zone and really wear out the D. Makarov is just so talented. Harvey is one of the top PP QBs ever, and Suter is pretty good on the point too. If there's any issue, it's that you don't have a right-handed shot on the point, but it's a relatively small one.

2nd PP is solid. Propp is a bit underwhelming but not bad. Hawerchuk and Mullen are good. Conacher has the big shot from the point, and Patrick is your right-handed shot.

First PK is excellent with Harvey and Poulin especially strong for their roles and Ramsey pretty good too. I guess Miller is okay on a first PK, though I honestly don't see him being much better than Propp if at all.

Propp and Conacher are strong on the 2nd PK. I wish we knew how good Hall was defensively, but he's certainly capable of mugging anyone in front of the net. MacLeisch... I guess he's passable there.

Overall

I like Strong first pairing. Very talented duo in Lalonde and Makarov - both were very strong picks when you drafted them. Strong first units on both special teams. Ramsey has to be one of the better #5s in this.

Concerns (and suggestions) Your bottom 6 forwards are just an odd mix of players. In particular, I really don't think either Wendel Clark or Kelly Miller has the talent to play top 9 minutes at this level, but there is also something of a lack of playmaking in general. You have a great playmaker in Doug Weight on the bench, and I would even consider dressing him over MacLeisch IF Weight has any penalty killing credentials (I don't know if he does).

Your first line MAY be less than the sum of its parts if Makarov's linemates struggle to keep up with him; I also would have preferred more playmaking from LW to go with Lalonde and Makarov.

Gary Suter needs a strong defensive partner, and I honestly don't know if that's Joe Hall - it could be, but I just don't know. Ramsey would be a safe partner for Suter; maybe switch them? I dunno.

 

[King Forsberg]

Thanks for the critique TDMM

 

[King Forsberg]

Skipping around a little bit because I feel like doing this one next. I'll get to every team in my division before the end though.



Coaching and Leadership

Sather is one of the best run-and-gun coaches out there. This isn't really a run-and-gun team past the first line, but nonetheless, he's a coach well equipped to get the most out of Jaromir Jagr and let him do his thing. Leaders are okay, none of them scream all-time great captains, but they are all pretty solid. Personally, I'd make Pronger the C, but I guess you're worried that you might get "bad Pronger." I like Larry Robinson as an assistant in charge of the defense - he'll make you much more likely you'll get "good Pronger." Robinson also makes me a lot more comfortable with the idea of "wild thing" Iafrate in the lineup.

Youre bang on with Robinson. That's the main reason I picked him. You, more than most people, know the affect he can have on d men. I'm probably going to move Iafrate into my top 6 and possibly the second PP unit. I like Pronger more as an alternate captain. He's been in that role for all his playoff success.

Forwards

Also, I don't know if you did this on purpose, but back to Jagr being high maintenance, I think it's good that you got another Czech speaker in Tikal in your starting lineup - that should help keep Jagr happy.

I didn't initially think of that when drafting Tikal but about a day later it dawned on me that Tikal would help Jagr and I was glad I did it.

I'm also not sure of the fit - does Gare have the speed to keep up with Firsov? Do his linemates have the playmaking abilities to set him up and make him offensively useful?

I like the grit that Gare adds to that line but I do agree he's not ideal for the top six. Sittler and Firsov will have the pick most of the time so Gare should be able to just get into position or drive the net. I think Firsov has more than enough playmaking talent to keep that line going. Everything I've read on him suggests he loved setting team mates up as much as he liked scoring.

Strong two-way third line built around Lemaire (a truly elite 3rd line center at even strength), with Bobby Rousseau the two-way playmaker from the wing Lemaire can use. Tremblay is okay as a third line LW - he has all the skills you'd want (speed, grit, decent two-way ability); I just never think of him as a top 3rd liner though... maybe his injuries, I don't know. I guess if I had a criticism of the line, it's that you could have used more grit next to Rousseau's softness, but overall it's a pretty strong third line for an offensive-minded team.

i had planned on drafting someone like Bridgman to complete that line but I completely missed that he was available. It's a little soft for a checking line but all three members are solid defensively.

Overall, a good, offensive minded bunch with defensive ability sprinkled throughout the lineup. I like the Crosby-Jagr, Sittler-Firsov, and Lemaire-Rousseau duos. The third wheels of each line aren't as strong, though Tremblay isn't exactly bad as the 3rd best member of a 3rd line.

The classic ATD formula
Defense

Pronger is a solid #1, very physical, good both ways, somewhat injury prone. I find his value to be higher on special teams than at even strength, where he is probably somewhat below average. Larry Robinson's presence behind the bench should hopefully minimize bad penalties. Suchy is a good puck moving #2 who wasn't bad in his own zone. Suchy peaked against somewhat weak European competition in the late 60s/early 70s, so I always preferred him as a 2nd pairing puck mover to a first pairing guy who sees the best competition here, even if I think he has the talent to be a #2. Still, his skating-based two-way game should be a good fit net to Pronger.

You think Pronger - Desjardins, Weber-Suchy is better? I was thinking of doing that and having Pronger-Desjardins as the main shutdown pair with Suchy having more offensive opportunities.

Tikal is something of a mystery man - can you make the case for him as a #5?Pelletier says "Father David Bauer, the legendary Canadian national team coach of the 1960s, considered Tikal the best defensman in Europe in the 1960s." I wish Joe cited his sources, I would want to know when Father David Bauer said that and if he was knowingly comparing Tikal to Ragulin. Skillset-wise, he reads like a pretty tough stay at home guy.

Tikal peaked at a weaker era but for a pure shutdown guy he's a got a more than decent track record. Plus he brings a lot of leadership to the table too.

Powerplay

I'm probably going to switch to this:

Firsov-Crosby-Jagr
Pronger - Suchy

Shutt-Lemaire-Sittler
Weber-Desjardins/Iafrate

Penalty Kill

I sort have just threw my PK together and forgot to adjust it. I'll probably roll with this
MacKell-Rousseau
Pronger-Tikal

Primeau-Tremblay
Desjardins-Weber/Suchy