2019/2020 season predictions

[Ferda11]

Saginaw
London
Kitchener
Sarnia
OS
SSM
Windsor
Flint
Erie
Guelph

Ottawa
Sudbury
Oshawa
Peterborough
Barrie
Missy
Kingston
Hamilton
Niagara
North Bay

 

[LDN]

you are missing SSM.

MY BAD!

 

[Tarantula]

East

Oshawa
Sudbury
Ottawa
Peterboro
Mississauga
Barrie
North Bay
Hamilton
Kingston
Niagara

West

Saginaw
Kitchener
Flint
London
Sarnia
SSM
Owen Sound
Windsor
Erie
Guelph

 

[EON]

West:
1. Saginaw
2. London
3. Kitchener
4. SSM
5. Erie
6. Flint
7. Windsor
8. Owen Sound
9. Sarnia
10. Guelph

East:
1. Ottawa
2. Sudbury
3. Oshawa
4. Peterborough
5. Barrie
6. Mississauga
7. Hamilton
8. Niagara
9. North Bay
10. Kingston

 

[GoPetesGo]

East
Peterborough
Sudbury
Ottawa
Oshawa
Barrie
Mississauga
Hamilton
Niagara
Kingston
North Bay

West
Saginaw
London
Kitchener
Flint
Owen Sound
Soo
Windsor
Sarnia
Erie
Guelph

 

[OHLTG]

West:

1. Saginaw
2. London
3. Kitchener
4. SSM
5. Windsor
6. Flint
7. Erie
8. OS
9. Sarnia
10. Guelph

East:

1. Ottawa
2. Sudbury
3. Peterborough
4. Oshawa
5. Barrie
6. Mississauga
7. Hamilton
8. Kingston
9. Niagara
10. North Bay

 

[Chico Maki]

West

Saginaw
London
Kitchener
Flint
Erie
Soo
Windsor
Owen Sound
Sarnia
Guelph

East

Ottawa
Sudbury
Petes
Oshawa
Barrie
Missi
Hamilton
North Bay
Niagara
Kingston

 

[Fischhaber]

West

1. London
2. Sault Ste. Marie
3. Saginaw
4. Kitchener
5. Flint
6. Windsor
7. Owen Sound
8. Erie
9. Sarnia
10. Guelph

I don't see a clear frontrunner in the Conference but London has a solid roster and I think that they will beat up on the weaker of the 2 divisions. Guelph will be awful and I'm not impressed by the rosters of Erie and Owen Sound. Kitchener looks solid with a new goalie and a very strong group of returning forwards. Defense, as always in Kitchener, will decide if they challenge London for the top spot. A vetetan addition there would be huge for them.

The West is ridiculously good this year and it was extremely hard to pick. I had Saginaw winning when Prosvetov was in camp but now it looks like he won't return. I think a better defense in the Soo will be the difference maker on two teams with similarly talented forward groups. Flint and Windsor have some seriously good young cores and could challenge as well. Sarnia deserves better and their roster is more talented than teams ahead of them but this division will hurt them a lot in the win column.

East

1. Ottawa
2. Sudbury
3. Peterborough
4. Oshawa
5. Barrie
6. Mississauga
7. Hamilton
8. Niagara
9. Kingston
10. North Bay

The East Division is quite strong this year with 3 really good teams. Ottawa keeps the majority of it's talent from the 50 win team last year and should be the clear frontrunners. I like Oshawa more than Peterborough right now if MacLean can be decent but it feels like the Petes will make some more moves. Oshawa, with a roster that loses it's 5 best players, screams of a win now situation but I am still unclear on what their direction is. Still rebuilding teams in Hamilton and Kingston are in a tough spot facing these 3 good teams.

The Central is a mess. I think that Sudbury is the 4th best team in the Conference but they look very likely to win the Division as things stand now. Barrie and Mississauga have mediocre rosters that could challenge if Sudbury stumbles but I don't see that being likely. Niagara's veteran remnants will beat out Kingston for the 8th spot and North Bay should have just an awful season. I hope they can turn things around.

 

[Generalsupdates]

The East Division is quite strong this year with 3 really good teams. Ottawa keeps the majority of it's talent from the 50 win team last year and should be the clear frontrunners. I like Oshawa more than Peterborough right now if MacLean can be decent but it feels like the Petes will make some more moves. Oshawa, with a roster that loses it's 5 best players, screams of a win now situation but I am still unclear on what their direction is. Still rebuilding teams in Hamilton and Kingston are in a tough spot facing these 3 good teams.

The Central is a mess. I think that Sudbury is the 4th best team in the Conference but they look very likely to win the Division as things stand now. Barrie and Mississauga have mediocre rosters that could challenge if Sudbury stumbles but I don't see that being likely. Niagara's veteran remnants will beat out Kingston for the 8th spot and North Bay should have just an awful season. I hope they can turn things around.

Seen you say this a couple times now but Oshawa has had arguably the most clear direction of anyone, no? Every move they've made has been to get ready for the 2020-2021 Memorial Cup host. By selling off Studnicka/Brassard to get Lleyton Moore then by adding cheap at the deadline but getting valuable playoff experience for the future leaders of that '21 potential Mem Cup host team in Tullio/Moore/Brewer etc. Also McShane and Vallati are both unsigned and could be back next year as OA's. But getting '01 Andrew MacLean instead of going to get Popovich (who is from near Oshawa), and also drafting '02 elite forward Oliver Suni, instead of a "win now" goalie, continues to show that it's all about the 2021 season as their goal, which is why I could see Noel getting sold at the deadline to continue to add to the young players and draft picks (which they already have the most 2nds in the entire league)

P.S. as a side note, wondering who you had as their top 5 players who you think are all graduating? I assume you meant Noel, Neumann, McShane (unsigned), Vallati (unsigned), but who'd you have as the 5th? The only other player who might be graduating are Walker/Resnick but they're not close to the top 5, and Nico Gross but I don't think you'd have him near the top 5. So wondering who you had as that 5th guy

 

[Kingpin794]

I think a better defense in the Soo will be the difference maker on two teams with similarly talented forward groups.

Not really

Saginaw brings back 3 30 goals scorers and 5 20 goal scorers. The Soo will bring back 0 30 goal scorers and 2 20 goal scorers and apparently you’re trying to trade one of them. (Not counting Hayton. Even IF he comes back, they’ll trade him).

I wouldn’t call that similar. I’m sure you’ll protest otherwise.

 

[Generalsupdates]

My 2019-2020 East Predictions (with a short thought process on each team)

East:
1- Peterborough
Could be Ottawa here because I think they're better than PBO but not convinced OTT will go all-in. I personally don't trust a team who's 2/3 of their best players are SDA and the development stagnated Zach Gallant. But I think Oke feels the pressure to go all-in (last year of his contract right?) and you don't have to be a good GM to be able to give away all your picks to go all-in, which is great news for Petes fans.. They will need Jones to be a lot better though. Needs to be better than a .902 reg season save % and he looked awful in the playoffs (.862 save %).

2- Sudbury
Similar to the Petes, I think they feel the pressure to go all-in with it being the last year of Byfield/Levin etc. I think they walk away with a weak Central division.

3- Ottawa
More points than Sudbury but finishes 3rd because of the divisions. Could be #1 but I'm not sure they go all-in like PBO will.

4- Oshawa
2021 Mem Cup host is the focus but they'll still be good enough to get home ice in the playoffs for the 5th time in the last 7 years, even if they trade away Noel at the deadline. Goaltending will be the question but they're returning 5/6 of their D and have a forward group that should be able to score quite a few goals.

5- Barrie
Kind of caught in the middle but with the Import goalie they got to commit, they should have the best goalie tandem in the league and Suzuki/Pekar/Tortora will score a lot of goals.

6- Mississauga
Better goaltending than NB/HAM/NIA/KGN which puts them at the top of the 6-10 group. They're still a year away from being a factor in the East.

7- Hamilton
Young goalies who will struggle. Kaliyev and Jenik will score a ton of goals but they'll need a big year from Morrison and Bertuzzi if they're going to be challenging BAR/MISS for the 5/6 spot

8- Kingston
Will be younger but also better than last year. Bonello is a pretty good OA goalie and they'll have the best rookies in the league with Wright, Arcuri, Callens, Hache. If Wong/Pinchuk can have good season I think they make the playoffs.

9- Niagara
Rebuilding time after getting embarrassed by the Gens in the playoffs last year. All rookie goalies. 4/6 D will be very young. After Akil Thomas gets traded, Tomasino will be their only consistent scorer. They'll be battling NB for the 1st overall pick.

10- North Bay
Traded away both their goalies to go younger and they will bottom out this year and pick 1st overall.

(will do the West later tonight)

 

[member 71782]

East

1 – Ottawa – I think they go all in this year in terms of willing to move young players. Decent stockpile of picks, some solid 02s to sweeten any trades if needed and a willingness to do so this time around.

2 – Sudbury – With Byfield it’s time to put all their chips on the table. Still have a few holes to fill but they will do what it takes to fill them.

3 – Peterborough – Decent picks, solid roster but a couple of holes to fill. Once they move Merkley they will add a few more picks or a mix of player(s) and picks. Like Sudbury I think they have to go all in and will be willing to do what it takes to get it done.

4 – Oshawa – Like last year they will be making a couple of sideways moves. They have a large stockpile of picks and players and with a few tweaks I think they could take it all this year but are likely focused on hosting next year. A couple of vets out for a couple of younger players and picks to load up next year.

5 – Barrie – A bounce back year for them.

6 – Mississauga – Better than the rest.

7 – Hamilton – They are starting to put together a solid young group and have a couple of players who will bring in decent returns while not hurting them much compared to the remaining teams in the conference.

8 – Kingston – Time to start turning things around after drafting Wright. They round out the playoffs in the East.

9 – Niagara – While they will miss the playoffs the big sell will come at the deadline so they will put up enough points to keep them out of last place.

10 – North Bay – Time to bottom out.

West

1 – Saginaw – I think they will get enough back, have solid assets and be willing to deal what they need to to get over the hump this year and take the conference which is in a bit of a transition year IMO.

2 – London – They have the assets and young players to deal to build up their young blueline with a solid forward group while still not hurting their chances to be at the top of the conference next year when the hosting duties return to the O.

3 – Flint – The drama is hopefully over, they have a large stockpile of picks and some very solid young talent. The fans want to see a winner after all they’ve been through and BB wants to be known as a GM who earned the job instead of just getting it through daddy. They should be making a big push.

4 – Kitchener – I think they are unsure of exactly what they are going to do. Fourth spot in the conference is there for the taking, they have a few assets, solid roster but do they want to go all in? I think they manage to get the fourth spot but they will be in a battle with three other teams to do it.

5 – Windsor – With this summer’s drama over, a very talented young group coming up, solid draft pick stockpile and some pieces that could be nice additions to other teams while adding a bit more to their picks this is a year where they turn it around in a big way. They could challenge for fourth in the conference or finish out of the playoffs depending on what their intentions are and if coaching can get things right. I see a couple of sideways moves that adds to the future without downgrading the lineup too much.

6 – Owen Sound – A team on the rise but looking still towards next year moreso than this year.

7 – Sault Ste Marie – They won’t miss the playoffs but they will be selling more than they are buying. Time to take a step back, refill the cupboard a bit and look to the future.

8 – Erie – Their core is still young but their vets are only complimentary players. I expect a big jump next year but this year they get a taste of the playoffs again and build around their kids.

9 – Sarnia – They are where Windsor was the last two years, kind of spinning there wheels. Some good young talent, some solid vets but not enough overall to get things done this year. I think they look to the future, move some vets and add some picks while letting the kids take over.

10 – Guelph – After going all in time to go full rebuild.

 

[OMG67]

you are missing SSM.

I wouldn't say I was missing them, Bob....

 

[Generalsupdates]

West:
1- Saginaw
One of the best forward groups in the league and Tristan Lennox is a stud. They need some help on D but that can easily be fixed as the year goes on.

2- Kitchener
Top heavy F group but Meireles/Yantis/Hawel/Damiani will score a ton. Need Ingham to be considerably better than he was for Mississauga, but I think he can be.

3- London
Kooy will be a top 5 goalie and they have quite a few forwards who will consistently score. D is their question, but also the cheapest to upgrade.

4- Flint
Popovich will give them stability in net and their young guys will finally be old enough to consistently produce.

5- Owen Sound
Need Guzda to take a step forward but I think he can. They have a pretty deep F core and will need to score with all 3 lines.

6- Sault Ste. Marie
Hard to predict because if Hayton sticks in the NHL, they likely sell off and regain some draft picks. But if he doesn't then they probably add because it's the last year of Hayton/Propp.

7- Windsor
Piiroinen will be much better this season and Afanasyev/Cuylle/Foudy/Purboo/Douglas will score enough goals for them to make the playoffs.

8- Erie
Fighting with Winesor/Sarnia for the 7/8/9 spots. If Aidan Campbell is actually as good as Otters fans are hyping him up to be, I think they'll make the playoffs. Will rely a lot on F depth as they have quite a few F unknowns coming into the season.

9- Sarnia
Still not ready in net. Gaudreau is clearly the guy of the future but he's not stepping in as an '03 and carrying them to the playoffs. I think they sell off McGregor. If they don't then they will be fighting with WSR/ER for the 7/8/9 spots.

10- Guelph
The classic complete sell and bottom out after a championship run

 

[ohloutsider]

There are now less than 48 hours to get your picks posted if you want to participate.

 

[ohloutsider]

Time for me to enter some picks - tough in the west, as others have noted 4 through 9 can almost be a crap shoot. Who is selling/buying at the deadline is up in the air for sure. East is not much easier from 5 to 10. I think the top 4 is clear but that is why they play the games I guess.

West-
Saginaw
Kitchener
Flint
London
Windsor
Soo
Owen Sound
Erie
Sarnia
Guelph

East-
Petes
Sudbury
Ottawa
Oshawa
Barrie
Missy
Hamilton
Kingston
Niagara
North Bay

 

[Fischhaber]

East

1 – Ottawa – I think they go all in this year in terms of willing to move young players. Decent stockpile of picks, some solid 02s to sweeten any trades if needed and a willingness to do so this time around.

2 – Sudbury – With Byfield it’s time to put all their chips on the table. Still have a few holes to fill but they will do what it takes to fill them.

3 – Peterborough – Decent picks, solid roster but a couple of holes to fill. Once they move Merkley they will add a few more picks or a mix of player(s) and picks. Like Sudbury I think they have to go all in and will be willing to do what it takes to get it done.

4 – Oshawa – Like last year they will be making a couple of sideways moves. They have a large stockpile of picks and players and with a few tweaks I think they could take it all this year but are likely focused on hosting next year. A couple of vets out for a couple of younger players and picks to load up next year.

5 – Barrie – A bounce back year for them.

6 – Mississauga – Better than the rest.

7 – Hamilton – They are starting to put together a solid young group and have a couple of players who will bring in decent returns while not hurting them much compared to the remaining teams in the conference.

8 – Kingston – Time to start turning things around after drafting Wright. They round out the playoffs in the East.

9 – Niagara – While they will miss the playoffs the big sell will come at the deadline so they will put up enough points to keep them out of last place.

10 – North Bay – Time to bottom out.

West

1 – Saginaw – I think they will get enough back, have solid assets and be willing to deal what they need to to get over the hump this year and take the conference which is in a bit of a transition year IMO.

2 – London – They have the assets and young players to deal to build up their young blueline with a solid forward group while still not hurting their chances to be at the top of the conference next year when the hosting duties return to the O.

3 – Flint – The drama is hopefully over, they have a large stockpile of picks and some very solid young talent. The fans want to see a winner after all they’ve been through and BB wants to be known as a GM who earned the job instead of just getting it through daddy. They should be making a big push.

4 – Kitchener – I think they are unsure of exactly what they are going to do. Fourth spot in the conference is there for the taking, they have a few assets, solid roster but do they want to go all in? I think they manage to get the fourth spot but they will be in a battle with three other teams to do it.

5 – Windsor – With this summer’s drama over, a very talented young group coming up, solid draft pick stockpile and some pieces that could be nice additions to other teams while adding a bit more to their picks this is a year where they turn it around in a big way. They could challenge for fourth in the conference or finish out of the playoffs depending on what their intentions are and if coaching can get things right. I see a couple of sideways moves that adds to the future without downgrading the lineup too much.

6 – Owen Sound – A team on the rise but looking still towards next year moreso than this year.

7 – Sault Ste Marie – They won’t miss the playoffs but they will be selling more than they are buying. Time to take a step back, refill the cupboard a bit and look to the future.

8 – Erie – Their core is still young but their vets are only complimentary players. I expect a big jump next year but this year they get a taste of the playoffs again and build around their kids.

9 – Sarnia – They are where Windsor was the last two years, kind of spinning there wheels. Some good young talent, some solid vets but not enough overall to get things done this year. I think they look to the future, move some vets and add some picks while letting the kids take over.

10 – Guelph – After going all in time to go full rebuild.

I think a lot of the prediction makers don't have a feel for what is going on in Sault Ste. Marie so I just want to post some thoughts. Anyone who follows the team is shaking their head and laughing at these statements.

The Greyhounds were the second youngest team in the entire league last season. Younger than Kingston, younger than Erie. Don't be confused by them nearly winning the Conference. That was the rebuild, it's over.

They don't even have many veterans to sell if they wanted to. The core of the 96 point team last year was built on 2001 players and they are all back.

We can debate how good the team really is but they are built to win a playoff round for a league best 7th consecutive season and management has made their intentions clear. A Memorial Cup run is expected of this team in each of the next 2 or 3 seasons and they will make the necessary moves in their own unique style.

 

[member 71782]

I think a lot of the prediction makers don't have a feel for what is going on in Sault Ste. Marie so I just want to post some thoughts. Anyone who follows the team is shaking their head and laughing at these statements.

The Greyhounds were the second youngest team in the entire league last season. Younger than Kingston, younger than Erie. Don't be confused by them nearly winning the Conference. That was the rebuild, it's over.

They don't even have many veterans to sell if they wanted to. The core of the 96 point team last year was built on 2001 players and they are all back.

We can debate how good the team really is but they are built to win a playoff round for a league best 7th consecutive season and management has made their intentions clear. A Memorial Cup run is expected of this team in each of the next 2 or 3 seasons and they will make the necessary moves in their own unique style.

It's just the way I see it shaking out this year. The West is going to be a conference with a lot of parity and as many others have said, 4 to 9 could really be anyone's game. At the same time if there's 3 or 4 teams that really load up this may be the year the Soo, on their terms takes a small step back, adds a few assets than likely right back at it next year. They've become a model franchise over the last many years and I think they will keep it up but regardless of how consistent a team may be everyone has an off year.

 

[digiblader]

East:
Ottawa
Sudbury
Oshawa
Peterborough
Barrie
Mississauga
Kingston
North Bay
Hamilton
Niagara

West:
Saginaw
Kitchener
London
Flint
Soo
Windsor
Owen Sound
Erie
Sarnia
Guelph

 

[TuckerFan1]

East:
Peterborough
Sudbury
Ottawa
Oshawa
Barrie
Mississauga
Hamilton
Niagara
Kingston
North Bay

West:
Saginaw
London
Kitchener
Flint
Windsor
Soo
Sarnia
Erie
Owen Sound
Guelph

 

[Fischhaber]

It's just the way I see it shaking out this year. The West is going to be a conference with a lot of parity and as many others have said, 4 to 9 could really be anyone's game. At the same time if there's 3 or 4 teams that really load up this may be the year the Soo, on their terms takes a small step back, adds a few assets than likely right back at it next year. They've become a model franchise over the last many years and I think they will keep it up but regardless of how consistent a team may be everyone has an off year.

I wasn't objecting to your placement in the standings, although putting them 7th is extremely questionable.

Even if the disastrous worst case scenario that you predict in your standings comes to pass, they still aren't in a position to sell. They don't have any veteran players departing.

 

[NOA]

I wasn't objecting to your placement in the standings, although putting them 7th is extremely questionable.

Even if the disastrous worst case scenario that you predict in your standings comes to pass, they still aren't in a position to sell. They don't have any veteran players departing.

Yet there are rumors that Roth and Trott are being shopped around. Maybe only one is traded, but maybe both.

If both are traded and Hayton did not return, that means SSM would have lost 6 of their top 7 scorers from last year. Including their top veteran defenders.

The biggest thing is Hayton.. if he doesn’t return, SSM is not in position to go for a title this year and as a result, they would be better off selling guys like Roth/Trott.

 

[Square Corners]

I think a lot of the prediction makers don't have a feel for what is going on in Sault Ste. Marie so I just want to post some thoughts. Anyone who follows the team is shaking their head and laughing at these statements.

The Greyhounds were the second youngest team in the entire league last season. Younger than Kingston, younger than Erie. Don't be confused by them nearly winning the Conference. That was the rebuild, it's over.

They don't even have many veterans to sell if they wanted to. The core of the 96 point team last year was built on 2001 players and they are all back.

We can debate how good the team really is but they are built to win a playoff round for a league best 7th consecutive season and management has made their intentions clear. A Memorial Cup run is expected of this team in each of the next 2 or 3 seasons and they will make the necessary moves in their own unique style.

Dude, stop. If Hayton doesn't come back, SSM will only have 2 guys returning who scored 15 goals, and one of them apparently is going to be traded. They're also returning 0 players who were a point per game last year. To act like if you don't say that team is one of the best in the conference you're an idiot, is INSANE. It would take the absolute best case scenario in so many different aspects for the Hounds to win their division like you predicted.

Saying they'll finish 7th is WAY more logical than saying they'll finish 2nd lol

 

[WaW]

East
1. Peterborough
2. Sudbury
3. Ottawa
4. Oshawa
Moderate gap here
5. Mississauga
6. Barrie
7. Hamilton
Big gap here, these are the 3 other really bad teams other than Guelph
8. Niagara
9. Kingston
10. North Bay

West
1. Kitchener
2. Saginaw
3. London
Big gap and 4-9 is a crap shoot
4. Sault Ste Marie
5. Owen Sound
6. Flint
7. Erie
8. Windsor
9. Sarnia
Guelph pays for last season's championship (well worth it though)
10. Guelph

 

[Fischhaber]

Yet there are rumors that Roth and Trott are being shopped around. Maybe only one is traded, but maybe both.

If both are traded and Hayton did not return, that means SSM would have lost 6 of their top 7 scorers from last year. Including their top veteran defenders.

The biggest thing is Hayton.. if he doesn’t return, SSM is not in position to go for a title this year and as a result, they would be better off selling guys like Roth/Trott.

Roth and Trott are being shopped because there isn't room for them on the roster. Both are slotted into 4th line roles behind better forwards and the team is looking to get them an expanded role elsewhere in exchange for some defensive depth.

Square corners, I am not going to respond to ridiculous hyperbole. If you have anything useful to say then do so.