ATD 2014 Assassination Thread - Rene Lecavalier Division

[Rob Scuderi]

Rob Scuderi - Pittsburgh AC
Hawkey Town 18 - Chicago Shamrocks
Dwight - West Island Lions
papershoes - Kenora Thistles
JFA87-66-99 - Pittsburgh Bankers
monster_bertuzzi - Vancouver Millionaires
bluesfan & Nalyd Psycho - Kansas City Scouts​

Click to read more...

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Pittsburgh Athletic Club

Coach Hap Day

Patrik Elias - Frank Nighbor - Bryan Hextall
Keith Tkachuk - Max Bentley - Cecil Dillon
Jiri Holik - Jeremy Roenick - Eric Nesterenko
Zach Parise - Steve Kasper - Mike Foligno

Valeri Vasiliev (A) - Viacheslav Fetisov (C)
Leo Reise - Art Ross
Bobby Rowe - Lars-Erik Sjoberg (A)

Georges Vezina
Paddy Moran

Spares: Bobby Holik, Ken Randall, Mathieu Schneider, Ray Whitney

PP
Elias-Nighbor-Hextall
Fetisov-Bentley

Tkachuk-Roenick-Dillon
Ross-Sjoberg

PK
Kasper-Nesterenko
Vasiliev-Reise

Nighbor-Dillon
Rowe-Fetisov

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

​

Vancouver Millionares


Head coach: Mike Keenan
Assistant coach: Peter Laviolette

Joe Malone-Mark Messier(C)-Glenn Anderson
Sweeney Schriner-Joe Thornton(A)-Bobby Bauer
Jere Lehtinen-Brent Sutter-Owen Nolan
Ross Lonsberry-Joe Niuewendyk-Bobby Nystrom
Orland Kurtenbach
Lorne Carr

King Clancy(A)-'Hap' Day(A)
Mark Howe-Red Horner
Craig Hartsburg-Bucko McDonald
Robyn Regehr

''Gump'' Worsley
Eddie Giacomin

PP#1 - Malone-Thornton-Schriner-Howe-Clancy
PP#2 - Messier-Anderson-Nieuwendyk-Day-Horner

PK#1 - Lehtinen-Messier-Day-McDonald
PK#2 -Sutter-Nolan-Howe-Horner

 

[Dwight]

WEST ISLAND LIONS

General Manager: Dwight
Head Coach: Arkady Chernyshev
Assistant Coach: Viktor Tikhonov
Captain: Eddie Gerard
Assistant Captains: Bryan Trottier, Punch Broadbent

Cy Denneny - Bryan Trottier - Rick Middleton
Markus Naslund - Bernie Federko - Punch Broadbent
Nick Metz - Phil Goyette - Jean Pronovost
Adam Graves - Murray Oliver - Bruce MacGregor
Marcel Bonin - Kent Nilsson

Eddie Gerard - Pierre Pilote
Moose Vasko - Dan Boyle
Barclay Plager - Paul Reinhart
Jeff Brown

Henrik Lundqvist
Al Rollins

PP1
Cy Denneny - Bryan Trottier - Rick Middleton
Pierre Pilote - Dan Boyle

PP2
Markus Naslund - Bernie Federko - Punch Broadbent
Moose Vasko - Paul Reinhart

PK1
Murray Oliver - Nick Metz
Eddie Gerard - Pierre Pilote

PK2
Bryan Trottier - Bruce MacGregor
Moose Vasko - Barclay Plager​

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Pittsburgh Athletic Club

Coach Hap Day

Patrik Elias - Frank Nighbor - Bryan Hextall
Keith Tkachuk - Max Bentley - Cecil Dillon
Jiri Holik - Jeremy Roenick - Eric Nesterenko
Zach Parise - Steve Kasper - Mike Foligno

Valeri Vasiliev (A) - Viacheslav Fetisov (C)
Leo Reise - Art Ross
Bobby Rowe - Lars-Erik Sjoberg (A)

Georges Vezina
Paddy Moran

Spares: Bobby Holik, Ken Randall, Mathieu Schneider, Ray Whitney

PP
Elias-Nighbor-Hextall
Fetisov-Bentley

Tkachuk-Roenick-Dillon
Ross-Sjoberg

PK
Kasper-Nesterenko
Vasiliev-Reise

Nighbor-Dillon
Rowe-Fetisov

Gotta hand it to Scuds he is a pretty solid GM. Made the finals last year and could get there again, great job.

Coaching and leadership:

Hap Day is a good coach. With 5 cups how couldn't he be, he also has a very pleasent personality which the roster should enjoy - and want to play hard for. Kinda strange to see nothing but defenceman with letters! Im truly only aware of Fetisov and Vasiliev's one ice game, and not how they were in the room. Maybe you could fill me in there:

Forwards:

Line 1 - Very tough two-way line. Nighbor is a pain in the ass matchup for any centre in the league, he's an elite player. Hextall has gotten a lot more recognition from everyone hasn't he. He is a legit first line talent who is probably a 30-30 player in the season. I hate Elias's talent level, but he has a style that should fit.

Line 2 - My favourite line of yours. Bentley is the team's most skilled player, and you got him a couple skilled wingers. If Keith tkachuk had some better damn playoffs in his career I think he would have been heralded as good as a guy like Neely.

Line 3 - It's ok, not the best i've seen. I really don't like Roenick as #3 down the middle to be honest. He strikes me as a guy who could thrive with more minutes in the top 6, but in a bottom 6 role I think he would be the JR from the San Jose days. Then again his scoring pedigree is incredible for a 3rd liner, and helps the secondary support (something the team would want, without a doubt).

Line 4 - Seems like a good mix. Parise is a rare active star that I actually buy making any kind of impact with 4th line minutes.

Defence:

1st pair - Damn, that is one tough pairing. Vasiliev is pretty much a #1 himself. Fetisov Im not as high on as others (behind Robinson for sure, arguably Chelios, Park, Clancy), but none the less he's around that top 10 mark.

2nd pair - Reise fell into your lap, he's a very strong #4 in my mind. Art Ross - meh. He's extremely tough for me to get a read on. I hate taking chances on pre world war 1 players (other than the obvious elite).

3rd pair - Pretty no named and unspectacular. I don;t like taking chances on pre 1970's European players from way inferior leagues either, by the way.

Goal:

Vezina's stock went way up after that goalies project. I guess he really was damn good.

Overall a team with few holes. As long as Nighbor can find some chemistry with Hextall and the 3rd line can chip in relatively consistently, the team should roll in the season and the top 4 should dominate most nights. Offensive output could be a problem. Bentley is the teams best player in that regard, and as the #2 centre, that doesn't exactly make you believe the team will be among the most talented in the league.

 

[papershoes]

Kenora THISTLES
1907 Stanley Cup Champions

Home Rink: Thistle Rink (1920), Kenora, Ontario
GM: papershoes
Coach: Hector "Toe" Blake
Captain: Sid Abel
Alternates: Harvey Pulford, Jarome Iginla, Bob Gainey

#12 Sid Abel (C) - #4 Cyclone Taylor - #12 Jarome Iginla (A)
#27 John Tonelli - #71 Evgeni Malkin - #18 Vladimir Vikulov
#23 Bob Gainey (A) - #17 Fred Stanfield - #11 Mike Gartner
#7 Ed Sandford - #27 Derek Sanderson - #15 Rejean Houle
extra: #16 Johnny Wilson, Dan Bain, #15 Jamie Langenbrunner

Harvey Pulford (A) - #19 Larry Robinson
#21 Bob Baun - #2 Carl Brewer
#29 Reijo Ruotsalainen - #3 Craig Ludwig
extra: #22 Charlie Huddy

#1 George Hainsworth
#35 JS Giguere​

Powerplay:
PP1: John Tonelli - Evgeni Malkin - Jarome Iginla - Cyclone Taylor - Larry Robinson
PP2: Vladimir Vikulov - Sid Abel - Mike Gartner - Reijo Ruotsalainen - Carl Brewer

Penalty Kill:
PK1: Bob Gainey - Derek Sanderson - Larry Robinson - Harvey Pulford
PK2: Rejean Houle - Fred Stanfield - Bob Baun - Craig Ludwig

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Thanks for the review MB, I'll respond to a few things.

Kinda strange to see nothing but defenceman with letters! Im truly only aware of Fetisov and Vasiliev's one ice game, and not how they were in the room. Maybe you could fill me in there:

I can't find exact year ranges for years they wore letters, but Fetisov was captain of the National Team and CSKA where he captained his teams' to numerous titles. There's also a quote about him being barred from playing in the NT for making a comment about wanting to play in NJ and his teammates rallied behind him saying they wouldn't play if he couldn't. The bluff was called and Fetisov was back on the team and quickly elected captain by his teammates.

Vasiliev replaced Mikhailov as the Soviet team captain in the 70s and was praised by Tretiak for his role as a disciplinarian in the room. Seems like he fits the mold of a vocal leader who keeps teammates honest.

Line 1 - Very tough two-way line. Nighbor is a pain in the ass matchup for any centre in the league, he's an elite player. Hextall has gotten a lot more recognition from everyone hasn't he. He is a legit first line talent who is probably a 30-30 player in the season. I hate Elias's talent level, but he has a style that should fit.

Just curious, what do you mean you hate Elias's talent level? I definitely have some boring steady forwards, but Elias scored 96 points behind only Jagr and Sakic in his best year.

Line 3 - It's ok, not the best i've seen. I really don't like Roenick as #3 down the middle to be honest. He strikes me as a guy who could thrive with more minutes in the top 6, but in a bottom 6 role I think he would be the JR from the San Jose days. Then again his scoring pedigree is incredible for a 3rd liner, and helps the secondary support (something the team would want, without a doubt).

Roenick was on his last legs in San Jose, there's no way a prime Roenick would have fared that poorly with those minutes. Like you said, that secondary scoring was definitely a priority for my team so I think Roenick is a nice fit for my third line. Holik was a two-way guy as well so they can chip in offensively.

2nd pair - Reise fell into your lap, he's a very strong #4 in my mind. Art Ross - meh. He's extremely tough for me to get a read on. I hate taking chances on pre world war 1 players (other than the obvious elite).

overpass put together a great bio on Ross. Numerous quotes calling him a star, lots of quotes during his excellent 1908 season, and quotes comparing him to Hod Stuart and Lester Patrick.

SIHR says he was an all-star in the Manitoba league in 1907 and ECAHA in 1908.

3rd pair - Pretty no named and unspectacular. I don;t like taking chances on pre 1970's European players from way inferior leagues either, by the way.

Sjoberg's best season in the Swedish domestic league was 1969, but his other notable accomplishments came after 1970. He was named Best D at the 1974 WC with only 1 point over Suchy, Vasiliev, and Pospisil. Then he had his career in the WHA.

What makes guys like Art Duncan or Lloyd Cook on a different level from Rowe?

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

I won't have my lineup posted or be able to review teams for a few days. Apologies for the delay. Looks like we have a strong division here. Good work fellas.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Kenora THISTLES
1907 Stanley Cup Champions

Home Rink: Thistle Rink (1920), Kenora, Ontario
GM: papershoes
Coach: Hector "Toe" Blake
Captain: Sid Abel
Alternates: Harvey Pulford, Jarome Iginla, Bob Gainey

#12 Sid Abel (C) - #4 Cyclone Taylor - #12 Jarome Iginla (A)
#27 John Tonelli - #71 Evgeni Malkin - #18 Vladimir Vikulov
#23 Bob Gainey (A) - #17 Fred Stanfield - #11 Mike Gartner
#7 Ed Sandford - #27 Derek Sanderson - #15 Rejean Houle
extra: #16 Johnny Wilson, Dan Bain, #15 Jamie Langenbrunner

Harvey Pulford (A) - #19 Larry Robinson
#21 Bob Baun - #2 Carl Brewer
#29 Reijo Ruotsalainen - #3 Craig Ludwig
extra: #22 Charlie Huddy

#1 George Hainsworth
#35 JS Giguere​

Powerplay:
PP1: John Tonelli - Evgeni Malkin - Jarome Iginla - Cyclone Taylor - Larry Robinson
PP2: Vladimir Vikulov - Sid Abel - Mike Gartner - Reijo Ruotsalainen - Carl Brewer

Penalty Kill:
PK1: Bob Gainey - Derek Sanderson - Larry Robinson - Harvey Pulford
PK2: Rejean Houle - Fred Stanfield - Bob Baun - Craig Ludwig

I feel like I owe every team in our division an assassination, so now for the Thistles. Some teams this year seem like they're built around a team style, this seems more like a collection of mixed bag. I have questions about this teams lower units and just depth in general.

Coaching and leadership:

Blake could be the greatest coach ever. For me he is right there with Scott Bowman. He will get the most out of the talent handed to him. Im not geeked about Abel as Captain, but there is some great secondary leadership especially a guy like Jarome Iginla.

Forwards:

Line 1 - A rockstar line, should be potent when they're doing their thing in the offensive zone. Cyclone Taylor is just an unbelievable scorer, and should be in the top 10 for points during the season. Working wit him, Sid Abel and Iginla. Abel was a great glue guy for Howe and Lindsay with all world skills himself, Iginla is a top line power forward, a 35-35 guy in the season. My favourite part of your team, and when it's the unit that will see the most ice, thats not a bad thing.

Line 2 - Equally unimpressed with this line. Malkin is just a monster in the offensive zone, but I don't think he's working with much and this line could get rolled over by most. I had Tonelli on my 3rd line with 40 teams, so you can imagine what kind of production he brings for a top 6. Vikulov..even worse.

Line 3 - A little odd. Gainey is obviously an elite 3rd liner to throw out there, but really it seems like the line will be confused with Gartner on the other wing. Gartner brings secondary scoring, but I would have preferred a pure checking line.

Line 4 - I like it. Sanderson could take on a 3rd line role IMO, and he's a great pesky penalty killer.

Defence:

Top pair - Im a huge fan of Big Bird Larry Robinson. God he was awesome and way before his time. He was before my time, but just watch his ''legends of hockey'' episode on youtube to see how good he was. Not sure about his partner Pulford though, especially at even strength we know extremely little about the guys from 1895-1910.

Second pair - It decent, and they won't be exposed IMO. Neither stands out, Brewer is a pretty good #3, Baun seems pretty unspectacular. They are both gritty and tough, which I like.

Third pair - Seems below average really. Both of them could be #7's on other franchises.

Goal:

I think Hainsworth is better than a lot of #1 that went ahead of him. He is still well below average in the grand scheme with only 28 teams. I don't even think he's a weak spot, but he could discouraged some nights. Giguere also seems like one of the weaker backups.

I like:

-Some nice high end skill and size on the top unites notably Taylor-Iginla-Robinson.
-Evgeni Malkin
-When teams take a lot of penalties the power play should make them pay.

Im concerned:

-Lack of support behind the first line.
-A bad bottom pair D forcing a huge workload from the top 4.
-Shaky below average goaltending.

 

[papershoes]

First off - thanks for the review MB! You've definitely added some great talking points to the thread so far. I'm hoping to write reviews for each team in our division as well but, my wife's due with our second child any day now so, we'll see how that goes…

I'll add a couple things to your review...

Coaching and leadership:

Blake could be the greatest coach ever. For me he is right there with Scott Bowman. He will get the most out of the talent handed to him. Im not geeked about Abel as Captain, but there is some great secondary leadership especially a guy like Jarome Iginla.

Obviously, I agree with your assessment of Blake and, actually think he's a good fit for a team that does't have a very specific identity. He seems like the type of coach that can coach anything…

I'm definitely curious why you're not fond of Abel as a captain… He captained three cup-winners in Detroit and, seems like an excellent hard-working forward. Not a superstar by any means but, someone who will lead by example. Interestingly, I think one of the strongest aspects of my team is leadership. All of my assistant captains were long-time captains, with both Pulford and Gainey captaining cup-winners. Also, lots of leadership on guys not wearing letters (i.e., Robinson)

Forwards:

Line 1 - A rockstar line, should be potent when they're doing their thing in the offensive zone. Cyclone Taylor is just an unbelievable scorer, and should be in the top 10 for points during the season. Working wit him, Sid Abel and Iginla. Abel was a great glue guy for Howe and Lindsay with all world skills himself, Iginla is a top line power forward, a 35-35 guy in the season. My favourite part of your team, and when it's the unit that will see the most ice, thats not a bad thing.

Definitely agree here - one of my favourite lines I've built in the ATD to date… which is tough because I think Iginla would look equally great with Malkin

Line 2 - Equally unimpressed with this line. Malkin is just a monster in the offensive zone, but I don't think he's working with much and this line could get rolled over by most. I had Tonelli on my 3rd line with 40 teams, so you can imagine what kind of production he brings for a top 6. Vikulov..even worse.

I also agree with your analysis here. I'm not sold on this line and, am stumped what the best arrangement would be. I agree that Malkin is fantastic and, think Tonelli is a perfect fit as a top-notch corner-man / physical presence. However, that RW spot is a tough one. I'm certainly not opposed to placing Gartner on the line and moving Vikulov down but, always got the impression that Gartner, like Malkin, liked being the primary puck-carrier on the line (Gartner driving with his speed and Malkin using his vision and possession). So, felt Gartner was better served on a separate line...

Line 3 - A little odd. Gainey is obviously an elite 3rd liner to throw out there, but really it seems like the line will be confused with Gartner on the other wing. Gartner brings secondary scoring, but I would have preferred a pure checking line.

Agreed - a little odd (and definitely veers away from my typically 3rd line shut-down role) but, heres my reasoning. Gartner has an opportunity to be the primary puck-carrier and drive the puck to the net. He's also the primary triggerman with the majority of passes coming from Stanfield (who, with four top-10 assists placements, is serviceable on a 3rd line). Gainey, aside from being exceptional defensively, was also a pretty solid cornerman. So, offensively, I think it works (for a 3rd line) but, will definitely not shoot the lights out. Defensively, Gainey is elite, Stanfield is good, and Gartner (definitely the weak link) showed he can play a defensive role if needed. All that said, I may be completely out to lunch and the line sucks (haha)…

As an aside, if the team is protecting a lead, I have no problem icing a line of Gainey - Sanderson - Houle as a shutdown trio…

Line 4 - I like it. Sanderson could take on a 3rd line role IMO, and he's a great pesky penalty killer.

Agreed. I think Sanderson works on the 4th primarily since he appeared not to be anything special at even-strength. This way he can serve as the primary penalty-killer and, take on a shutdown role at C if needed...

Defence:

Top pair - Im a huge fan of Big Bird Larry Robinson. God he was awesome and way before his time. He was before my time, but just watch his ''legends of hockey'' episode on youtube to see how good he was. Not sure about his partner Pulford though, especially at even strength we know extremely little about the guys from 1895-1910.

Like you, I'm a huge Robinson fan (maybe more then some). He just adds so much to the back-end. And, I agree, with little information, it's hard to gauge the true value of Pulford. But, what I could tell from Dreak's excellent bio, he was big, strong, could hit, and great defensively. He was also the leader of an early era dynasty. I think pairing him with Big Bird means opposing offences need to anticipate being hit when crossing the blue line.

Second pair - It decent, and they won't be exposed IMO. Neither stands out, Brewer is a pretty good #3, Baun seems pretty unspectacular. They are both gritty and tough, which I like.

Interestingly, I drafted Brewer as my #2 (to pair with Larry) but, thought it provided better depth on a second pairing. Baun was drafted initially based on chemistry and, may not be an elite #4 (from an all-time perspective) but, I think he's a good fit and, won't be exposed.

Third pair - Seems below average really. Both of them could be #7's on other franchises.

Just curious why you would see Ludwig as a poor 3rd pairing D? Definitely brings zero offence to the table but, has strong enough defensive awareness to cover for Risto's wandering. He'll also be primarily employed on the PK. Risto, I'm not sold on as well but, needed a RHS on the PP and, an offensive puck-carrier from the back-end

Goal:

I think Hainsworth is better than a lot of #1 that went ahead of him. He is still well below average in the grand scheme with only 28 teams. I don't even think he's a weak spot, but he could discouraged some nights. Giguere also seems like one of the weaker backups.

I agree - I think Hainsworth is certainly a weaker starter but, was good value where selected. Giguere's nothing special but, was tremendous in one playoff run and good in another.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I'm definitely curious why you're not fond of Abel as a captain… He captained three cup-winners in Detroit and, seems like an excellent hard-working forward. Not a superstar by any means but, someone who will lead by example. Interestingly, I think one of the strongest aspects of my team is leadership. All of my assistant captains were long-time captains, with both Pulford and Gainey captaining cup-winners. Also, lots of leadership on guys not wearing letters (i.e., Robinson)

IMO, Abel is a fantastic captain.

I also agree with your analysis here. I'm not sold on this line and, am stumped what the best arrangement would be. I agree that Malkin is fantastic and, think Tonelli is a perfect fit as a top-notch corner-man / physical presence. However, that RW spot is a tough one. I'm certainly not opposed to placing Gartner on the line and moving Vikulov down but, always got the impression that Gartner, like Malkin, liked being the primary puck-carrier on the line (Gartner driving with his speed and Malkin using his vision and possession). So, felt Gartner was better served on a separate line...

Gartner worked fine with Messier at both the Canada Cup and their brief stint together in NY. He used his speed to create distance between himself and the defenders when he didn't have the puck. However, unless Vikulov had a two-way game to speak of, I would not want him on the 3rd line. Gartner was a responsible backchecker when called upon to do so (like in the Canada Cup)

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Just curious, what do you mean you hate Elias's talent level? I definitely have some boring steady forwards, but Elias scored 96 points behind only Jagr and Sakic in his best year.

I think he's better on a second line. He's alright offensively, but never really had that elite consistency, but he was a damn good two-way player.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I think he's better on a second line. He's alright offensively, but never really had that elite consistency, but he was a damn good two-way player.

Elias has always been a really streaky player - both offensively and defensively. As he's aged, he's become quite the penalty killer, but his even strength defensive ability has always been up and down. Definitely a plus defensively at this level but I wouldn't call him "damn good," at least not by ATD standards

 

[Rob Scuderi]

​

Vancouver Millionares


Head coach: Mike Keenan
Assistant coach: Peter Laviolette

Joe Malone-Mark Messier(C)-Glenn Anderson
Sweeney Schriner-Joe Thornton(A)-Bobby Bauer
Jere Lehtinen-Brent Sutter-Owen Nolan
Ross Lonsberry-Joe Niuewendyk-Bobby Nystrom
Orland Kurtenbach
Lorne Carr

King Clancy(A)-'Hap' Day(A)
Mark Howe-Red Horner
Craig Hartsburg-Bucko McDonald
Robyn Regehr

''Gump'' Worsley
Eddie Giacomin

PP#1 - Malone-Thornton-Schriner-Howe-Clancy
PP#2 - Messier-Anderson-Nieuwendyk-Day-Horner

PK#1 - Lehtinen-Messier-Day-McDonald
PK#2 -Sutter-Nolan-Howe-Horner

Keenan's a lower end coach in the ATD, but I wouldn't mind him if getting a coach late was the plan. He'll get a lot of his players, but I could see clashes with some of the more laid back skill guys you have like Thornton and Schriner. He'll obviously love coaching a team led by Messier though.

First Line
Messier's a great top line center and Malone's a very good scorer. Malone didn't play a ton of LW, but he switched there when he joined the Habs with Lalonde at center. Seems like you have a similar situation with a better player at center so this switch is one he's made before. Anderson's a weaker first liner, but he ups his game in the playoffs. If he had better regular season numbers this line would be even scarier, but it's still a pretty good top line.

Second Line
Schriner and Thornton are excellent scorers for a second line and Bauer is a solid. As far as offense goes this is a very potent line. If there's one weakness it's that it will rely on a puck-winning by committee approach and Bauer won't help that much. He played with two physically imposing linemates and while Thornton and Schriner have the size, neither are nasty players. If they can get the boardwork done, this line will provide great scoring.

Third Line
Lehtinen's a great third line player and Sutter's pretty good as a 3C. Nolan provides some scoring and physicality, but was he much of a defensive player? If you had another strong defensive player this line would be good at matching up, but Nolan doesn't seem too fearsome. As it stands this sort of seems like 2/3 of a shutdown line or 2/3 of a two-way line.

Fourth Line
Nieuwendyk's a good 4th liner who can bolster a PP unit. Nystrom's an all-time great role player who can add some energy. Lonsberry's a good defensive 4th liner who will patrol up and down his wing. I think Nieuwendyk's presence on the PP and Nystrom's energy will be the biggest additions to your team, but this is a responsible line that won't hurt you with their limited minutes.

First Pair
Clancy's a pretty good #1 and Day's more of an average #3 to me. They fit stylistically and I assume they played together in Toronto. You put your #2 on your second pair so this pair gets brought down a bit compared to other teams who put their #2 on the top pair.

Second Pair
Howe's a high end #2 and an excellent choice to start the second pair. Horner's a pretty good #4 himself so I think this is a really strong second pair. Comparatively, I think it's better than your top pair and they fit each other well.

Third Pair
I don't love this pair as much. They both read as #6s to me. Hartsburg had a somewhat short career and after his 5th place finish in AST voting, he never finished top 10 again. McDonald finished second in AST voting in 1942, but wasn't a factor in any other year. He was also benched in the SC finals that year by Day as Toronto won the Cup. He did win a pair of Cups with Detroit early in his career though, I'm unsure of what his contributions were on those teams and if he was a key player that'd help raise his stock. Stylistically they fit, but I just think both would be better off with a partner who was better.

Goalies
Worsley's a lower end starter who had his best years in Montreal starting the majority of games in 3 of 4 Stanley Cup wins. I came away a bit lower on him since the goalie project, but he's a proven playoff performer and that's a plus from the later picked starters. I'm lower on Giacomin than most probably, but he's a solid backup and that's needed with Worsley as he split time in Montreal.

Power play
I really like your 1st PP unit. Thornton's adjusted PP numbers in his 7 best seasons are excellent. He's just behind Lafleur and just ahead of Trottier. Malone and Schriner will be studs on the PP as well. Clancy's great as well and Howe's pretty good himself. Can't find any complaints with this group, I don't like the prospect of facing them multiple times in the regular season.

Nice group of forwards on your second unit. Messier will be heavily relied upon to do the distributing though. Anderson won't be able to take the front of the net with Nieuwendyk so he might have to be more of a shooter than garbage man. The pointmen seem very weak though. Unless I'm missing something you have to replace Horner with Hartsburg. He seems like a bad choice for PP minutes. Day seems okay but not great. Obviously not as strong as your top unit, but good forwards and weak defensemen with Horner on board.

Penalty kill
I really like the PK forwards on your top unit, but Bucko reads more of a second unit guy to me.

Sutter's a solid PKer and I like the defenseman. Horner seems like a stud clearing the front of the net and I wonder if he'd be better served flipping with McDonald. Nolan seems out of place killing penalties in the ATD though. He only killed 23% in his career for units 2% below average.

Overall,
I like: Top line that should gel with two excellent players
Second line that provides elite scoring punch
Second pair
That first PP unit and PP forwards in general

Don't like: Bottom pair could be stronger
Potential struggles with physical defensemen on the second line
Lower end goalie and coach (though the two most viable areas to skimp so it makes sense)
Horner on the PP and Nolan on the PK

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Keenan's a lower end coach in the ATD, but I wouldn't mind him if getting a coach late was the plan. He'll get a lot of his players, but I could see clashes with some of the more laid back skill guys you have like Thornton and Schriner. He'll obviously love coaching a team led by Messier though.

First Line
Messier's a great top line center and Malone's a very good scorer. Malone didn't play a ton of LW, but he switched there when he joined the Habs with Lalonde at center. Seems like you have a similar situation with a better player at center so this switch is one he's made before. Anderson's a weaker first liner, but he ups his game in the playoffs. If he had better regular season numbers this line would be even scarier, but it's still a pretty good top line.

Second Line
Schriner and Thornton are excellent scorers for a second line and Bauer is a solid. As far as offense goes this is a very potent line. If there's one weakness it's that it will rely on a puck-winning by committee approach and Bauer won't help that much. He played with two physically imposing linemates and while Thornton and Schriner have the size, neither are nasty players. If they can get the boardwork done, this line will provide great scoring.

Third Line
Lehtinen's a great third line player and Sutter's pretty good as a 3C. Nolan provides some scoring and physicality, but was he much of a defensive player? If you had another strong defensive player this line would be good at matching up, but Nolan doesn't seem too fearsome. As it stands this sort of seems like 2/3 of a shutdown line or 2/3 of a two-way line.

Fourth Line
Nieuwendyk's a good 4th liner who can bolster a PP unit. Nystrom's an all-time great role player who can add some energy. Lonsberry's a good defensive 4th liner who will patrol up and down his wing. I think Nieuwendyk's presence on the PP and Nystrom's energy will be the biggest additions to your team, but this is a responsible line that won't hurt you with their limited minutes.

First Pair
Clancy's a pretty good #1 and Day's more of an average #3 to me. They fit stylistically and I assume they played together in Toronto. You put your #2 on your second pair so this pair gets brought down a bit compared to other teams who put their #2 on the top pair.

Second Pair
Howe's a high end #2 and an excellent choice to start the second pair. Horner's a pretty good #4 himself so I think this is a really strong second pair. Comparatively, I think it's better than your top pair and they fit each other well.

Third Pair
I don't love this pair as much. They both read as #6s to me. Hartsburg had a somewhat short career and after his 5th place finish in AST voting, he never finished top 10 again. McDonald finished second in AST voting in 1942, but wasn't a factor in any other year. He was also benched in the SC finals that year by Day as Toronto won the Cup. He did win a pair of Cups with Detroit early in his career though, I'm unsure of what his contributions were on those teams and if he was a key player that'd help raise his stock. Stylistically they fit, but I just think both would be better off with a partner who was better.

Goalies
Worsley's a lower end starter who had his best years in Montreal starting the majority of games in 3 of 4 Stanley Cup wins. I came away a bit lower on him since the goalie project, but he's a proven playoff performer and that's a plus from the later picked starters. I'm lower on Giacomin than most probably, but he's a solid backup and that's needed with Worsley as he split time in Montreal.

Power play
I really like your 1st PP unit. Thornton's adjusted PP numbers in his 7 best seasons are excellent. He's just behind Lafleur and just ahead of Trottier. Malone and Schriner will be studs on the PP as well. Clancy's great as well and Howe's pretty good himself. Can't find any complaints with this group, I don't like the prospect of facing them multiple times in the regular season.

Nice group of forwards on your second unit. Messier will be heavily relied upon to do the distributing though. Anderson won't be able to take the front of the net with Nieuwendyk so he might have to be more of a shooter than garbage man. The pointmen seem very weak though. Unless I'm missing something you have to replace Horner with Hartsburg. He seems like a bad choice for PP minutes. Day seems okay but not great. Obviously not as strong as your top unit, but good forwards and weak defensemen with Horner on board.

Penalty kill
I really like the PK forwards on your top unit, but Bucko reads more of a second unit guy to me.

Sutter's a solid PKer and I like the defenseman. Horner seems like a stud clearing the front of the net and I wonder if he'd be better served flipping with McDonald. Nolan seems out of place killing penalties in the ATD though. He only killed 23% in his career for units 2% below average.

Overall,
I like: Top line that should gel with two excellent players
Second line that provides elite scoring punch
Second pair
That first PP unit and PP forwards in general

Don't like: Bottom pair could be stronger
Potential struggles with physical defensemen on the second line
Lower end goalie and coach (though the two most viable areas to skimp so it makes sense)
Horner on the PP and Nolan on the PK

Thanks for the review. I really agree with most of what you said. About Nolan - I think he fits on a checking line. He also brings a lot of size and toughness which we were looking for all over the lineup.

About Red Horner:

I want him on the top unit PK of course, but he is getting a ton of minutes on this team (second pair, playing both special teams units), I don't know if wearing him out is a good idea. And Im assuming he can take on a Powerplay role (I chose him over Hartsburg because I want at least one right hand shot), Horner had a few seasons where he was among league leaders in points from D.

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Not quite done with all my bios, but close enough...

Chicago Shamrocks

Head Coach: Cecil Hart
Captain: Mario Lemieux
Alternate Captains: Ebbie Goodfellow, Brian Sutter

Henrik Zetterberg - Mario Lemieux - Charlie Conacher
Busher Jackson - Milan Novy - Ace Bailey
Brian Sutter - Walt Tkaczuk - Bob Nevin
Brendan Morrow - Bill Thoms - Tony Amonte
Craig Conroy, Alf Skinner

Vladimir Lutchenko - Bill Gadsby
Ebbie Goodfellow - Bob Goldham
Jerry Korab - Jiri Bubla
Bob Dailey, Brian Campbell

Charlie Gardiner
Percy LeSueur

PP1
Busher Jackson - Mario Lemieux - Charlie Conacher
Ebbie Goodfellow - Bill Gadsby

PP2
Milan Novy - Lemieux/Zetterberg - Tony Amonte
Jiri Bubla - Vladimir Lutchenko

PK1
Walt Tkaczuk - Bob Nevin
Ebbie Goodfellow - Bob Goldham

PK2
Henrik Zetterberg - Ace Bailey
Jerry Korab - Vladimir Lutchenko

Extra PK F: Bill Thoms​

Forward Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Zetterberg | 15 | 1 | 3 | 19
M. Lemieux | 15 | 6 | 0 | 21
C. Conacher | 15 | 4 | 0 | 19
B. Jackson | 15 | 4 | 0 | 19
Novy | 12 | 3 | 0 | 15
Bailey | 12 | 0 | 3 | 15
Brian Sutter | 9.5 | 0 | 0 | 9.5
Tkaczuk | 11 | 0 | 4 | 15
Nevin | 11 | 0 | 4 | 15
B. Morrow | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 6.5
Thoms | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8
Amonte | 8 | 3 | 0 | 11
TOTAL | 138 | 21 | 14 | 173

Defense Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Gadsby | 19.5 | 5 | 0 | 24.5
Lutchenko | 15.5 | 3 | 3 | 21.5
Goodfellow | 15.5 | 4 | 4 | 23.5
Goldham | 15.5 | | 4 | 19.5
Korab | 13 | | 3 | 16
Bubla | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15
TOTAL | 92 | 14 | 14 | 120

*Busher Jackson will take some a couple ES shifts a game for both Sutter and Morrow on the 3rd and 4th lines.
**Bill Gadsby will take a couple ES shifts a game for both Korab and Bubla on the bottom pairing.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

I will try to get around to giving Chicago and West Island a review soon. How long are these going to be up?

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

I will try to get around to giving Chicago and West Island a review soon. How long are these going to be up?

In the Draft Thread TDMM said assassinations would go till the 27th. I will try to do some reviews over the weekend.

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Art Ross
Harry Sinden

Baldy Northcott - Elmer Lach - Guy LaFleur
Tommy Phillips - Duke Keats - Marian Hossa
Jack Adams - Tommy Dunderdale - Rene Robert
Patrick Marleau - Harry Westwick - Jack Marshall

J.C. Tremblay - Tom Johnson
Alexander Ragulin - Eduord Ivanov
Art Duncan - Lloyd Cook

Jacques Plante
Lorne Chabot

D Mattais Ohlund
F Billy Burch
D Jack Laviolette

Power Play
Baldy Northcott-Elmer Lach-Marian Hossa
Guy LaFleur-JC Tremblay

Tommy Dunderdale-Duke Keats-Jack Adams
Art Duncan-Alexander Ragulin

Penalty Killing
Tommy Phillips-Harry Westwick
Tom Johnson-Alexander Ragulin

Marian Hossa-Jack Marshall
JC Tremblay-Eduord Ivanov

 

[Dreakmur]

Art Duncan - Lloyd Cook

Didn't notice this before - nice job uniting these two!

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Didn't notice this before - nice job uniting these two!

Thanks i also United Ragulin/Ivanov

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Not quite done with all my bios, but close enough...

Chicago Shamrocks

Head Coach: Cecil Hart
Captain: Mario Lemieux
Alternate Captains: Ebbie Goodfellow, Brian Sutter

Henrik Zetterberg - Mario Lemieux - Charlie Conacher
Busher Jackson - Milan Novy - Ace Bailey
Brian Sutter - Walt Tkaczuk - Bob Nevin
*I'm on my phone and have decided to play Bill Thoms as my 4th line Center. Bailey will play on the 2nd PK unit, Thoms will be the extra PK forward. Amonte will play on the 2nd PP instead of Bailey. Will fix all this properly when I get to a computer.*
Brendan Morrow - Craig Conroy - Tony Amonte
Bill Thoms, Alf Skinner

Vladimir Lutchenko - Bill Gadsby
Ebbie Goodfellow - Bob Goldham
Jerry Korab - Jiri Bubla
Bob Dailey, Brian Campbell

Charlie Gardiner
Percy LeSueur

PP1
Busher Jackson - Mario Lemieux - Charlie Conacher
Ebbie Goodfellow - Bill Gadsby

PP2
Milan Novy - Lemieux/Zetterberg - Ace Bailey
Jiri Bubla - Vladimir Lutchenko

PK1
Walt Tkaczuk - Bob Nevin
Ebbie Goodfellow - Bob Goldham

PK2
Henrik Zetterberg - Craig Conroy
Jerry Korab - Vladimir Lutchenko

Extra PK F: Ace Bailey​

Forward Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Zetterberg | 15 | 1 | 3 | 19
M. Lemieux | 15 | 6 | 0 | 21
C. Conacher | 15 | 4 | 0 | 19
B. Jackson | 15 | 4 | 0 | 19
Novy | 12 | 3 | 0 | 15
Bailey | 12 | 3 | 1 | 16
Brian Sutter | 9.5 | 0 | 0 | 9.5
Tkaczuk | 11 | 0 | 4 | 15
Nevin | 11 | 0 | 4 | 15
B. Morrow | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 6.5
Conroy | 8 | 0 | 2 | 10
Amonte | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8
TOTAL | 138 | 21 | 14 | 173

Defense Minutes

Player | ES | PP | PK | Total
Gadsby | 19.5 | 5 | 0 | 24.5
Lutchenko | 15.5 | 3 | 3 | 21.5
Goodfellow | 15.5 | 4 | 4 | 23.5
Goldham | 15.5 | | 4 | 19.5
Korab | 13 | | 3 | 16
Bubla | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15
TOTAL | 92 | 14 | 14 | 120

*Busher Jackson will take some a couple ES shifts a game for both Sutter and Morrow on the 3rd and 4th lines.
**Bill Gadsby will take a couple ES shifts a game for both Korab and Bubla on the bottom pairing.

Some teams in the ATD can jump out at you without you really having to dig deep into the personal on the roster. I think this is one of those teams and IMO a contender for the cup.

Coaching and leadership:

About average coaching iMO. The Habs during Cecil Hart's days behind the bench were a very powerful club, but none the less he took advantage of the strong roster and won two championships. Mario is a solid captain, the ultimate leader by example.

Forwards:

Line 1 - I have to give you props on this one, Mario-Conacher is by far the most dangerous duo in the league IMO, and a terrifying thought to have to try and contain. I think Mario Lemieux is almost equal to Gretzky (if not, equal) offensively even at full strength. Zetterberg doesn't thrill me as a finisher or playmaker, but he is smart enough to read off of Mario and he brings some defence to the line.

Line 2 - Jackson stands out as a great player for a second line. Novy and Bailey im less impressed with. I think Novy has gained enough steam where he is a solid second line centre. As the third most important player ont he line Bailey is definitely acceptable, it's another pretty good line.

Line 3 - 2/3 of it is impressive IMO, but Brian Sutter seems really underwhelming. I like Walt Tzachuk, he is textbook for third line C if the plan is for more defensively oriented.

Line 4 - Pretty solid. Amonte is really good depth to throw into the top 6 when/if injuries hit, Conroy can kill penalties. They shouldn't see much ice time, but they can all pull their weight.

Defence:

Top pair - Probably a below average first pairing. Gadsby is a #1 horse that can move the puck, Crush people, blast from the point. But I just dont trust Lutchenko getting these kind of minutes and Gadsby, while great, isn't good enough to overcome it.

2nd Pair - I think we built our top 4's on defence similarly. Goodfellow is an awesome guy to throw out on a second pair, and Goldhom is a legit top 4. They compliment each other well, it's a good pair.

3rd pair - Not wowed by them. Korab is huge and Bubla can get the puck to the forwards, it's an ok final pair.

Goaltending:

Im not sure exactly where I would rank Gardiner but probabl somehwere between 12-16. So it's about average to slighty better than average goaltending, I think the mental stabiity of knowing the kind of firepower thats in front of you can only help.

Looking around the league you just dont see many teams with as few holes as this one. Great job Hawkey Town and I look forward to seeing how you do in the playoffs.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Forwards:

Line 1 - I have to give you props on this one, Mario-Conacher is by far the most dangerous duo in the league IMO, and a terrifying thought to have to try and contain. I think Mario Lemieux is almost equal to Gretzky (if not, equal) offensively even at full strength. Zetterberg doesn't thrill me as a finisher or playmaker, but he is smart enough to read off of Mario and he brings some defence to the line.

One quibble about this.. Mario was not Gretzky's equal at ES. He made up ground on the PP, partly because his teams tended to get a lot more opportunities than Gretzky's (at least prime vs. prime).

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Here's a quick review since Dwight's team hasn't gotten any attention yet.

WEST ISLAND LIONS

General Manager: Dwight
Head Coach: Arkady Chernyshev
Assistant Coach: Viktor Tikhonov
Captain: Eddie Gerard
Assistant Captains: Bryan Trottier, Punch Broadbent

Cy Denneny - Bryan Trottier - Rick Middleton
Markus Naslund - Bernie Federko - Punch Broadbent
Nick Metz - Phil Goyette - Jean Pronovost
Adam Graves - Murray Oliver - Bruce MacGregor
Marcel Bonin - Kent Nilsson

Eddie Gerard - Pierre Pilote
Moose Vasko - Dan Boyle
Barclay Plager - Paul Reinhart
Jeff Brown

Henrik Lundqvist
Al Rollins

PP1
Cy Denneny - Bryan Trottier - Rick Middleton
Pierre Pilote - Dan Boyle

PP2
Markus Naslund - Bernie Federko - Punch Broadbent
Moose Vasko - Paul Reinhart

PK1
Murray Oliver - Nick Metz
Eddie Gerard - Pierre Pilote

PK2
Bryan Trottier - Bruce MacGregor
Moose Vasko - Barclay Plager​

- Strong 2/3 of your top line with Trottier and Denneny. Middleton's offense is weak for a top line, but his checking skills combined with Trottier provide good defensive ability for top lines generally slanted towards offense.
- Can't be as complimentary about the second line. I think Naslund's a very good second liner with his offense despite the criticism when he was picked. The other two seem weak for their roles. Broadbent is overrated from the one year he led the NHL in goals and scoring, but his offense seems worse than Odie Cleghorn and Gord Roberts to me. He does bring some of the intangibles Naslund needs, including backchecking which I was unaware of before this draft.
- Good third line. I'm not sure the extent of Goyette's defensive game has been pinned down, but he's a good two-way player. Pronovost was physical and a good checker, and his goal-scoring fits Goyette. Metz seems like basically a one-way player in the ATD, but he's one of the best checkers.
- Nice 4th line with a group of responsible two-way forwards. I think Graves could fit on a third line and the other two are solid enough.

- Pilote seems like an average #1 and Gerard a great #2. Really nice pair that fits one other style wise.
- Maybe I'm underrating Boyle, but your second pair reads to me like a pair of #4s. Boyle has four top 10 AST finishes and Vasko didn't get much all-star attention outside of his two years making the AST. Vasko gets the job done as a #4, but is Boyle anything more than a weaker #3?
- The AST voting records of your bottom pair seem lacking. Reinhart missed time and only had two finishes at 10th place, but nothing higher. I'd like to see one paired with a stronger #5.

- Lundqvist has been covered so I'll echo the idea that the timing of the pick relative to the draft was the bigger problem than the pick relative to the other goaltenders available. He's a lower end starter and just not worth the premium you payed. I traded up for Gump Worsley in my first draft for some reason so I've been there

- I wanted Nilsson when you picked him, it seemed like at that point his flakiness was offset by his scoring. His ability to play the point on the PP, makes Brown seem a little redundant though. Bonin seems like a versatile guy who can step in on either wing and not miss a beat on your fourth line.

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

May not have time for full reviews of every team, so I'll do mini's of each for now...

Pittsburgh Athletic Club

Coach Hap Day

Patrik Elias - Frank Nighbor - Bryan Hextall
Keith Tkachuk - Max Bentley - Cecil Dillon
Jiri Holik - Jeremy Roenick - Eric Nesterenko
Zach Parise - Steve Kasper - Mike Foligno

Valeri Vasiliev (A) - Viacheslav Fetisov (C)
Leo Reise - Art Ross
Bobby Rowe - Lars-Erik Sjoberg (A)

Georges Vezina
Paddy Moran

Spares: Bobby Holik, Ken Randall, Mathieu Schneider, Ray Whitney

PP
Elias-Nighbor-Hextall
Fetisov-Bentley

Tkachuk-Roenick-Dillon
Ross-Sjoberg

PK
Kasper-Nesterenko
Vasiliev-Reise

Nighbor-Dillon
Rowe-Fetisov

A great coach that fits the team (defensive with strong center depth) and is in the next tier down from the real elite. Leadership is great on the back end but a little lacking up front.

1st line will probably be below average offensively, but is a strong two-way line.
Bentley is one of the best if not the best 2nd line center in the league, which makes this a strong 2nd line. The fit seems good with Bentley being able to carry the puck a lot as he liked to, Tkachuk brings grit, I think Dillon's D is enough considering who's backing him up.
Roenick and Holik are both good 2-way 3rd liners, Nesterenko doesn't bring much offense, but is good defensively and physical.
Overall: A strong 2-way first line, with offensive support from the lower lines

The strength of this team is on D, a very strong first pairing, although Fetisov is playing his off side. I like Art Ross as an above average #3, Reise doesn't seem like an average #4 to me, but fits well.
Overall: A monster first pairing that can play big minutes with good support behind it

Goaltending: Strong. IMO Vezina and Gardiner are in a mini-tier of their own a small step below Brimsek and a small step above the usual suspects that come after.

1st PP unit is strong on the point but weak up front, prob average. The 2nd seems average as well

PK units seem strong.

Summary: A strong team with a direction, below average offensively, but very strong defensively. Should be one of the strongest teams in the league.

​

Vancouver Millionares


Head coach: Mike Keenan
Assistant coach: Peter Laviolette

Joe Malone-Mark Messier(C)-Glenn Anderson
Sweeney Schriner-Joe Thornton(A)-Bobby Bauer
Jere Lehtinen-Brent Sutter-Owen Nolan
Ross Lonsberry-Joe Niuewendyk-Bobby Nystrom
Orland Kurtenbach
Lorne Carr

King Clancy(A)-'Hap' Day(A)
Mark Howe-Red Horner
Craig Hartsburg-Bucko McDonald
Robyn Regehr

''Gump'' Worsley
Eddie Giacomin

PP#1 - Malone-Thornton-Schriner-Howe-Clancy
PP#2 - Messier-Anderson-Nieuwendyk-Day-Horner

PK#1 - Lehtinen-Messier-Day-McDonald
PK#2 -Sutter-Nolan-Howe-Horner

Keenan is a below average coach, but most of the team fits his style. Leadership is strong.

Messier-Malone is a strong combo, Anderson is out of place on a top line, but proven chemistry with Messier and the strength of the other two make up for that a lot.
2nd line is very strong offensively, but definitely lacking in the defense and grit department.
I think the 3rd line works as a 2-way line...Lehtinen is good enough to make up for Nolan's lack of defense, but I would've liked to have seen a pure shutdown line here considering the rest of your team.

Defense on this team is pretty strong. You put your 2nd best D on the 2nd unit (like I did), so you don't have one of the best top pairings in the league, but 2 strong ones that can share the load at ES. Both partners seem to be good fits for each other.

Goaltending: The biggest weakness on the team, Worsley is a low-end goalie. You did well in getting a high-end backup to help him out tho.

PP: Mark Messier should be on the 1st unit (Thornton passing, Malone shooting, and Messier in front of the net and winning faceoffs). It will weaken your 2nd PP (you'll prob have to put Nieuwendyk out there, but I'm a believer in loading up on the 1st unit so the 2nd may not even make it out there). Feel like Hartsburg should be on the 2nd unit.
PK: Probably shift Messier to the 2nd unit to be a scoring threat, and to make up for the increased minutes from 1st unit PP. Lonsberry over Nolan on the 2nd unit.

Overall: A potent offensive team that has plenty of grit (except the 2nd line). Strong D should help make up for weak goaltending. Another strong entry.

WEST ISLAND LIONS

General Manager: Dwight
Head Coach: Arkady Chernyshev
Assistant Coach: Viktor Tikhonov
Captain: Eddie Gerard
Assistant Captains: Bryan Trottier, Punch Broadbent

Cy Denneny - Bryan Trottier - Rick Middleton
Markus Naslund - Bernie Federko - Punch Broadbent
Nick Metz - Phil Goyette - Jean Pronovost
Adam Graves - Murray Oliver - Bruce MacGregor
Marcel Bonin - Kent Nilsson

Eddie Gerard - Pierre Pilote
Moose Vasko - Dan Boyle
Barclay Plager - Paul Reinhart
Jeff Brown

Henrik Lundqvist
Al Rollins

PP1
Cy Denneny - Bryan Trottier - Rick Middleton
Pierre Pilote - Dan Boyle

PP2
Markus Naslund - Bernie Federko - Punch Broadbent
Moose Vasko - Paul Reinhart

PK1
Murray Oliver - Nick Metz
Eddie Gerard - Pierre Pilote

PK2
Bryan Trottier - Bruce MacGregor
Moose Vasko - Barclay Plager​

I'm not a fan of Tikhonov as an assistant, he's a dictator and they don't like being #2. Gerard is a good Captain.

I like the 1st line, a good two-way first line that can score (Denneny and Middleton offset each other in those resepects).
2nd line is fairly weak, can Broadbent provide enough grit and defense for the other two?
A good defensive 3rd line.

Pilote-and Gerard are a strong top pairing that fit with each other...my favorite part of your team.
2nd pairing seems below average, but at least they fit one another.

Lundqvist is a below average goaltender here.

I like your 1st PP unit, strong on the point with everyone serving a role.

Don't think Pilote should be on the 1st PK unit, move Vasko there instead.

Overall: Your top line and pairing are good, but your 2nd line and pairing could get you in trouble, and without a strong goalie to bail you out.

Kenora THISTLES
1907 Stanley Cup Champions

Home Rink: Thistle Rink (1920), Kenora, Ontario
GM: papershoes
Coach: Hector "Toe" Blake
Captain: Sid Abel
Alternates: Harvey Pulford, Jarome Iginla, Bob Gainey

#12 Sid Abel (C) - #4 Cyclone Taylor - #12 Jarome Iginla (A)
#27 John Tonelli - #71 Evgeni Malkin - #18 Vladimir Vikulov
#23 Bob Gainey (A) - #17 Fred Stanfield - #11 Mike Gartner
#7 Ed Sandford - #27 Derek Sanderson - #15 Rejean Houle
extra: #16 Johnny Wilson, Dan Bain, #15 Jamie Langenbrunner

Harvey Pulford (A) - #19 Larry Robinson
#21 Bob Baun - #2 Carl Brewer
#29 Reijo Ruotsalainen - #3 Craig Ludwig
extra: #22 Charlie Huddy

#1 George Hainsworth
#35 JS Giguere​

Powerplay:
PP1: John Tonelli - Evgeni Malkin - Jarome Iginla - Cyclone Taylor - Larry Robinson
PP2: Vladimir Vikulov - Sid Abel - Mike Gartner - Reijo Ruotsalainen - Carl Brewer

Penalty Kill:
PK1: Bob Gainey - Derek Sanderson - Larry Robinson - Harvey Pulford
PK2: Rejean Houle - Fred Stanfield - Bob Baun - Craig Ludwig

Great coaching and good leadership.

A very strong top line that will be a lot to handle. All 3 players work well together.
2nd line is weaker, Malkin is fine at center, but both wingers seem weak for their roles.
Even though you have Gainey on the 3rd line, it's really more of a 2-way line because of the other two, and I think Gainey is good enough for you to get away with that. However, I think your team would've been better served with a more defense focused 3rd line.

Robinson is a strong #1, but I'm not a fan of Pulford. They are two big boys though and they will be very physical.
Above average 2nd pairing, Brewer could be a #2, and both players definitely fit together.

Goaltending is low-end, although you got great value on Hainsworth compared to where some of the other guys went. Your defensemen overall are definitely more defensive, so that will help.

PP: Put Sid Abel on the 1st unit over Tonelli. 2nd unit is gonna be very weak no matter what.
Great PK units.

Overall: A good entry that mostly fits well together. IMO your 2nd line is the biggest concern Without a defense focused 3rd line you may have matchup problems when you run into some of the few top lines that can outplay yours.

Art Ross
Harry Sinden

Baldy Northcott - Elmer Lach - Guy LaFleur
Tommy Phillips - Duke Keats - Marian Hossa
Jack Adams - Tommy Dunderdale - Rene Robert
Patrick Marleau - Harry Westwick - Jack Marshall

J.C. Tremblay - Tom Johnson
Alexander Ragulin - Eduord Ivanov
Art Duncan - Lloyd Cook

Jacques Plante
Lorne Chabot

D Mattais Ohlund
F Billy Burch
D Jack Laviolette

Power Play
Baldy Northcott-Elmer Lach-Marian Hossa
Guy LaFleur-JC Tremblay

Tommy Dunderdale-Duke Keats-Jack Adams
Art Duncan-Alexander Ragulin

Penalty Killing
Tommy Phillips-Harry Westwick
Tom Johnson-Alexander Ragulin

Marian Hossa-Jack Marshall
JC Tremblay-Eduord Ivanov

Art Ross seems like a below average coach, who was more known as an executive. I like that you got him an assistant, but I think it should've been more of an X's and O's guy. Captains: You should name some...seems like it could be a weak point for your team.

Lach-Lafleur is a strong pair...would've been nicer if Lach was a better goalscorer, but they're a good pair nonetheless. Northcott, I need to do some more research on, pretty sure he's below average for his role, but with the strong combo of the other two you're probably fine and he brings needed grit and corner-work.
A nice 2-way 2nd line that will likely get the tough matchups and be a scoring threat the other way.
Not sure about your 3rd line...you can get away with them not being a shutdown line because your 2nd line is good defensively, but seems like they are missing a defensive conscience
4th line depth seems good.

Defense seems to be a weakness on this team. You don't really have a #1, although Tremblay is a high-end #2 and Johnson is likely an average #2, so it's not too bad. The lower pairings are a cause of concern. I'm not big on Ragulin as some others...I consider him a #4, along with Cook and Duncan, who I think should be your 2nd pairing. Either way, you should probably play both of those pairing about the same at ES...kinda the same thing a lot of teams are doing with their top two pairings.

The good news about your defense being weak...they are backed up by an elite goalie. Easily the biggest strength of your team IMO, Plante is no worse than #3 all time.

PP: Did Lafleur play the point a lot on the PP? I always thought it was two of the big 3. I would put Duncan or Johnson on the point and replace Northcott with Lafleur.

PK: Seems like Cook should be on the 2nd unit over Tremblay.

Overall: A team that will rely heavily on its goaltender to make up for a lack of defense. Top 2 lines are good, but I have some concerns about the 3rd. Still, a nice entry.