MLD 2011 Assassination Thread

[chaosrevolver]

I'll post mine once I do some more bios.

 

[Velociraptor]

Detroit Red Wings (preliminary, havent spoken to Reds yet)

Coach: Jimmy Skinner

Andrew Brunette - Earl Reibel - Robert Reichel
Cory Stillman - Thomas Gradin - Doug Brown
Ulf Sterner - Vlad Golikov - Alex Golikov
Danis Zaripov - Sergei Zinoviev - Alexey Morozov
Ronnie Stern - Vladimir Ruzicka

Sergei Babinov - Antonin Stavjana
Frantisek Kaberle - Jaro Spacek
Rod Flett - Magnus Flett
Alex Motter - Larry Zeidel

Honken Holmqvist
Goran Hogosta

PP1: Brunette - Reibel - Reichel, Rod Flett - Babinov
PP2: Stillman - Gradin - Morozov, Kaberle - Stavjana

PK1: Reibel - Doug Brown, Flett - Flett
PK2: Gradin - Sterner - Kaberle - Babinov

Zeidel might still be a regular on the line-up but I just don't know who he will replace yet.

3 Jews on one team!

(Stern, Zeidel, Stillman)

 

[seventieslord]

I'll post mine once I do some more bios.

same here, the roster is therefore a work in progress.

3 Jews on one team!

(Stern, Zeidel, Stillman)

How do you know who all the jews are?

 

[TheJudge]

will repost once i'm done my bios.

 

[Velociraptor]

same here, the roster is therefore a work in progress.



How do you know who all the jews are?

I myself have some Jewish heritage (partial mind you, grandmothers mother was Jewish) I don't practice any of the religion though.

Having some ties to Judaism, I always wanted to know which NHL players were Jewish. Ronnie Stern and Larry Zeidel have both publicly expressed that they were followers of Judaism, and a few years back there was an article about Stillman in an online Jewish news journal, I can't find it right now, but he's an orthodox Jew.

Others that have been drafted are Hy Buller, Alex Levinsky, Mathieu Schneider, Yevgeny Babich, Cecil Hart, Bob Nystrom (unorthodox I believe), Bob Plager (He converted to Judaism, so Barclay is not Jewish) and Mike Cammalleri. Buller and Levinsky's careers were definitely affected by anti-semitism in the early days of the NHL

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Haha if I had the stats myself I would have used my own numbers but I don't have the resources you do at this moment.

This thread contains the most prolific special teams players from 1967-2009.

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?p=25483651

Dave Tippett, for example, killed 51% of the penalties for teams 12% better than league average over the course of his career.

 

[BillyShoe1721]

Pittsburgh Hornets
GM: Selfish Man
Coach: Al MacNeil
Captain: Mike Murphy
Alternate: Morris Lukowich
Alternate: Stewart Evans

Sergei Shepelev - Normie Himes - Wayne Babych
Morris Lukowich (A) - Tim Young - Shirley Davidson
Andre Pronovost - Art Jackson - Mike Murphy (C)
Dallas Drake - Mike Sillinger - Tom Fitzgerald
Spares: Sergei Brylin, John Cullen

Jim Morrison - Rick Smith
Bob Trapp - Hugh Bolton
Stewart Evans (A) - Colin White
Spares: Rockett Power, John Mariucci

Dwayne Roloson
Gilles Gilbert

PP1:
Shepelev - Himes - Davidson
Trapp - Morrison
PP2:
Lukowich - Jackson - Babych
Evans - Young

PK1:
Fitzgerald - Murphy
Smith - White
PK2:
Sillinger - Pronovost
Bolton - Evans​

1st Line

Just to let you know, your Shepelev bio is a link to the Lukowich bio. Babych is a good glue guy that had one great goal finish, but not much else offensively. Himes is the playmaker on the line. This line fits together chemistry wise, but in terms of offensive talent, it's kind of lacking.

2nd Line

The Tim Young bio is a link to the Rick Smith bio. I like Shirley Davidson as a player, I think he's underrated and finally getting some respect. Lukowich provides some goalscoring and grit for the line. Young had one phenomenal season, but in terms of longevity offensively leaves a good bit to be desired. This line could use some more physicality, and isn't going to be very good in their own zone either.

3rd Line

The Mike Murphy bio is a link to the Shirley Davidson bio. Jackson provides some offense for the line, Pronovost is strong defensively, and Murphy is as well. They should be good in their own zone, offense won't be great though.

4th Line

All three guys' bios are a link to the Andre Pronovost bio. Even without looking at the bios, this line should be strong in its own zone, playing well in PK situations and being able to win faceoffs. Again, they won't be that good offensively but should be a good second checking line/forchecking energy line.

Offense Overall

An average top 6, and a bottom 6 that will be strong defensively, but don't provide that much offensively. Overall in terms of offensive punch, they leave a bit to be desired.

1st Pairing

This should be a good pairing in their own zone. Smith is a good defensive guy, and Morrison provides some offense as well. Not a great 1st pairing, but a good one nonetheless.

2nd Pairing

Again, should be a pretty decent 2nd pairing. Bolton is inevitably going to miss some games with his inability to stay healthy. Trapp provides toughness and some scoring for the pairing.

3rd Pairing

Stewart Evans bio is a link to the Bob Trapp bio, and Colin White bio is a link to the Andre Pronovost bio. I don't know much about Evans, but White is a solid defensive #6.

Defense Overall

A solid group overall with no real big holes that I see. One concern I might have is the lack of a couple good PPQBs, but I'll get to that later.

Goaltending

Roloson is kind of meh in terms of a starter, below average I'd say. Same goes for Gilles Gilbert. Not great goaltending.

Spares

Brylin provides versatility and can play throughout the lineup, Cullen is a good scoring spare, Power I know nothing about, same about Mariucci(both are links to the Andre Pronovost bio, again).

PP

Talented 1st unit, but lacks physicality and a net presence. I don't think Trapp or Morrison are ideal PPQB1s. I don't think Jackson belongs on a PP, but you have no better options. If I were you, I'd shift one of Babych/Lukowich to the 1st PP unit in order to balance the scoring out, and also add some toughness to the first unit for winning pucks down low.

PK

Both PK units look pretty good. No problems there.

Coaching

I know nothing about Al MacNeil, and it's a link to the Andre Pronovost bio.

 

[BillyShoe1721]

If your roster post has a link to bios, I'll assassinate it. If it doesn't, I won't. If you have bios that aren't linked to your roster post, please do so. Makes things so much easier for guys looking to do reviews, and it gets your team more critiques!

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Thanks for the review, Billy.

1st Line

As expected with a TDMM entry, there are few holes in the lineup. The first line is a strong one with one of the best, if not the best, wingers in the MLD in Drozdetsky. McGimsie is a good enough setup man, and Mickoski is the glue that holds it together. Adequate(but not good) defensively and plenty of offensive firepower. The line is average in terms of toughness as well, but in terms of 1st lines it is more than passable.

McGimsie is more than just a setup guy - he was also a prolific goal scorer in his time, as well. IMO, he's one of the top overall offensive players in this draft, arguably the best. He's a midget though, which is why it's good to have Mickowski's size on the line.

Droz and McGimsie are all-offense (and a ton of it), but Mickowski was a very good two-way player and excellent digger. He's also fast enough to keep up with them, which was key for us.

2nd Line

Same format as the 1st line. Glue guy LW in Dahlen, the passing center in Ribeiro and the shooter at RW in Stastny. My only minor concern with this line is the lack of a high quality shooter to compliment Ribeiro who is about as pass first as they come. Stastny appears to also have been a pass first guy from the wing, and I don't know if Dahlen's scoring ability fully maximizes the playmaking potential from the other two members of the line. Defense and physicality are both good.

There is no "designated shooter," but both Stastny and Dahlen can score goals.

Stastny is actually a very balanced offensive player. Over his two good seasons in the NHL before his injury (aged 29 and 30), he was 19th in goals per game, 24th in assists per game, and 14th in points per game. Prior to that, he scored 181 goals and 141 assists in 238 Czech league games (99% sure the Czech league didn't count second assists so most players would have more goals than assists) and 5 goals in 6 games in the 1980 Olympics. I believe he led the Czech league in goals in 1978-79 over some very good players.

Marian spent a significant amount of time playing with with brothers Anton and Peter Stastny. Obviously, Ribeiro can't hold Peter's jock, but they are both pass-first players.

And Dahlen has a fairly high ratio of goals to assists in his career (304-354).

Joe Pelletier said that Dahlen would be the perfect compliment to the Sedins if he played today. I see this as a line that can cycle the puck really well with Ribeiro and Stastny both being great passers and Dahlen charging the net and dominating the corners. Stastny can shoot as well as pass. I do agree that it would be a bit more balanced if Ribeiro was a better goal scorer, but you can't have everything. I think this line will still be quite effective, with only a little bit of Stastny's playmaking wasted.

3rd Line

Three pretty decent two way forwards on this line. They're not going to be elite defensively, but will be good offensively. Probably the fastest 3rd line in the draft in terms of speed. The only problem I could see this line having is it getting overmatched by physical players. Kapanen and Sullivan are both midgets and could get pushed around by a big top line or a power forward.

We're rolling 4 lines (something I would never do in the main draft when every team has superstars on the first line, but a viable strategy in the MLD). So our "4th line" is the all-defense grinding line. This is a two-way third line.

Agree that they are an incredibly fast line. Pettersson does have decent size - at 6'0' he was well above average size for the 1950s and he was known as a hard worker.

Originally, we wanted a Kapanen-Pivonka-Sullivan line, but you denied that when you drafted Pivonka.

Question: Do you think we should dress 6'3" Jeff Carter for our starting lineup? He's definitely a better player than Pivonka ever was, but he's only been a relevant player for 4 seasons. Is that enough for starting duties here? Would a Kapanen-Carter-Sullivan line or a Sullivan-Carter-Pettersson line be better?

4th Line

You're certainly not lacking in toughness with McKay and Cooke on your 4th line. They're centered by one of the best defensive centers in the draft. This line won't score much, but will be difficult to play against, and will be strong on the forecheck while being good in their own zone. You can also switch the wingers in your bottom 6 around to accommodate facing bigger, tougher opponents in checking matchups.

Basically. McKay is the heavyweight fighter who can help finish crap that Cooke stirs up.

Forwards Overall

A good group with no glaring holes in them. The 2nd line could use some more goal scoring ability, and the 3rd line is kind of small. Other than that, they're a good group and are strong skaters.

As I said, I don't think goal scoring is really a problem on the second line. Agree that the 3rd line is small - Sullivan and Kapanen are extremely hard workers, but very small in stature. I think you're underestimating Pettersson's size though. And also see my question about adding Jeff Carter to the lineup.

1st Pairing

A decent 1st pairing that brings pretty much everything you could want. O'Connell provides offense and decent two-way play while Evans handles things in his own end.

I think they're more than "decent," personally. I think Evans is one of the best shutdown guys in the draft (how many pure shutdown defensemen ever finished 5th in Norris voting at the height of the Original 6?)

2nd Pairing

Pretty much the same as the first pairing, a good complimentary puck mover and stay at home physical guy. Should be one of the better 2nd pairing with the recent findings on Buswell.

3rd Pairing

Pretty much the same deal as your first two pairings, no holes here.

Defense overall

3 well constructed pairings with no glaring holes anywhere.

Thanks.

Goaltending

Mowers is one of the better starters in the draft with a short but high peak. Lindsay's a decent backup.

Thanks.

Coaching

I personally hate Claude Julien, but you've got decent coaching between him and Mucker.

Heh, I hate Julien too, but he actually has accumulated quite the strong coaching record for this level by now. I see him as at least an average head coach in this, while Muckler is one of the best assistants in the draft (2 Cups as assistant coach, 2 more as co-coach, 1 more as head coach is outstanding even if he didn't last long as head coach). So I think the combo gives us above average coaching overall.

PP

PP1 looks good, Dahlen provides net presence with a playmaker-shooter combo of McGimsie and Drozdetsky. Two good pointmen as well. Your 2nd PP has the same problem as your 2nd line, not a good enough shooter to maximize the playmaking that Ribeiro and Stastny provide. How much PP has Sullivan played on the point? I honestly don't know the answer, just wondering.

As I said before, I think you are underestimating Stastny's ability to shoot the puck. Mickowski has a decent goal scoring record himself, finishing 11th, 13th, 13th, 13th in goals, mostly while playing on a checking line in real life.

-Sullivan on the point:

Steve Sullivan expects to play on Pittsburgh’s top three lines this season as well as on the left point or half-wall on the powerplay.

http://www.lg-bd640.com/penguins-sign-versatile-veteran-jason-williams.html

Sullivan was signed largely because of his ability to produce on the power play. He can play the point or control the left side of the ice from the half wall.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_744978.html

Looks like Sullivan was playing the point on this powerplay?

http://www.thepensblog.com/pensblog-news/tpb/so-what-is-steve-sullivan-about.html

PK

Color me unconvinced that Matt Cooke can handle 1st unit PK duties. I'd rather have Patey-Kapanen out there. 2nd PK unit looks decent. The defensemen on the units look good. Whatever your 3rd unit will be, it's not going to be a very good one if your options are Mickoski, Pettersson, and McGimsie. But, they won't see much time so no big sweat there.

I'll let vecens handle Cooke on the PK. Obviously Tippett would be better there, but we do like Cooke's ability to be an annoying SOB at even strength. And Cooke does have the one noteworthy finish in Selke voting.

Mickoski was a fine two-way player and Pettersson was noteworthy as a guy who worked hard all over the ice. Both were also very fast skaters. I think they'd be fine 3rd unit guys. McGimsie... well, he's fast. He'll only go out there if we need a 3rd guy to take a faceoff (assuming Mickoski or Pettersson can't). McGimsie can be replaced by Carter in that role if Carter is dressed.

Spares

I'm a big Jeff Carter fan, and I like Tippett as well. If I were you, I'd put Tippett in at 4th line LW instead of Cooke. He's a better PKer and defensive player, and they're like the same offensively. Cooke brings agitation, but Tippett's advantage in defensive play is much larger in my eyes.

Cooke seems better offensively than Tippett, though still not great. Agree that Tippett brings more defensively, but Cooke is definitely a solid defensive player himself. In a realistic MLD season, they'd both probably see about 50 games each (filling in for each other and occasionally someone else). We'll see who we end up making our official starter though.

Thanks again for the review.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

If your roster post has a link to bios, I'll assassinate it. If it doesn't, I won't. If you have bios that aren't linked to your roster post, please do so. Makes things so much easier for guys looking to do reviews, and it gets your team more critiques!

I'm definitely reviewing teams with linked bios first. I'll hit yours next.

 

[RustyRazor]

If your roster post has a link to bios, I'll assassinate it. If it doesn't, I won't. If you have bios that aren't linked to your roster post, please do so. Makes things so much easier for guys looking to do reviews, and it gets your team more critiques!

Thanks for pointing out the linking problems with my lineup. I thought I could just change the "post count" number at teh end. I fixed the bad links.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[seventieslord]

Thanks for pointing out the linking problems with my lineup. I thought I could just change the "post count" number at teh end. I fixed the bad links.

Thanks for your reply!

I'm pretty sure you used to be able to do it that way!

 

[RustyRazor]

You're fourth line provides a little bit of everything, so it's solid. Asside from Jackson, your bottom 6 is very solid. Maybe you can find some evidence that Jackson was good defensively??

Well, according to what I've read, Jackson was a checking/3rd line center for most of his early career. Certainly in Boston where he was the third option at center behind Cowley and Schmidt. After they left for the war, he stepped into a more offensive role.

In Boston, Jackson became a solid playmaker and checker playing as the third centre behind Bill Cowley and Milt Schmidt. He was on hand when the "black and gold" won their second Stanley Cup in three years in 1941. When the Bruins lost the "Kraut Line" of Schmidt, Dumart, and Bauer to military service, Jackson assumed a key role in keeping the team competitive.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Well, according to what I've read, Jackson was a checking/3rd line center for most of his early career. Certainly in Boston where he was the third option at center behind Cowley and Schmidt. After they left for the war, he stepped into a more offensive role.

I always thought that Milt Schmidt and the Kraut Line took the toughest defensive assignments when they were in Boston.

I don't see Jackson as pretty good but not that great defensively, but as better offensively than most of the shut down guys at this level.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Philadelphia Quakers Review

Coaching:

I'm not as impressed by coaching accolades in the minors or college as many GMs. And most of Berenson's accolades are from college (he's been a dominant college coach at Michigan). Still, his Jack Adams showed that he wasn't totally over his head coaching professionals, even if it was his only full season as a coach in the NHL. I think he could use an assistant with more coaching experience at a high level, but he's definitely worthy here himself.

Forwards:

Seems you focused on having a two-way group of forwards in general.

Ftorek was a midget who tore up the WHA. Despite Pelletier's assertion that he was too small for the NHL, he put up very solid numbers in his first two seasons. Good two-way guy too. MacDougall brings goal scoring, but your guess is as good as mine at how good he actually is. Red Green is definitely something of a physical presence, but I'd prefer someone whose intimidation was more established next to a guy like Ftorek whose size may or may not be an issue. Red Green's offensive resume is a bit thin for a first liner at this level, too.

Backstrom is one of the better second line centers in this. Like Ftorek, he has a solid two-way game. Sands is a very good defensive player with passable offense for a scoring line. Bodunov is solid offensively. This line will be effective at both ends, but is a bit lacking in grit.

Good two-way third line. They aren't spectacular at either end of the rink, but they are very solid at both ends. Krush and Pivonka were both very big players and Kallur a speed demon. I'm especially a fan of Kallur here.

Fourth line brings a ton of grit and hard work and Yelle makes sure that it will be very good defensively. They won't score a lot, but they'll be very effective at what fourth lines usually do.

Zimin and Tanti are good offensive-minded spares. Uvarov brings leadership, but I'm not sure of his talent level.

Defense:

It's so hard to tell how good Phat Wilson was. He was the best amateur player by a good margin in an era when all the good players but him had already turned pro. I don't doubt his offensive skill (though I have no idea just how good it is), but I'd prefer someone with experience against better players as a defenseman on my top pair. Wilson was apparently great offensively and physical at times, but I don't see anything about his play in his own zone.

I wish we had All-Star voting for Juzda's prime, but unfortunately the late 40s/early 50s haven't been uncovered yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he got some consideration - he did play 1 of his 2 All Star games on merit, and we know he was a hard hitting, physical beast. He definitely has the skillset to compliment Phat Wilson.

Alex Smith sounds like an excellent second pairing guy - very well rounded and good at all aspects of the game. Dorey was very physical and a great skater, but how good was he defensively? This pairing will physically abuse softer forwards.

Johnsson is an excellent bottom pairing defenseman. Voted twice the Flyer's best defenseman, then became the #1 minute eater in Minnesota for Jacques Lemaire, when they thought defense first... and second and third. He's almost certainly a better overall defenseman than Dorey, though without as much offensive upset. I like Doughty as a bottom pairing guy, I don't think he's played long enough to handle more minutes, but his skill is undeniable.

Laycoe seems solid but unspectacular.

Goaltending:

Puppa is a fine regular season starter at this level, probably above average. I'm not the only one who thinks he should have won the 1996 Vezina. Pretty poor playoff resume though.

Daley is a pretty good backup.

Special Teams:

First PP forwards are good offensively, but not great. Can Red Green be an effective net presence? Possibly. Really like Phat Wilson at the point, think Doughty would probably be better on a second PP.

Second PP is solid, I guess Mark Johnson is the net presence? He's small, but very willing. Everyone on the unit is solid, with only Backstrom as a real standout.

Yelle, Kallur, and Juzda are 3/4 of what would be one of the best 1st PKs in the draft. I questioned Wilson just a bit on your first pair at even strength, but I really don't like him here. There really is very little known about his defensive ability.

I would definitely replace either Wilson or Dorey with Kim Johnsson on the PK.

The rest of your PK is quite strong.

Overall:

Solid team. I especially like your group of bottom 6 forwards and the two-way play spread throughout your lineup.

Your top 6 forwards lack just a bit of oomph and might have a little bit of trouble with more physical defenses.

Just wanted to say I love that Bill Brydge is finally getting the credit he deserves. Now, here are your Philadelphia Quakers:

Philadelphia Quakers
Coach: Red Berenson​

Red Green-Robbie Ftorek(A)-Bob McDougall
Alexander Bodunov-Nicklas Backstrom-Charlie Sands
Mike Krushelnyski-Michal Pivonka-Anders Kallur
Rick Dudley-Stephane Yelle-Mark Johnson(A)
Yevgeny Zimin, Alexander Uvarov, Tony Tanti

Phat Wilson(C)-Bill Juzda
Alex Smith-Jim Dorey
Drew Doughty-Kim Johnsson
Hal Laycoe

Daren Puppa
Joe Daley



PP1: Green-Ftorek-McDougall
Wilson-Doughty

PP2: Bodunov-Backstrom-Johnson
Smith-Dorey

PK1: Yelle-Kallur
Wilson-Juzda

PK2: Krushelnyski-Pivonka
Smith-Dorey

PK3: Ftorek-Johnson
Juzda-Johnsson​

pre-1916: Bob McDougall, Phat Wilson(technically can't fulfill a requirement because he never played in a professional league)
1917-1942: Alex Smith, Red Green, Charlie Sands, Bill Juzda
1943-1965: Yevgeny Zimin, Alexander Uvarov, Hal Laycoe
1966-1979: Robbie Ftorek, Alexander Bodunov, Anders Kallur, Rick Dudley, Mark Johnson, Jim Dorey, Joe Daley, Red Berenson(coach)
1980-1994: Daren Puppa, Mike Krushelnyski, Michal Pivonka, Kim Johnsson, Tony Tanti
1995-2004: Stephane Yelle
in 2011: Nicklas Backstrom, Drew Doughty

 

[DaveG]

MONTREAL BAD HABITS​

GM: ReenMachine
Coach: Emile Francis & Bob Hartley
Captain: Jason Smith
Assistant: Dave Maloney
Assistant: Brian Gionta

Eric Vail - Jason Spezza - Mud Bruneteau
Carl Liscombe - Alex Zhamnov - Petr Sykora
Bob Kelly - George Gee - Brian Gionta(A)
Stan Jonathan - Tomas Plekanec - Mike Knuble
Spare: Daymond Langkow , Ian Laperriere

Dave Maloney(A) - Jason Smith(C)
Dale Tallon - Bob Rouse
Brad Stuart - Vladimir Malakhov
Spare:Baldy Spittal

Sean Burke
Hec Fowler

PP1: Spezza-Sykora-Vail-Malakhov-Tallon
PP2: Zhamnov-Bruneteau-Liscombe-Maloney-Stuart
PK1: Plekanec-Gionta-Maloney-Smith
PK2: Zhamnov-Gee-Rouse-Stuart

1916 or earlier:Spittal
1917-1942:Bruneteau
1943-1965:Gee
1966-1979:Maloney
1980-1994:Burke
1995-2004:Spezza
in 2011: Plekanec​

Looking at your team right off the bat it looks very offense oriented, not that that's necessarily a bad thing if you can pull it off.

Coaching: Francis was one of the best available heading into this draft so he's a good pick here.
Hartley I'm actually rather down on as a coach, though a lot of that is simply because his last tenure was in Atlanta where they consistently had a record of underachieving, though that was mostly due to management. Also don't see much of an assistant coaching resume to his record.

Forwards:
Vail - Spezza - Bruneteau is one of the best offensive lines in the draft, but to me seems to be lacking much physical edge. Still, once they get puck possession going they'll be hard to contain. Spezza is a high end passer for this and both Bruneteau and Vail have strong goal scoring resumes.
Second line reads very similar to me with a lot of offense there, and a pretty solid 2nd all star by Zhamnov.
Gee's a guy I considered for a while for my #2 or 3 center spot depending on what way I wanted to take my team, so I'm a fan of this pick. Kelly provides some nice punch for this line physically and on the score board. Gionta at his best is a nice scorer, but he hasn't really had the career consistency for me to see him in that kind of role. Consistent 20+ goal/50+ point guy when healthy though.
4th line has some nice offensive balance. Plec isn't a huge favorite of mine but as far as offense goes here he's solid. Knuble likewise is a good offensive guy that adds some physicality. Don't know much about Jonathan.
As for your spares I really like them to the point that I think I'd replace Plec and Knuble in your lineup with them. I honestly think Langkow and Laperriere are better fits as primary penalty killers then anyone else in your lineup right now.

Defense:
I like your defense a bit more then your forward corps as a whole. Good balance throughout. I'm not a huge fan of Stuart, but on your 3rd pairing he should be fine. Spittal is a great spare for this level.

Goaltending:
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Burke, I'm a huge Whalers/Canes homer so it should prettymuch be a given. In all honesty he's a solid starter for this level. He has his inconsistencies but he has put up some excellent seasons here and there finishing top 5 in Hart voting once IIRC.
Fowler sounds like an excellent backup. Looks like a PCHA star and reads like Ron Hextall before there was a Ron Hextall.

Special Teams:
Your powerplay is going to be lethal, and probably keep you in a lot of games.
Your PK, on the other hand, could be your undoing here. The defense and Burke are fine, it's your forwards that I worry about the most here. Especially Plec and Gio as your #1 forward unit. I'd say they're serviceable as a #2 but I'd definitely find a way to get Langkow and Laperriere into your lineup to help out your PK.

 

[DaveG]

My review of Dave's team:

Line 1: Hib Milks will provide goal scoring for your team. He had 2 top 10's in goal scoring, and had 6 seasons of 20 or more goals according to adjusted stats. Herb Carnegie reads as a good player, he never played in the NHL but when a Frank Mahovlich calls you a good player you must be good. Carson Cooper was a guy I looked at to be on Larouche's right wing. Solid 1st line.

Line 2: Other than your bio I couldn't find much on Skvortsov. I think he, along with Milks, will provide goal scoring for the left wingers on your team. Cassels is a guy I've always liked. We had him in the AAA draft last year, solid choice. Mellanby is as gritty as they come, so good choice for that spot and also for your captain. This line has a goal scorer, a playmaker and a sandpaper guy, sounds like my kind of guy.

Line 3: Arvedson was 1 of the better defensive forwards of the past few years in the NHL. As he only has 100 career goals he won't provide much offense but I gather you drafted him for his defensive play so solid choice. Patrice Bergeron appears to be putting it all together after a couple seasons recovering from his injury. Paul Holmgren put up better offensive numbers than I thought, he was a good player during his career, just don't let him make any personnel decisions for your team.

Line 4: This reads as a supreme checking line. Konowalchuk will provide some offense but he's better suited in this role. Wes Walz is probably one of the better checking line centres in this thing. Wayne Presley was a favourite of mine growing up, so solid 4th line.

Final thoughts on your forward group: Solid group all around, maybe it could have used another scorer for your top 6 or some more offense on your bottom 6 but other than that a good group.

Defense Pairing 1: I've always been of the belief, and I exercised on my own team, that a defensive pairing needs an offensive guy and a defensive guy. This pairing lacks that strong offensive guy. Both Lewis and Cooper are great defensive defensemen but they lack offense, that could hurt you when you go against other teams who have an offensive guy and defensive guy on their defensive pairings.

*snip*

Final thoughts on your defensive pairings: Could use another offensive guy, but it will provide a lot of tough matches as it's heavily defensive, good group.

Goalies: Irbe is a tremendous goalie in this, he did wonders for both San Jose and Carolina during impromtu playoff runs for those teams. Gilles Meloche is another good goalie. Really solid group of goalies you drafted.

*snip*

Special Teams: Like this group but I think I would have someone else besides Joe Cooper on your 2nd power play pairing. Also you have Joe Cooper down twice on your 3 penalty killing pairings.

Your thoughts on my forwards prettymuch echo my gameplan there. It's going to be a tough group to score on, and I'll probably be in some low scoring affairs. Williams and Kendall on the bench should be solid spares that I can rotate in and out as needed to provide some offense. Kendall had some solid seasons including a 2nd place PCHA goal scoring finish. Williams is prettymuch a well known at this point so I won't both going into too much detail, injuries are the only thing keeping him from being a top 9 regular here IMO.

First pairing was a hard one for me, as I had intended both Cooper and Lewis to play more stay at home roles with their teams. But with that said, as more and more dmen I was targeting to go with them started to go I ended up having to pair them together at the top. Hence why I drafted Niinimaa when I did to play the role of PP specialist. Thankfully having Winters and Hill as spares does give me some options here that I can work with.

I like Bergeron's ability to move to the LW now and then as needed. You might see something like my bottom 6 consisting of something like this at some point here:
Bergeron - Kendall - Holmgren
Konowalchuk - Walz - Williams
All depending on how much I need guys like Arvedson and Presley in the lineup.

Not to mention both Irbe and Meloche have reputations as backstopping "overachieving" teams in the playoffs, something I regard pretty highly personally. Meloche in taking the North Stars to the finals, and Irbe in upsetting the powerhouse Wings with the Sharks, and taking the Canes to the finals.

Cooper on the PK twice is by design, although really that's going to be more of a rotation of dmen from the first 2 units. In fact I'll go clarify that. As for the PP, while Cooper was by no means an offensive force, he does have some offensive record to him, three times finishing 2nd to Siebert on those pre-war Blackhawks bluelines in scoring, and once leading the team in that regard. Good for 2 top 10 finishes in dman scoring as well. Not the most impressive resume, but then again that's why he's on the second unit there.

 

[jkrx]

3 Jews on one team!

(Stern, Zeidel, Stillman)

I am jewish myself.

 

[DaveG]

To be honest I had absolutely no idea that Stillman was Jewish.

 

[Dwight]

I am jewish myself.

Me too

 

[TheJudge]

Thunder Bay Twins

Coach: Dave Tippett
Asst: Floyd Smith

Jack McDonald - Ivan Boldirev - Mikael Renberg
Steve Payne - Dave Gagner (A) - Mark Napier
Dan Maloney (C) - Patrik Sundstrom - Scott Young
Scott Hartnell - Brendan Morrison - Colin Patterson
Tim Hunter, Jim McFadden

Al Hamilton (A) - Marcus Ragnarsson
Dave Hutchison - Randy Manery
Mark Streit - Ted Graham
Pierre Bouchard

Pelle Lindbergh
Roman Cechmanek

PP1: Jack McDonald - Ivan Boldirev - Mark Napier - Mark Streit - Al Hamilton
PP2: Steve Payne - Dave Gagner - Mikael Renberg - Randy Manery - Scott Young
PK1: Patrik Sundstrom - Colin Patterson - Marcus Ragnarsson - Ted Graham
PK2: Brendan Morrison - Scott Young - Dave Hutchison - Randy Manery

 

[seventieslord]

wow, did I ever have my first two lines set up badly. Further research on Gracie and Gingras showed that they are both much more valuable as playmakers than goalscorers. they were playing on Stumpel's wings, and Stumpel is almost as pure a playmaker as you'll find. Golonka, on the other hand, seems to have been more of a goalscorer, as was Warwick and probably Richardson. At the least, assist totals for the Czech league are unreliable and so Golonka should he be as a primary playmaker.

So, Gracie and Gingras, both capable playmakers, now feed Golonka, and we have Stumpel dishing passes to Warwick and Richardson.

 

[BillyShoe1721]

Philadelphia Quakers Review

Forwards:

Seems you focused on having a two-way group of forwards in general.

Ftorek was a midget who tore up the WHA. Despite Pelletier's assertion that he was too small for the NHL, he put up very solid numbers in his first two seasons. Good two-way guy too. MacDougall brings goal scoring, but your guess is as good as mine at how good he actually is. Red Green is definitely something of a physical presence, but I'd prefer someone whose intimidation was more established next to a guy like Ftorek whose size may or may not be an issue. Red Green's offensive resume is a bit thin for a first liner at this level, too.

You're correct that I was going for a team with a bunch of solid two-way guys. I'll reference my chart that I made on McDougall. It's in my bio:

http://hfboards.com/showpost.php?p=34924139&postcount=173

What it tells us is he's the second most prolific goalscorer pre-1899, despite being drafted 200 or more spots after all the other guys in the chart. Seventies himself said that I got McDougall at about a 150-200 pick discount. How many guys in the MLD have been top 7 in scoring in their league four times, being 1st once, 3rd twice, and 1st in goals/game another time? He also has a Retro Hart. Granted hockey was still in its infancy, but he was an elite player back then. I see Red Green as a sort of agitator, some of the quotes on him include "pestiferous tricks", "Red Green did yeoman service...", and "could handle the rough side of the game as well". He was also top 9 in PIM twice. He led the league in assists once, was top 16 in goals 3 times, and had an impressive amateur career when some amateur players were still some of the best in the game. I'll reference what Ian posted:

Well, in 1922 he scored 31 points in 9 games for Sudbury in the NOHA, which also had the Cook brothers in the league with Sault Ste. Marie. Bill had 12 points in 8 games; Bun had 3 in 3. This was Green's best year and one of Bill Cook's worst, but that's one heck of a gap. And it wasn't an age thing; Bill Cook was actually 4 years older than Green.

In 1923 he has 11 points in 7 games; Bun Cook had 5 in 8. Bill had moved on to the WCHL.

Backstrom is one of the better second line centers in this. Like Ftorek, he has a solid two-way game. Sands is a very good defensive player with passable offense for a scoring line. Bodunov is solid offensively. This line will be effective at both ends, but is a bit lacking in grit.

Pretty much, but the way I figured it was, the style that Backstrom plays, being the catalyst of the line, doesn't really require a gritty guy to function. His entire career he's been paired with OV and somebody else, and that other guy usually wasn't that physical of a player anyway. Bodunov is quite similar to Ovechkin in style(certainly not in skill level) in that he is an electrifying goalscorer that isn't the best defensively. Backstrom has certainly had a lot of success with this formula, and I don't think it'll be much different here.

Defense:

It's so hard to tell how good Phat Wilson was. He was the best amateur player by a good margin in an era when all the good players but him had already turned pro. I don't doubt his offensive skill (though I have no idea just how good it is), but I'd prefer someone with experience against better players as a defenseman on my top pair. Wilson was apparently great offensively and physical at times, but I don't see anything about his play in his own zone.

I wish we had All-Star voting for Juzda's prime, but unfortunately the late 40s/early 50s haven't been uncovered yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he got some consideration - he did play 1 of his 2 All Star games on merit, and we know he was a hard hitting, physical beast. He definitely has the skillset to compliment Phat Wilson.

Wilson is certainly hard to quantify, but I think the sheer dominance that he exemplified and that so many pro teams sought after him are indications that he belongs on a top pairing, especially next to a guy that compliments him perfectly.

Alex Smith sounds like an excellent second pairing guy - very well rounded and good at all aspects of the game. Dorey was very physical and a great skater, but how good was he defensively? This pairing will physically abuse softer forwards.

In terms of ice time that we know of, here is how Dorey breaks down:

2nd in 68-69(behind Horton, ahead of Ley, M. Pronovost, Pilote)
5th in 69-70(behind Horton, Ley, McKenny, and undrafted)
3rd in 70-71(behind Ley and Baun, ahead of McKenny)
3rd in 71-72(behind Baun and McKenny, ahead of Ley)

It's certainly no crime to be behind Tim Horton or Bob Baun, ATD top pairing guys. Ley was a guy that you picked in the ATD and obviously think highly of, so no crime to be behind him(yet he was ahead of Ley twice, the same amount of seasons he was behind him).

Special Teams:

First PP forwards are good offensively, but not great. Can Red Green be an effective net presence? Possibly. Really like Phat Wilson at the point, think Doughty would probably be better on a second PP.

Second PP is solid, I guess Mark Johnson is the net presence? He's small, but very willing. Everyone on the unit is solid, with only Backstrom as a real standout.

I'll reference my Red Green quotes above about him being an effective corner guy/physical presence.

Yelle, Kallur, and Juzda are 3/4 of what would be one of the best 1st PKs in the draft. I questioned Wilson just a bit on your first pair at even strength, but I really don't like him here. There really is very little known about his defensive ability.

I would definitely replace either Wilson or Dorey with Kim Johnsson on the PK.

The rest of your PK is quite strong.

What would you suggest? Juzda-Smith on PK1, Johnsson-Dorey/Wilson on PK2, and Juzda-Dorey/Wilson on PK3?

Your top 6 forwards lack just a bit of oomph and might have a little bit of trouble with more physical defenses.

The guys in my top 6 are guys that I think are being underrated. McDougall is possibly the best offensive player in the draft if you ask me. Take a look at the chart in Bodunov's bio if you get a chance. He scored at a better goal per game clip than Vladimir Vikulov, Vladimir Shadrin, Yuri Lebedev, Vyacheslav Anisin, Viktor Zhluktov, and Sergei Kapustin in the Soviet League.

 

[seventieslord]

Bob Gracie - Jozef Golonka (C) - Tony Gingras
George Richardson - Jozef Stumpel - Grant Warwick
Jan Erixon - Billy Harris - Billy Harris (A)
Pat Boutette - Darcy Tucker - Mike Grier

Gordie Roberts (A) - Bob Armstrong
Jack Portland - Barry Gibbs
Gary Sargent - Bingo Kampman

Billy Nicholson
Earl Robertson

coach: Bun Cook
assistant coach: Dick Todd

Spares:

John Mayasich (C/D)
Eric Weinrich (D)
Charlie Tobin (F/D)​

PP1: Warwick-Golonka-Gingras-Sargent-Roberts
PP2: Gracie-Stumpel-Tucker-Sargent-Gibbs
PK1: Erixon-Grier-Armstrong-Gibbs
PK2: Boutette-Harris (70s)-Portland-Roberts
PK3: Harris (60s)-Tucker-Armstrong-Kampman

1916 or earlier: Richardson, Gingras, Nicholson, Tobin
1917-1942: Warwick, Gracie, Portland, Kampman, Cook, Robertson
1943-1965: Golonka, Harris, Armstrong, Mayasich
1966-1979: Roberts, Gibbs, Sargent, Harris, Boutette
1980-1994: Stumpel, Erixon, Weinrich, Todd
1995-2004: Tucker, Grier
in 2011: Grier

 

[BillyShoe1721]

New New York Awesome Express

General Managers: Team Awesome - (Dwight) Conrad and Cubert Farnsworth (Velociraptor)

Head Coach: Randy Carlyle
Captain: Orest Kindrachuk
Assistant Captains: Dale McCourt, Warren Godfrey

Jim Riley - Guy Chouinard - Martin Havlat
Darryl Sutter - Dale McCourt (A) - Ilkka Sinisalo
Ron Duguay - Orest Kindrachuk (C) - Don Saleski
Ted Irvine - Christian Ruuttu - Vlastimil Bubnik
Spares: Alf Pike F/D, Mikko Koivu C, Dustin Brown RW

Warren Godfrey (A) - Jocelyn Guevremont
Sheldon Souray - Brent Seabrook
Bret Hedican - Pat Quinn
Spares: Doug Lidster

Eddie Johnston
Jose Theodore

PP1: Riley - McCourt - Havlat - Guevremont - Chouinard
PP2: Sinisalo - Duguay - Bubnik - Souray - Seabrook
PK1: Kindrachuk - Saleski - Godfrey - Seabrook
PK2: McCourt - Duguay - Hedican - Quinn
​

1916 or earlier: Jim Riley
1917-1942: Alf Pike
1943-1965: Warren Godfrey, Ed Johnston, Vlastimil Bubnik
1966-1979: Jocelyn Guevremont, Ron Duguay, Guy Chouinard, Orest Kindrachuk, Ilkka Sinisalo, Dale McCourt, Darryl Sutter, Don Saleski, Pat Quinn, Ted Irvine
1980-1994: Bret Hedican, Christian Ruuttu, Doug Lidster
1995-2004: Martin Havlat, Sheldon Souray, Jose Theodore
in 2011: Brent Seabrook, Randy Carlyle, Mikko Koivu, Dustin Brown

1st Line

Riley was near the top of my list for LWs available, so he's a good guy to have here. Chouinard is a solid playmaker with two top 10s, and Havlat can be a goal scorer or a playmaker, providing versatility, not to mention his ability to play either wing. The only problem I see here is a guy that provides two-way play and grittiness. Riley might bring some, but I'd ideally like to have more. A talented group, but may not have all the pieces needed to maximize their potential.

2nd Line

I like this line. Sutter provides some goalscoring and grit to the line, McCourt provides strong two-way ability, and so does Sinisalo. I probably like it because it's built like the way I try to build my teams. They're not going to dominate offensively, but should be effective in all aspects of the game.

3rd Line

I like this line as well. I'm a big fan of any Broad Street Bully, and you've got two here. Kindrachuk was the guy I wanted as a 3rd line center. He can play physical and also put up some points. Saleski is big and physical as well. Duguay provides two-way ability and is the best offensive player on the line. I like this line a lot. They won't be overmatched physically, and are good in both zones.

4th Line

I'm not sure what to think of this line. Irvine is a prototypical 4th line grinder, Ruuttu is a playmaker that provides some two-way ability, and Bubnik was an early era European star goalscorer. They fit together chemistry-wise, and can chip in some goals. But, I'm not sure if they can be effective in limited ice time.

Forwards Overall

A pretty decent group. 1st line could use some more intangibles, 2nd and 3rd lines are well built, and the 4th could be a dark horse weapon if they're playing well.

1st Pairing

Classic puck mover-stay at home guy pairing here. Guevremont is a good offensive defenseman, and Godfrey provides physicality. A good 1st pairing.

2nd Pairing

I'm not really a fan of Sheldon Souray personally, but he's got a good partner in Seabrook that can cover for him. This will be a tough pairing to play against, both are good in terms of physicality. A decent 2nd pairing.

3rd Pairing

Nothing earth shattering here, same puck mover-stay at home guy formula. Won't hurt you, but won't be difference makers.

Defense Overall

Overall, a pretty good bunch. I don't see any big holes anywhere, and all 3 pairing should be able to play in pretty much every situation. Not a fan of Souray, but still a good group.

Goaltending

Johnston is probably a little above average in terms of starters, not a fan of Theodore, but not a big deal.

Spares

Your spares provide a lot of versatility, intangibles, and two-way play.

PP

A talented 1st unit, my only concern is if Riley is a good enough down low guy. He's certainly got the size, but will he use it? 2nd PP unit is a little sub par I think, Sinisalo had one great year on the PP, but that's it.

PK

PK forwards on both units look good, Hedican-Quinn isn't great as a defensive pair on a PK, but is okay. Overall, good PK units.

Coaching

Carlyle is a good modern day coach who always seems to have a team in contention in Anaheim despite having a few stars and a bunch of scrubs.