Buyers and Cellars
(Part 2)
Welcome back! It’s time to check in on the early trade predictions that were made. Last
time it was first to worst starting with the Lincoln Division. Due to lack of efforts and I ran out of
nice things to say about the bottom dwellers we will go from the bottom to the top. Sorry
Raptors, but at least you are above ground and fighting extinction again.
Show-Me Division
(mostly seller’s)
RAPTORS (0-5)
1 st up, the Raptors. Let me start by apologizing for putting your players on every
team’s wish list. I didn’t notice I did that. It should show you that you have talent to
work with there. Now, we’ve found the 3rd captain! I’m still not saying who it was
though, use this info as fuel for your fire to finish the season strong. There seems to be
fewer negative emotions or maybe it’s not perceived as negative emotions now. Shout
out to RP for keeping your head up and giving your team a chance! They are close to
piecing this together and being able to make a playoff Run. They have too much depth
to be a winless team. On to the trade side of things. Sit down and hold on for this one.
Raptors are using Berkman like the T-cats did with Payne. Sometimes it just doesn’t
work. Find a new role for him or ship him out. Bring in something new. It’s a small
market for big names right now. But that’s a name that can get you something in return.
Trouble is he only holds value for this season, (going back to the draft) so he will have
to go to a team that’s looking to make a run this year.
Teams to trade with: Every. Last. One. Has been licking their chops and waiting
to get their hands on some of these players and help them use that cap.
Needs: defense and tendy to work together and a quarterback.
YETIS (0-4-1)
2 nd , the yeti’s get Stubby and Loehr back this next game. This should allow them
to win some of those close games. Theres still a chance to sneak into a bottom playoff
spot. With Jackson and Griffin anchoring down the defense in front of Stubby, adding a
good two-way player might get you back on track as well. Adding a depth player who
helps your tier 4 and tier 5 players stand out could go a long way also. This team
should not be winless after looking at their roster. Let’s look at who they should move.
He’s a good player but I don’t think his style fits here. Gehrig could be shopped to a
team that plays gritty hockey or needs that energy. It’s not easy trading someone who
brings multiple levels to the game but if their style doesn’t fit its time to move on. Ask
the Thunder cats and possibly the Raptors soon...
Teams to trade with: Cudas, Outlaws, Wolves
Needs: lets talk about this in two or three more weeks after they play with their
whole team.
VENOM (3-2)
Up next, Venom. Sneaking out a couple wins since the last article. Did they
finally start to gel. Maybe the teams they played are having a bit of an identity crisis.
Either way good for them. this only helps their trade value. Raising the question, are
they buying now? And who do they move if they need that one piece to set them over
the top. The top guys here need to find a way to get the tier 4 and 5 involved. Pipas
should have more than 0 points. He can skate and has a decent shot. I know,
sometimes its tricky for him to get over the boards when his shift is over, but still,
somebody help this guy get some points. If not, moving Stradtmann or Lucas is what I
would watch for. Theres just a small market for what they have to offer. I’m curious to
see how they play in front of Hart once he returns. Is a goalie trade still on the table?
Teams to trade with: Thundercat’s, Raptors,
Needs: consistency (it seems they might have found it.)
BARRACUDAS (3-2)
4 TH this time. but don’t let it fool ya. Remember, reversed the order this time so I
will say nice things about the Cellars. One win and one loss since the last article. A
loss to the Outlaws and a win over the Raptors. Nothing has really changed here. You
won the game you should have won and struggled to figure out the Outlaws. I still think
this is a fundamentally sound team. I know its not their style but maybe what they are
missing is that WOW factor. There is plenty of talent out there that is becoming
available or will be soon. I just don’t know who they trade to get that piece. I do think to
get a big name you have to give up a big name. Aside from captains $14 is the highest
cap spent on a player. The difference is 1 contract year. Haselhorst can be resigned,
T. Duffin must enter the draft. Watch for one of these guys to move.
Teams to trade with: Venom, Sting, Raptors
Needs: WOW factor (not world of warcraft)
JETS (4-1)
Finally, for the Show-me division, the Jets. Who also went 1 – 1 since the last
article. Beating a team that they should beat in the Yeti’s. While putting up one hell of a
fight against the Wolves. Quinn likes the guys who are coachable and listens to him as
he knows how to win. Except for Combs, he doesn’t listen to Quinn at all. Sometimes it
feels like he says the opposite just to keep Quinn on his toes. Combs is probably ready
to go with the opposite of whatever I write in this article. He makes the league more fun
though. Anyway, the Jets are already in the mix of top teams, and Quinn already has
the avengers assembled. So, who comes out wand what do they need? I think they
must move a middle of the pack member for something over the top. A three-way trade
and multiple pieces could happen for this team. Names like Kelly and Olbrich are my
first thoughts. You might even see Wolves Legend Matt Lesko on the trade block.
Teams to trade with: Outlaws, Yetis, Moose.
Needs: high hockey IQ player
Lincoln Division
(mostly buyers)
MOOSE (1-3-1)
When you look at the Moose, its hard understand how they do not have a better
record. Theres’s talent up and down the line up. A pretty good core group of guys that
all went to the same school. Costillo and Lyons paired up together has always been
something fun to watch. Its possible the individual efforts need to become more of a
team game. I don’t think they stay at the bottom of this division for long if they start
playing like a team. Find a way to incorporate the lower tier guys. The goalie has just
as many points as half of your team. Some of the lower point guys are defense so little
to no points are expected. Once that issue gets figured out playing these guys will be
even more difficult. Williams, Sotnyk, or Heatherly could find themselves in a different
jersey before the Season is over.
Teams to trade with: Sting, Cudas, and Jets
Needs: use the whole team
THUNDERCATS (4-1)
Next team up in the division. Those Pesky Cats… in two games they went from
4 th to 1 st . They have the goaltending. They have the scoring ability. They have the
Defense. Then they struggle to beat the Raptors. They play to their competition
instead of putting games away. Trying to relax with a lead has almost cost them a
couple of times now. This is another team that is well built and currently firing on all
cylinders. As for right now I don’t think these guys will be moving anybody. That may
come back to bite them though. I think every cup winning team has made a trade the
year they won the cup. Can they break that mold? If they do make a trade, I would
think it sets up who ever they trade with for next year. Maybe some future
considerations, cap, or contract years at the draft.
Teams to trade with: N/A (ego related)
Needs: stop letting the other team stay in the game.
OUTLAWS (3-2)
The 3 rd team we will talk about in the Lincoln division Outlaws. Going 1-1 in the last 2
games and putting their overall record at 3-2. Should have been 4-1 if not for that HUGE
upset at the HFC night. Ya can’t win them all, am I right? Still, a solid, young team that
will skate circles around most teams they play. It seems to be affective for the most
part. What are they missing this year? Is it a true defenseman? Or a high-end scorer?
They lost both this year. In order to fill those holes you would have to be willing to move
a middle tier guy. I think they can do one but not both. Trade Meagher for more
defense or trade Gruebner for more offense. Maybe I’m looking at that backwards? I
think you have a better chance of getting a goal scorer from someone who has too
much defense or getting a better defense man from someone who needs that scoring
ability.
Teams to trade with: Wolves, Thundercats,
Needs: top tier Offense or Defense.
WOLVES (4-1)
4 th on this list. Wolves. Still waiting for an entire roster to be there. It’s happened twice
in two years. Life is busy for everyone, so I understand. They have scoring. They have
defense. It seems shaky at times, but I think they are using the regular season to
gauge what they can do with who they have and who they can move where. Its better
to do that early when you still have time to recover if it doesn’t work. Look for these
guys to go for a defense man. Somewhere around the middle of the pack a nice tier 3
or low 2 if the stars can align. Might also be a captain trade if Amato misses another on
a no call no show. If you can’t find an ideal trade for Amato now who can they move?
Rick is making a splash on the stat sheet so that adds some pressure to the Wolves
former goal leader (Yeargain.) He does have a two-year deal that is cap friendly!
Teams to trade with: Sting, Moose, Venom
Needs: 2 nd or 3 rd Defenseman
STING (3-2)
We saved the best for last. Or what used to be the best. On paper its another
solid team. The games they lost could of went either way. a unique style of play if they
get the lead early its hard to beat them without a big moment in the game. A strong
penalty kill, a power play goal, something to swing the momentum. Maybe that’s just
how they approached our team. It was working well for them. until it didn’t… I think
they’ve only been stopped on the powerplay one time this year also. Up until the last
game their PK was phenomenal as well. So what are they looking for? In my opinion,
stay out of the box. This unit works best as a whole. Estes is a lock down defender but
at his level maybe a few more points would help. Utilize that third line! Any trade they
make would be lateral for how good their roster is already. Maybe there’s a sleeper
trade out there that I don’t see. aside from changing the identity of the team and going
heavy offense move one of the guys that I like to call quarterbacks. Theres a few teams
that need one.
Teams to trade with: Jets, Yetis, Raptors, or Venom.
Needs. Decent refs ( I’m kidding ) situational awareness.
Buyers and Cellars
Probably not the best title since “The League” is anti-tanking and everyone should be able to compete. Judging by the title and the first sentence you can guess what this is going to be a bout. That’s right, TRADES!! Along with speculations of what each team needs and might do to improve their run for the cup! This is my first attempt at an article and might appear like a Junior high student, or even a grade schooler wrote this. Enough rambling, I'll start with the Lincoln Division since the league favorite Wolves are in that one. Let’s go from first to worst (by division)!
Lincoln Division
(division of parity)
STING
First up, (but 2nd in our hearts) the Sting. A team that’s does not shy away from making trades, big or small. Coming off a gut punch of a loss after blowing a 6ish goal lead, the Sting are 2-1. I wouldn’t look for them to make a major move at this time. Especially with Weber coming back at some point. Figuring out how to utilize their third line might be more beneficial for now. Unless a complete meltdown happens look for them to target players like Jeremy Pflasterer if they want a short-term answer, or Jerad Steinmann if they want someone with years on their contract. I can’t remember if Steinmann has been here or not so I’m not sure if this will add another team to his GRHL punch card.
Needs: Depth scoring. Their big 3 have 35 points and the rest of the team has 11.
WOLVES
Next up, the true #1 (jersey sales don’t lie) the Wolves. Also not afraid to make big trades. That seem to work out for everyone except them. Coming off a dominant win and doing so without two key players, the Wolves are headed in the right direction. They have all the pieces to make a good run, but the same was said last year and we know how that story ended. The Wolves might be the oldest average age team in the league. Look for them to target younger or high energy players that can give the old timers a break. Jordan Nevels might be a decent fit here. Maybe even some of that suburban dad rage Kyle Gehrig brings to the table. Possibly even Trae “I don’t spill the beans anymore” Wargo.
Needs: Youth and rostered players to show up. Like the Sting, budgets are tight so a trade will take some magic.
OUTLAWS
3rd on the list, Last year’s cup champions the Outlaws. That was last year get off your high horse and move on. Quit living in the past. Maybe that’s me reliving that moment (it still hurts.) Anyway, a nice come from behind win in their last match. I’ll tell you this for free, the last two games the other Kleinschmidt has played he didn’t appear to be comfortable on D. Numbers don’t lie though, he’s still producing. I think they should be shopping for another solid D-man for two reasons. 1) Get Grant back to what he’s good at, Offense. 2) Another good defenseman to help tighten up the zone and keep the game more manageable. Brad Foiles is a good fit anywhere at a fair price also. Willie Webb might bring some grit and defense they need. Close to that price range is Drew Estes, but I don’t see the Sting sharing him, especially within the division.
Needs: Defense to let Grant get back to Forward. Like the rest of the division, budgets are tight so a trade will take some magic.
THUNDERCATS
4th on the list, the Thundercat’s. Solid from top to bottom and a goalie that’s playing some real good hockey right now. Coming off a win, but they can’t seem to put teams away that they should be walking on. They play to their competition and nothing more. I think they have too much pride (very punny) to make a trade that makes the gap wider in their victories. Maybe they need to change a mental preparation instead of a trade. Maybe captain Quigley coming back is the answer. Scott Robben could bring a little more Defensive structure to help the cats maintain that comfortable lead at the end of games. If defense isn’t the way to go, time to pour it on with more offense. Brett Lucas can add a few more to the totals. They have a supporting cast that compliments his style of play also.
Needs: Depth scoring and Defense. The Thundercats have $3 in cap space.
MOOSE
Finally, The Moose. The record is misleading. Another loaded roster and well-builtteam. Coming off a loss but missing some big names like Costillo and Lyons. I’m not sure thoseskates can be filled when they are out. Moose are beating who they should and competing withthe rest. There are two ways the Moose can go as far as trades. A little more help on the backend for Lyons would go a long way on this team. Or you can continue with the high energy, runand gun style. Ill mention a few names that I have mentioned before for these guys. A player like Josh Heatherly goes well with both plans and a little brotherly love could be a line for them. I’m not sure the Wolves will trade him as he’s been solid for them. but that style of player would be nice for the Moose. Jordan Nevels brings some high energy.
Needs: Depth scoring and Defense. The Moose have $2 in cap space and a contract year.
Show-me Division
(division of imparity)
JETS
1st in the division and League. The Jets, a team that their beloved leader has assembled in previous leagues. Or at least had some similarities. He likes what he likes. 3-0 the last remaining undefeated team this year. The combined opponents record is 2-7 so take that undefeated record lightly. This team will need to make a trade at some point. So here we go.This could be a landing spot for the first goalie trade. It’s not because theirs is playing bad, itssimply because the offer they couldn’t refuse that sets them up for the following season. Will it be Frank Hart, Andy Stubblefield, or RP? Side thought here. I’m not sure a 1:1 goalie trade is fair so it will be interesting to see who else moves in this deal.
Needs: Roster players to show up.
BARRACUDAS
2nd on the list, Barracudas. When they show up, they’re good. When they don’t show up, they’re still alright half of the time. Another well rounded team (it must be a Hellman thing;)the only team with a negative goal differential and a winning record. Does that mean you need more offense or better defense? Or did you just have one off game? Aaron Gruebner would be a good fit here, offering more offense and defense. Nick Moore would offer the same thing as Gruebner. The trick is getting those teams to make that trade. These guys might have to pull a multi team trade to get what they need.
Needs: their roster to show up.
VENOM
3rd team up, Venom. This team has plenty of talent and a top 3 tendy, in my opinion. They still struggle to find a way to win. Or they give away the leads they do get. They play the first ten minutes of the first and sometimes the last ten minutes of the third. What happens in between is yet to be answered. Lack of focus might be the easiest answer. Two similar player sin Stradtman and Lucas. One of these big names should be moving. They need someone to accent one of those big names and keep teams on their heels and out of their own zone. We already know Stradtman works well with Mullins. I bet he can work with Lucas also. Maybe the Thundercat’s would like to have Stradtman back? Another multiteam trade with big names could happen here. don’t forget moving the goalie also!
Needs: Tighter defense.
YETIS
4th team. The Yetis. They went all in last year and it’s showing this year. Not to mentiontheir tendy has a busy schedule so far. He is the difference maker that can steal a game or twofor them. they still must find a way out of their zone and more sustained pressure in theoffensive zone. Stradtman could fit in here. but that means Griffin will have to find a new homealso. Be on the lookout for multi team trades and goalies to move! Maybe Habermehl could end up here if the cards align.
Needs: Offense and Stubby.
RAPTORS
Last, the Raptors. The same core guys for a while and still can’t figure out their identity. With out looking who’s the third captain on the Raptors? I had to look also. Keep the emotions in check and lift your teammates up for starters. On to the trades part. with $18 in cap remaining, you would think the Raptors could find a way to bring in a big-name player. Trouble is 2 players salaries is the most you can retain at a given time. I think sawyer is the highest salary on that team. This will have to be a tricky trade with multiple teams. Structure is needed on this team. Stubblefield flips this team around. His play helps but he brings more than that to the table. Could this be the first captain trade also? Imagine someone like Quinn whipping the Raptors into shape. If only their shade of red were to his likings…
Needs: Offense and goaltending
2024-25 DRAFT PREVIEW
Show Me Division
The Barracudas are in a great position for the season. They brough back most of their players this off season, Jared Gilomen joined the captain group, and they finally have a rostered goalie who is projected to play the entire season. The Cudas only have $3 to fill one open position. With Cort and Jared likely playing defense this captain group should be targeting a forward. If I’m the Cuda’s, I’m either going to put up players to draw out money with my first couple of picks or I’m going to try and sneak in an Aj Flach or Zac Ruyle type of player in hopes to get them at only $3. The Barracudas biggest issue is going to be the fact that every team will be able to outbid them up until the late 3rd round. So, I have them taking the best of the remaining players with a 1 year $3 deal at the top of the 4th round. I can see this captain group reaching out to teams before and during the draft to try and trade a cap year or two in exchange for cap dollars. As it sits right now, I see them with a surplus of 3 years. The Venom and Thundercats (T-money) are the Cudas best chance to make a trade happen during the draft.
The Jets had a solid team last season and if they could have that exact roster this season, they would win the Show-Me division. Unfortunately, the departure of Jared Gilomen to the Barracudas captain group leaves the Jets in an interesting position. I don’t see anyone in the draft with Jared’s caliber of defense that they would be able to snag at his price point. Instead in my mock draft I chose the safe route and split the salaries fairly evenly with the Jets 2 picks, I don’t see this captain group carrying that mindset going into the draft though. The Jets will be patient and look for a contract similar to Hemker’s or Haselhorst’s that they can get the most value out of. I also see the Jets making their first pick towards the end of the second round while there is still some decent talent left in the draft. If they have more than $4 remaining, they will likely take their 2nd player a couple of selections later near the top of the third round. The alternative here is they will take a player that doesn’t necessarily fit their scheme, but the value is too high to pass up. They will then hit up the trading block after a game or 2 to find someone more suitable. This is a very knowledgeable captain group and will find a way to be at the top of the Show-Me this season.
Time to rustle some feathers with the Raptors comp pick. The Raptors are going to look to improve their scoring, but with the new rules they don’t have the same player pool that they would have had with last year’s rules. Aaron Gruebener is a solid player but lacks the goal scoring ability that the Raptors are going to want with this pick. Chris Niemeyer has excellent scoring potential, but the contract value may not be good enough for the Raptors to use their Comp pick on him. I actually have the Raptors selecting Brad Foiles over Nick Moore with their comp pick. Nick moves the puck better than Brad, excels as a playmaker when given the right tools, and gives them better value contract wise. However, Brad’s utility mixed with a 1 point per game average over the last two seasons is too good pass up. If the last two seasons have proven anything, it’s that having a rostered player that can play any position to include goaltending is an absolute must and can win you the cup. With $34 left for 3 players, I see the Raptors targeting Brady Griffin, Rj Pluhar, or Nick Moore in the first round. This should then give them $16-$18ish dollars to select their last 2 players and given their history of having a balanced team they will likely split that salary evenly for the last 2 spots.
The Venom have 5 roster spots with $48 in cap space and the 2nd overall compensation pick. The Venom’s comp pick is a no brainer for me, and they will choose to select Drew Estes, who I’d say is the number one overall player eligible to be a comp pick this season. Drew brings the ability to shut down the top scorers in the league and the ability to move the puck vertically down the rink when given space. Drew has 17 goals and 42 assists in his 1st two seasons in the GRHL and I’d wager he has 9 or more goals and 20+ assists this season for the Venom. For the remaining picks I see the Venom choosing players with size or speed. They have shown in the past to value big forwards and I see them take 2 in this draft mixed with 2 smaller speeder forwards. I see the Venom playing a 2x2 this season with Mearns jumping into the 2nd and 3rd lines periodically to take advantage of matchups and throw off the opposing teams that are trying to lock him down. I think the Venom will have a very balanced team this season with a strong defense and their scoring coming from the top 2 lines. I almost feel sorry for any forward looking to post up in front Frank this season and having to contend with this defense, but I for one can’t wait for the opportunity and hope to play at least one game against these guys this season. I also see them having the fewest goals against and Frank Hart as the league’s top goaltender in 2024.
The Yetis may have traded away Nick Weber for a chance at the cup, but this team is still solid at its core with Bryan Rucker, Kyle Gehrig, and Scott Robben all under contract for $9 or less. That leaves the Yetis’ captain group $30 to fill 4 spots. I see them targeting a forward early in the draft to play with Jared Jackson or to solidify scoring on the second line, and then targeting a defenseman like David Hempen or Brady Riechmann with their second pick. After these two picks the Yetis should be sitting around $5 or so to grab 2 more forwards for their third line. Despite selling the farm last season for a chance at the cup, the Yetis still look solid on my mock draft teams. The Yetis 1st pick is going to set the tone for them, and it will come down to how much they are willing to spend to solidify their offence. If they can get their guy for $18 or less, I think they will have an opportunity to put together a special team. I don’t think they will be able to win the Show-Me division this season given they will have less than $8 a player to spend on 4 open spots, but I don’t think they will be far behind those top divisional teams.
Lincoln Division
The Moose have some new faces in the captain group with Stephen Craig and Kyle Watson replacing Kenny Van de Hey and Joshua Pate who both moved to waivers. The new captains will have a simple draft this season with only having 2 roster spots to fill and 1 of those spots will be filled with the 1st overall compensation pick. Nick Costillo made it very clear that the 1st overall compensation pick would be used on Brent Lyons. I’d expect the Moose to choose to keep him on the roster for 2 seasons at $18. Brent is my 2nd overall available comp pick but his familiarity to this captain group and team will bring an immediate return and makes sense for the Moose. Brent also brings strong offensive capability to this defensive unit and will pair nicely with Hemker. Brent only had 13 goals and 10 assists last season, but I see him finishing closer to his 2022 totals of 23 goals and 34 assists. Brent and Hemker will both help the forwards transition into the offensive zone quickly and remove pressure off Craig in his first season as the Moose starter. The Moose should be giving up fewer shots this season living by “The best defense is a strong offense” motto. After the comp pick the Moose will have $5 and 3 cap years available for their final pick. The Moose are set defensively and should try to target a mid-tier forward early in hopes to sneak through a player that might otherwise cost more in the middle of the draft. The Moose lean heavily on Nick Costillo for their offense and will continue to do so as I’ve heard they are moving to a 3 forward 1 defenseman format. I expect Nick to run with both the first and second lines and cause absolute chaos for opposing captains to plan against. I question if they will keep a top-heavy format or try to make sure all 3 lines will have even scoring potential. One thing is certain and that’s this will be a very dangerous team in the offensive zone.
The 2024 Sting are in an ideal position this season. They have $41 to fill 4 roster positions and their compensation pick is going to give them deadly scoring potential that opposing teams will have to contend with. I have the Sting selecting Jordan Stradtman with the 3rd overall comp pick. Jordan is this year top offensive player available as a compensation pick. Jordan was a top 5 scorer last season and I expect to see the same output if not better this season. This captain group is going to have fun this season finding ways to rollout Jordan and Tyler to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Off season pickup Nick Weber should be putting up career numbers this season as the setup man for both Tyler and Jordan. The Sting will have $25 and 6 contract years after taking Jordan and I’m torn with the Sting in this position, because they could opt to spending up to $23 to bring in a 3rd forward and solidify 3 scoring lines, however I see this captain group grabbing a lesser-known player on a value contract in the middle of the second round. I’d like to see the Sting target a player capable of playing forward and defense to give them flexibility during the season, as you will see in my mock draft. I expect TK, Windmiller, and Baker will all see career numbers this season. Lastly, I’m excited to see who the Sting target as a second setup man to go with their top 3 forwards. This captain group plays a lot of hockey and will certainly do their homework to put forward one of the best scoring teams in the GRHL this season. This should be an exciting draft for the Sting. Although, they may struggle in the first matchup against the Moose, I see the Sting battling with Costillo and the Moose all season for the top spot in the Lincoln division and possibly in the semifinals.
We’re just going to call the ThunderCats (T-money) from now on, because this team is rolling in roster cap every draft and this year is no different with $49 to spend on 4 spots. The Thundercats are a team built on capitalizing on the transition and forcing turnovers in offensive zone behind the net. I think they will take either Brett Lucas or Ben Kleinschmidt early in the first round. But I’m leaning more toward Lucas as I think he fits their team profile better and has some chemistry with Cory Johnson from last season’s State Wars tournament. For the next 2 picks, I have them choosing players that play in the weekly pickup games as they will already know these players. The final pick will depend on how much money is left in the bank. They might get stuck in a position where they can’t outbid any team for a good portion of the draft and must sit back and wait towards the end of the draft to make their final selection. Which if I remember correctly is what happened to them during the 2023 draft. The ThunderCats (T-money) are going to have a helluva team this season, but I think they will struggle for the first couple of games of the season. I know, I know I say that about them every year, but I think it takes this team a couple of games to find their identity and start playing their game vs the game their opponents force them to play. I have them 3rd in the division going into Christmas break, but I promise if you sleep on this this team, they will drop 18+ goals on you. Look for them to make it at least to the semifinals if they play well at both ends of the rink.
Watching the Wolves last season was like watching the Hawks in the Mighty Ducks movie. They had the momentum and talent going into the playoffs to make a push for the cup, just to lose to the up-and-coming team that made some midseason adjustments. And then to have Yeargain fall 2 goals short of my hot take is the cherry on top of the cake. I’m kidding of course. For the most part this is the same team that was favored to win it all last year and is strong enough to make a run in the playoffs if they get some momentum going late in the season. Unfortunately, the Wolve only have $12 in cap space and the Lincoln division might be the strongest we have seen yet. I have the Wolves selecting a player or two that might cause them to be the most penalized team in the league but will also add some ferocity to the Wolves to help them contend in a speedy Lincoln division. The first pick I have for the Wolves is a guy that they have overlooked in the past but brings a well-rounded skillset and will affect the team in a positive way if he stays out of the penalty box. The second pick I have for the Wolve has played with them before, but they will likely have to spend more than they want to bring him back onto the team. The Wolves Captains will need to play the waiting game in this draft and try to find a player that fits their mold and can help bring in the scoring that Nick Moore took when he left for free agency. I like Chris Niemeyer and Brian Shedelbower for the Wolves first pick but it will depend on what they go for in the draft and how much other tea. The question here is when will the Wolves pull the trigger on their first pick? If they get FOMO and choose someone too early, they will likely overpay, but if they wait too long, they will likely end up in a similar situation position to the 2023 Venom and have more cap space left than they would like.
The 2023 Gateway Cup Champions are in a bit of a precarious spot in the 2024 draft. The Outlaws have $35 and 6 cap years for 5 open spots. In my mock draft I have them targeting Ben Kleinschmidt to go along side Grant, Aj, Shaw, and Wendel and see them planning to play a keep away style of game that leverages their speed. I was originally thinking the Outlaws would play a 2x2 style of play with AJ, Shaw, Grant, and Ben playing defense and ensuring that 2 of them would be always playing. But after previewing the other 9 teams I’m at a crossroad in my thoughts on the Outlaws. If they go with the above-mentioned draft and style of play, they will be competitive all season, but will it be enough to give them a solid chance at the cup in this projected powerhouse division? That’s a tough question to answer pre-draft. My other thought for them is to take Nick Moore or Brady Griffin with the hopes of also having enough to take Mason Kelly as well but lack the cap years to sign players long term. They still only have 6 cap years for 5 players unless they make a deal with the Cudas and acquire more cap years. But if they don’t position themselves to win this year, they will lose Grant to Free Agency in the next off season. So, for the sake of not drawing this out with what a trade might look like, I’m going with Plan A for the Outlaws, and they select Ben Kleinschmidt with the 1st or second pick.
GRHL Free Agency
Free agency is here, and we have 7 potential GRHL Free Agents this off season that we will go over. This year we have 7 forwards with varying skillsets they can bring to teams. The biggest question is will the teams these players land on utilize them in a way to maximize the skills these players bring to the table.
Jared Steinmann – Jared is a two-way forward that should play on the bottom 6 but is best served playing on the third line and using his skating ability to cause havoc for opposing teams. Jared skates well and can get back to slow down the rush on defense, but he lacks the pure shooting skills of a top line forward. With that said, Jared plays heads up hockey and could find time on the top lines if paired with a purely offensive talent or paired with another forward teams are looking to create space for. For these instances I could see him paired with Tyler Krapf (Sting), Brandon Payne (Wolves), Jared Jackson (Yetis), or Jordan Stradtman (Draft). Jared’s salary of 1yr $8 or 2yr $9 will likely have him go to the draft as I see him at his cap value. Look for Jared to be a midround pick in this year’s draft at $7.
Chris Niemeyer – Chris is more of a sniper type of forward who will look to shoot more than he passes. He is best suited to playing on the second line with a player of similar speed and skill or a player that will go to the net and free up space for Chris to move the puck or shoot. Despite Chris having a shoot first mentality, he is a willing passer if he trusts the person he is passing to. For this, it’s important to try to keep him with the same forward or forwards early on to build that chemistry. He skates well and will get back on the rush, but he will battle for pucks in the corner or behind the net and isn’t likely to be the first person back to support the defense. My top 3 teams for Chris to land to during Free Agency or the Draft are the Outlaws, Barracudas, and the Jets. Chris’s cap hit of 1yr $9 or 2yr $10 is where I see his value to be at. He is the first of 3 free agents I can see getting picked up prior to the draft.
Eric Urban – Eric is a two-way forward with the potential to play defense. I see him best suited for a 3rd line forward that will play around the opposing team’s net or a 2nd line forward whose job is to hang back and support the defenseman on teams playing with 3 forwards and 1 defenseman. Eric is not afraid of contact or grinding out the puck around the boards or the net. He is a bit raw in his potential and will make a few mistakes with the puck, but he will make far more plays than he gives up. Eric has a good mix of size and speed but lacks the scoring potential teams look for in the top 2 lines. Eric’s cap hit of 1yr $2 or 2yr $3 is a solid value for the potential a team gets. I see a team picking him up in Free Agency locking in a solid third line player and keeping a low cap hit to save money for the draft. My top 3 teams for Eric are Venom, Jets, and Sting.
Brett Miller – Brett is a third line forward/defenseman, but I like him better as a forward. He is absolutely not afraid of contact and will physically challenge opposing players for the puck. Brett is very raw skill wise and will do best on a team that will coach him on both positive and negative plays. Brett has good forward skating ability but lacks transitional skating skills at the moment. He plays a lot of hockey and is improving each week. With that said I see Brett as a $1 player currently and we should see him getting picked up in mid to late rounds of the draft as teams fill out their rosters. My favorite teams for Brett are the Outlaws and Sting, teams he has played for in the past and understand his skillset and how to utilize him.
Jason Housholder – Jason is a third line forward who sees the game well but lacks the skating ability to be a consistent threat with the puck. He also has solid positioning when transitioning into the defensive zone that helps limit his skating woes but should not be expected to shut down the league’s top speed skaters. With that said, Jason’s vision and opposing defenses tendency to ignore him allow for him to set up in gaps with space to shoot the puck. To get the most out of Jason’s skillset they should have him setup in front of opposing goalies for screens and rebounds like how the Venom utilize Joey Blackwood, or as the 3rd forward on an offensive line and let him play between the offensive and defensive faceoff circles. I see Jason as a $1 player and likely picked in the final round of the draft.
Nick Moore – Nick is the most talented free agent available this year and should be playing on the team’s 1st or 2nd lines. He is also capable of playing as an offensive defenseman for teams looking for help moving the puck or more scoring potential. He is a well-rounded playmaker who can feed the play or step into the slot and snipe corners. He has excellent hands and good speed to pair with a solid wrist shot. Nicks biggest drawback is playing time. He has missed a couple of games in each season, but when Nick is available teams are getting an excellent playmaker that looks to push the puck forward any chance he gets. When it comes to contract value Nick’s 1yr $17 and 2yr $19 are subjective and will vary from team to team and how many games they think they will get out of him during the season. My top 3 teams for Nick to potentially land during free agency or the draft are the Thundercats, Raptors, and Venom. If he goes into the draft Nick will be either a first-round pick that teams use to draw money out of the draft, or a mid-late round value pick a team will try to get for a discount as the high money is long spent.
Nick Ruffini – Nick Ruffini is an interesting free agent this offseason. His 1yr $3 is certainly enticing for a team looking for a solid 3rd line skater. Unfortunately, Nick was on LTIR for all but one game last season, and I was unable to get confirmation from Nick on when he is likely to return. Teams will likely pass on Nick during free agency due to the uncertainty of when he will return. However, a team that drafts him and is patient with him as he gets back to the speed of the game should see a good return late in the season and into the postseason. I see Nick being drafted with the final few picks of the draft. My top team for Nick to land on is the Jets for $1-$2 on a 2-year contract. To me this is Quinn Helman’s ideal player. A guy he can get cheap and coach up to play at a higher level than what he showed up to the team as.
Make sure to discuss on the GRHL socials on what you agree with and what I got wrong with my free agency take.
March Power Rankings
Ok, full disclosure, I had written this article back in early march, and simply forgot to post it. My apologies. Now that it's late April, here are the Power Rankings for March!
March had a whopping 3 game weekends, with some teams playing as many as five games in the month of March. April also means that each team has one regular season game remaining. Yet, every team still has a shot at making the playoffs. Seven teams have already punched their ticket to the playoffs, and the other three are vying for that last spot. April’s games are set up to provide ample excitement, with a lot on the line for almost every team. Now that you’re caught up, let’s jump into the rankings.
10. Raptors (3-8-0-1; 5th in the Show-Me)
The Raptors started off March strong, winning their first two games, but faltered in their next two, dropping both games. They finished the month 2-2, with big wins against the Moose and Barracudas, but lost to the Jets and Venom. The season hasn’t gone as they would have hoped, but those two wins have kept them in playoff contention. If the Outlaws lose, and the Raptors can beat the Thundercats, they are in. That said, the underlying numbers do not paint a pretty picture for the Raptors. They are the lowest scoring team, and have given up the third most goals. That leads to a -52 goal differential, the worst mark in the league. On top of that, they are 2-8-0-1 against teams who are .500 or better, and if they were to make the playoffs, they would face either the Sting or Jets in the first round, both teams with well above a .500 record. As they say though, that’s why they play the games, and the Raptors could play the role of spoiler if they can find their way in.
9. Outlaws (4-8-0-0; 4th in the Lincoln)
In 9th place, we have the Outlaws. They had a rough month, going 1-3, with their one win coming against the Barracudas. They then dropped their next three to the Moose, Thundercats, and Sting, which were all losses by at least 4 goals. The Outlaws have had a rough go of it here lately. They started the calendar year by winning 3 of their first 4 games in 2023, and the one loss was a 1-goal loss. Since then, they are 1-4. They lost to the Raptors in January, and their loss to the Thundercats in March have huge playoff implications. This means the Raptors and Thundercats both hold the tiebreaker on them. Now, that said, they control their own destiny. If they can beat the Yetis, they are in the playoffs, as neither the Raptors or Thundercats can finish with more than 9 points, and a win would give the Outlaws 10 points. The Outlaws have had perhaps the most up-and-down season of anyone. They’ve had some big uplifting wins, and some losses to teams they probably should have beaten. We’ll see what April holds and if they’ll be competing for the Cup or a Pick.
8. Thundercats (2-8-0-2; 5th in the Lincoln)
Another team with a tough month, the Thundercats went 1-3-0-1 in the month, beating the Outlaws, but losing in regulation to the Sting, Moose, and Jets, and dropping their second OT game of the season to the Venom. That overtime loss is actually a big, big win for them, as this gives them the best Division record among the bottom three teams. This means, if there’s a three-way tie, the Thundercats would come out on top. As mentioned, they hold the tie-breaker over the Outlaws, but with their last game being against the Raptors, the winner of that game would own the tie-breaker. Despite their record, the Thundercats have played much better of late. They’ve looked like a different team, playing more defensively sound, and scoring more goals. If they can get into the playoffs, they are going to be tough out, and potentially a matchup some teams would want to avoid.
7. Wolves (6-6-0-0; 3rd in the Lincoln)
Coming in 7th we have the Wolves. They have secured a playoff spot, and a guaranteed matchup with their division foes, the Moose in the first round. All that’s left to be decided is who’s going to be the home team. Even though the Wolves are sitting at .500, they are a team I’d put on ‘upset alert’ and here’s why. If you look at the seven teams who have secured a playoff spot, they are the only ones who have a negative goal differential, and they have the second worst record against teams .500 or better at 2-6-0-0. Now, they are still a dangerous team, but they went 1-2 in March, and were outscored 25-37 in those three games. All that said, they still have one of the best goal scorers in the league in Drew Quinones, who has an eye-popping 54 goals on the year. He’s capable of winning a game on his own, and a win against a tough Venom team in April could get them back on track heading into their playoff matchup with the Moose.
6. Moose (6-6-0-0; 2nd in the Lincoln)
The Moose have a lot of similarities to the Wolves. Both are sitting at 6-6-0-0, and both had a so-so month of March. The Moose had one more game than the Wolves, and ended up going 2-2 in March. They beat the Outlaws and Wolves, but lost to the Raptors and Thundercats. The difference between the Moose and Wolves however, is the Moose are sporting a much stronger goal differential at +16, and a slightly better (but still questionable) 3-4-0-0 record against teams who are .500 or better. The Moose don’t have an issue scoring goals, putting up 140 on the year, which is tops in the league. Their defense is a little suspect, giving up 124 goals on the season, which is second worst. Their first round match up with the Wolves is an interesting one, and should be quite an offensive showcase. First though, they have a matchup with the Barracudas, a strong team which should provide a good challenge for the Moose.
5. Barracudas (6-5-0-1; 4th in the Show-Me)
Coming in at 5th we have the Barracudas. They also had a down month, going 1-2-0-1 in March, picking up a huge win against the Wolves, but dropping games in regulation to the Outlaws and Raptors, and losing a heartbreaker of an overtime game against the Yetis. The Barracudas have had constant roster issues all year, and have yet to field their full roster. It’s hard to get a gauge of this team given their roster uncertainty. Their season has played out similarly, with some peaks and valleys all along the way. If they play the way we’ve seen they are capable of, this should be one of the top teams in the league, and legitimate cup contenders. The issue is, we don’t have a good body of work to judge. Which team will show up for them? The one who handily beat the Wolves, or the one who lost back-to-back games to the Outlaws and Raptors? If it’s the former, this team can compete with anybody, if it’s the latter, their run could be short-lived.
4. Venom (7-5-0-0; 3rd in the Show-Me)
Our first team with a winning record in March, we have the Venom ending up in 4th this month. They went 2-1-0-0 in March, picking up wins against the Thundercats and Raptors, and dropping a one goal game to the Yetis. The Venom got a big boost in March, getting Frank Hart back in net for them. That’s going to be a big storyline, as they wavered a bit with him out. With Hart back in the fold, they are looking to get back on track and have a long playoff run. The thing that worries me about the Venom is they are only 3-5 against teams who are .500 or better. They have taken care of business against weaker teams, with a record of 4-0-0-0. Their first round opponent is still to be decided, as they could play the Yetis, Jets, or Sting in the first round. All three of those teams are guaranteed to finish better than .500. Their last regular season matchup is against the Wolves, a team that is currently .500, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. Regardless, they have been a solid team all year, with only two losses of 4 goals or more, and I expect them to give any team a run for their money come May.
3. Yetis (8-4-0-0; 2nd in the Show-Me)
Moving into the top 3 we have the Yetis. They went 2-1 in March, beating the Venom and Barracudas in overtime, but dropped a game to the Jets. With their win against the Barracudas, the Yetis locked up 2nd place in the Show-Me division. This means they will play either the Venom or Barracudas in the first round. The Yetis have had a solid season overall to this point. They are stingy when it comes to giving up goals, as they have given up a total of 77 goals on the year, the best mark of any team. Offensively, they are getting the job done, sitting at 100 goals on the year, just below league average. They have the 2nd most wins against teams who are .500 or better with 5. The most impressive thing to me with the Yetis is they don’t have one or two players carrying the team. They have 7 players who are scoring at least a point-per-game, which is tied for tops in the league. They are a deep team with lots of threats, and should be a tough matchup regardless who they face.
2. Sting (9-3-0-0; 1st in the Lincoln)
Coming in at second we have the Sting. There’s really no ‘wrong’ choice here, as I could see the argument for both the Jets and Sting at number 1. The Sting have been on a roll, winning 7 in a row, and locking up the Lincoln Division title. They defeated the Wolves, Thundercats, and Raptors in March. The Sting have really found their stride after their up and down start to the season. They are keeping the puck out of their net, allowing the 2nd least amount of goals, and scoring the 4th most. This has them sitting at a +28 goal differential, good for 2nd in the league. Their next game against the Jets is for the League regular season championship, and the top overall seed in the playoffs. My one concern is they have benefitted from a weak division, and havn’t played a team with a record over .500 since they played the Barracudas back in January. They are 7-1 against division foes, but 4-3 against teams .500 or better. It’ll be interesting to see how the game against the Jets goes in April.
1. Jets (9-2-0-1; 1st in the Show-Me)
Last but not least we have the Jets reclaiming the top spot. As mentioned, I view it as a 1A/1B type situation, and their matchup with the Sting in the final weekend is really the tie-breaker. The Jets also went 3-0 in March, and are top 3 in pretty much every major stat category. They have the best goal differential at +34, and the 2nd most goals for at 136. Their one real ‘weakness’ (if you want to call it that) is their defense. They play a lot of very high scoring games, and their 102 goals against is 2nd most in their division, and 5th most overall. That said, it’s worked for them this year. Hard to find faults in a team that’s won all but 3 games, and one of those losses was an overtime loss. Unsurprisingly, they have the best record against teams .500 or better, with a mark of 6-1-0-1. The Jets certainly are set up to make a run at the Cup, but they (along with the Sting) will have a target on their backs, as it’s no secret who the top dogs are heading into the playoffs.
February Power Rankings
February has come and gone, and with two game weekends in February, there’s a lot to cover. February has seen some changes in the standings, and with the playoffs inching closer, things are getting interesting. February also saw the deadline come and go, and there were plenty of trades, with 8 teams making a trade, and 20 players changing teams. Here’s a look at the February Power Rankings after the latest games.
10. Raptors (1-6-0-1; 5th in the Show-Me)
Slipping back a spot to 10th again is the Raptors. They went winless in the Month of February, and scored a total of 2 goals in their two games. They lost to Yetis 15-0 and the Sting by a score of 7-2. Their offense has continued to struggle, and they continue to be last in the league in goal scoring, scoring only 3.63 goals per game; lagging nearly 2.5 goals behind the 9th place team. They did make a trade at the deadline, picking up Brett Miller and $4 in cap for Greg Piper. This was clearly a move for the future, and picking up the cap will definitely help them at the draft next year. While technically not eliminated from playoff contention, they are hanging on by a thread and will need LOTS of help from other teams to have a shot. Depending what Compensation Pick they get, they have that plus extra cap they can weaponize to build a strong team for the future.
9. Thundercats (1-5-0-1; 5th in the Lincoln)
The Thundercats move back up to 9th this month, picking up a point against the Wolves, losing in OT 10-9, and dropping their other game against the Yetis 8-4. Like the Raptors, the Thundercats continue to struggle scoring. They’ve also had a problem keeping the puck out of their own net, giving up a league-worst 10.29 goals per game. I liked their showing against the Wolves, forcing the game to overtime and putting up their second highest goal total of the season. AJ Williams has been a boost to their offense, scoring 5 goals in 2 games, which is a great sign for them. They also made two trades at the deadline, picking up Travis Zobrist, reacquiring Matt Hanafin (who’s unfortunately going to miss the rest of the season with a broken leg), and adding $5 in cap and 2 contract years. These trades set them up big time for next season. They are in line to get a Compensation Pick, and the added funds will give them everything they need to build a contender for next year and beyond.
8. Outlaws (3-5-0-0; 4th in the Lincoln)
Winding up in 8th again is the Outlaws. They went 1-1 in February, picking up a big win against the Jets, 11-10, and dropping their next matchup against the Wolves 14-4. The big loss to the Wolves surprised me after such a strong showing against a very good team in the Jets. This team continues to perplex me. They have some very good showings, and some very bad showings this year. Consistency has been a big problem for them. They are averaging 6.13 goals per game, 2nd worst in the league, and have only scored double digits once. While their average goals is 6.13, they've scored 4 goals or less in half of their games. It’s not all bad, they are still holding a playoff spot by 3 points, and they made some moves to help them at the draft next year. They need to score more consistently to secure that playoff spot.
7. Moose (4-4-0-0; 3rd in the Lincoln)
A rough month for the Moose, dropping both games in February. This drops them a whopping 5 spots in the rankings, as these were two games they probably should have won. They lost to the Sting, 11-10, and again to the Venom 11-9. The Moose defensive struggles have started to bite them, as they’ve given up double digit goals in 5 straight games. This isn’t a new trend, either. They’ve given up at least 9 goals in all but one game so far this season. They are giving up the most goals per game of any current playoff team, and 3rd most overall. They are still scoring at a good clip, 2nd most in the League at 10.75 goals per game. There’s no secret with the Moose; they play a wide open style, and just have confidence they can out gun their opponent. However, given their recent slide (2-3 over the last 5), I wonder if this motivates them to buckle down a little defensively.
6. Venom (5-4-0-0; 4th in the Show-Me)
Sliding two spots down to 6th this month is the Venom. I’ll say the majority of these middle teams can be interchanged, as they are all very close. The Venom had three games in February, and went 1-2, which is the reason for the slide. They started off the month with a close loss to the Barracudas, losing 10-9. Then, they split their double header, losing to the Jets 11-7, but picked up a win against the Moose 11-9. The Venom have treaded water without their goaltender, Frank Hart, but he’s expected back in March. They’ll need him, too, as their goals against has ballooned from 5.80 Goals against per game to 8.00 goals against per game. That’s not all on the goaltender, either. But, Frank had been a rock for them back there, having an excellent season and they’ll be happy to have him back. Even though they are 4th in the Show-Me, they are comfortably in a playoff position, holding the first Wild Card spot by 4 points.
5. Wolves (5-4-0-0; 2nd in the Lincoln)
Picking up two spots in the rankings, the Wolves move up to 5th this month. They also had 3 games in February, going 2-1. They dropped their first game, 13-7 to the Sting. Then, won a thriller in overtime vs the Thundercats, 10-9, and had their way with the Outlaws, winning handily 14-4. The Wolves are still trying to find their stride after the big trade they made in early February. Maybe this last win against the Outlaws is a preview of what’s to come. They are still 2nd in their division, and within striking distance of the Sting, only 2 points behind them. A trend worth noting, since their big trade, their goals against as well as their goals for have both increased a tick. I’m curious if this is them tailoring their play style to their new-look roster, or an unintended by-product of the trade.
4. Yetis (6-3-0-0; 2nd in the Show-Me)
One of two teams to not lose in February, the Yetis moved up two spots to 4th. They did have a favorable schedule, beating the Raptors 15-0, and then the Thundercats, 8-4. For me, the jury is still out labeling them a top team, even though they’ve won 3 of their last 4, I have reservations based on their opponents in those three wins. Regardless, they are in a good spot, trailing the League leading Jets by a single point. At this point in the season, I think it’s safe to say they are elite defensively, allowing a miniscule 6.00 goals per game, over 2 less than league average. Their offense has come to life recently, scoring 46 goals in their last 4 games. If they can keep up both those trends, they could build on their recent success heading into the playoffs.
3. Barracudas (5-3-0-0; 3rd in the Show-Me)
A bit of a so-so month for the Barracudas, they split their two games and remain at 3rd in the Power Rankings. They defeated the Venom 10-9, and lost to the Jets 8-6. They continue to have roster issues, and being this far along in the season has me concerned. Yeah, they are 3rd in the Show-Me, but what does the team look like in the playoffs? We have yet to see a full roster for them, so it’s hard to get a gauge of how good this team really is. They are one of the stingiest teams in goals allowed, trailing only the Yetis, and third in goals for. Those are positive trends for sure. If they can start getting their full (or mostly full) roster and continue to have success, that would calm a lot of my nerves with this team. They have five games remaining, which gives them time, but time is quickly running out.
2. Jets (6-2-0-1; 1st in the Show-Me)
Sliding a spot to 2nd, we have the Jets. They went 2-1 in February, losing a one-goal game to the Outlaws 11-10, and defeating the Barracudas (8-6) and Venom (11-7) in their doubleheader. The loss to the Outlaws was a tough one. The game was back and forth, and they had a lead late, but let that one slip. They rebounded nicely and came back to beat two good teams in the Barracudas and Venom. This team continues to be a strong contender, and they are scoring more than any other team. They are also allowing their fair share of goals, but they have the second best goal differential at +18. I still think this team is the cream of the crop in the Show-Me, and I foresee a deep playoff run for them come May.
1. Sting (6-3-0-0; 1st in the Lincoln)
Making one of the largest jumps of the month, up four spots, and ending up at the top for the first time this season is the Sting. They won all three games in February, beating the Moose 11-10, the Wolves 13-7, and the Raptors 7-2. They’ve now won four in a row, and one of the hottest teams in the league. They definitely look like a different team than the one we saw in October and November. They look much more like one unit and less like 4 players out on the rink. Everything seems to be clicking for them, and they are on a roll now. Their next game against the Wolves is a big one, and if they can keep this going, they will hold first place in the Lincoln by 4 points with just three weeks left. They are a team that is getting hot at the right time.
January Power Rankings
Here’s the January Power Rankings you’ve all been waiting for. January was our first month with multiple games, and with some surprises, the rankings are looking quite a bit different this time around. For the month, only one team was able to walk away without suffering a loss. We saw quite a few close games (including another OT game), and some not so close games. Let’s get right to it.
10. Thundercats (1-4-0-0; 5th in the Lincoln)
Sliding two spots this month is the Thundercats. They were not able to find a win in either game in January, losing to the Wolves 12-6, as well as to the Outlaws 7-3. They weren't able to generate much offense in either game, which has been a concern for them all season. Yes, Brandon Payne has been providing some offense, but with only 7 goals through 5 games, I’m sure the Thundercats thought they’d get a little more production out of him when they drafted him for $30.
9. Raptors (1-4-0-1; 5th in the Show-Me)
Moving up a spot to 9th, the Raptors were able to pick up 3 of a possible 6 points in January. They got their first win of the season against the Outlaws, 5-4, then suffered a heart-breaker of an overtime loss against the Wolves, and that heartbreak carried over into a devastating 12-1 loss to the Yetis. Scoring continues to be a sore spot for the Raptors, scoring a league low 4.50 goals per game. On the last day of the month they looked to address that by moving Aaron Gruebner to the Outlaws for Mason Kelly. I like this trade for the Raptors, as Mason brings some sandpaper and a bit of a scoring touch they desperately need.
8. Outlaws (2-4-0-0-; 4th in the Lincoln)
Picking up one spot to 8th is the Outlaws. They, too, found their first win of the season, and earned 4 of a possible 6 points this month. They beat theWolves 7-6, lost a tight one to the Raptors 4-5, and beat the Thundercats 7-3. They’ve continued to play tight games, only allowing double digit goals against once this season. This is reflected in their league-leading 6.83 goals against per game. The trouble is, they are 2nd worst in goal scoring, averaging 5.67 goals per game. Their offense seems to be a little feast or famine, with 3 games scoring 4 or less, and 3 games with 7 or more. If they can find consistency in their scoring while staying stingy on defense, that should help them move up the standings, and these rankings.
7. Wolves (3-3-0-0; 3rd in the Lincoln)
The first team to maintain their position in the rankings is the Wolves. They also played 3 games in January, and like the Outlaws, picked up 4 out of a possible 6 points. They beat the Thundercats 12-6, then dropped a close one to the Outlaws in the second half of a double header. They were able to squeak by the Raptors in a thrilling overtime game, 7-6. The Wolves are starting to find their groove a bit, winning 3 of their last 4. I would have expected them to beat the Raptors, but I would not have guessed it would have taken them pulling their goalie to tie it in the final minute, then capping off the win in overtime. In the scope of the league, the Wolves are pretty middle of the pack. Due to the closeness of their division, they are currently in a playoff spot, but it’ll be interesting to see what they do from here. Do they make a move to solidify their spot, or sell and look towards next year?
6. Yetis (4-3-0-0; 4th in the Show-Me)
Slipping one spot, the Yetis are 6th this month. They ended up going 1-2 in the month, dropping their game against the Barracudas 8-5, and the second game of their double header, 11-12 to the Moose. They did pick up a dominating win against the Raptors, beating them 12-1. Their defensive game has slipped a bit recently, but their offensive game has also come around. It’ll be a matter of finding that right balance moving forward to find consistent success. Similarly to the Wolves, the Yetis are currently in a playoff spot, and only 1 point behind the division leading Jets. Do they make a move to separate themselves, or look to the future? Either way, with a 5 point lead over the Raptors, they are comfortable in a playoff spot, and it’d take a complete collapse down the stretch to put that at risk.
5. Sting (3-3-0-0; 2nd in the Lincoln)
The Sting jumped up a spot after splitting their two games in January, losing to the Venom 4-8, and beating the Barracudas 9-5. The win against the Barracudas is most impressive for me. The Sting have shown they can play and beat the best teams in the league. Now, the issue is consistency. If they can build off that big win against the Barracudas, they should be able to secure themselves a playoff spot easily given how wide open that division is. They are only 2 points behind the Moose, and have a chance at 6 points in February. That said, they’ve teased us before, so until we see them consistently beat the teams they are capable of, I’m still a little hesitant on them.
4. Venom (4-2-0-0; 3rd in the Show-Me)
The Venom slid down a spot this month, going 1-1 in January. They beat the Sting 8-4, and lost a close barnburner to the Jets, 13-15. The fact they were able to hang with the Jets was impressive. It showed me perhaps those two teams are closer than I initially thought. Frank Hart’s injury is a massive blow to the team. Frank had been the best goalie in the league in my eyes, allowing 4 goals in three straight games, and allowing more than 5 in only one of his 5 games. The Venom won’t be able to rely on him back there cleaning up defensive mistakes. If they can figure out a system to lock down opponents chances, and keep scoring at the same pace (>9 goals per game) they’ll be fine.
3. Barracudas (4-2-0-0; 2nd in the Show-Me)
Our biggest drop of the month, the Barracudas drop two spots to number 3 in the rankings. The Barracudas went 1-1, beating the Yetis 8-5, and losing to the Sting, 9-5. The Barracudas are still struggling with roster consistency. They have yet to play a game with a full roster, only one of two teams to do so. They’ve had a whopping 21 scratches so far this year. With the tightness of the Show-Me division, and scratches being a tie-breaker, that could spell trouble. We also don’t know what this team can even be with a full roster. Regardless, they have still been winning games which is all that matters.
2. Moose (4-2-0-0; 1st in the Lincoln)
Holding steady in the number two spot is the Moose. Both games the Moose played in were tight, 1 goal games. They dropped their first game against the Jets, 11-10 and then beat the Yetis 12-11. They continue to pump in goals, scoring 11.5 goals per game, good for second in the league. On the flip side, they are allowing 8.83 goals per game, which is third worst in the league. They play a wide open style, happy to trade chances with their opponents. They’ve been relatively successful with their top guys capitalizing on those opportunities. My question is, will teams start to adjust and not get sucked into track meets with them? If teams can do that, I wonder how the Moose game plan will shift to counter that approach.
1. Jets (4-1-0-1; 1st in the Show-Me)
Now, our biggest jump of the month, the Jets are back in 1st after going 2-0 in January. They beat a good Moose team 11-10, and won a wild game against the Venom 15-13. Like the Moose, the Jets have no problem scoring goals (12 goals per game), but are giving up their fair share (9.83 goals against per game). To me, they are a better version of the Moose; happy to trade chances and goals with the confidence they can bury one more than the opposition. I am surprised at the lack of defense shown by the Jets so far. With that roster, I would expect them to play more of a lock-down style, rather than the run and gun they’ve been playing. That said, with one regulation loss, it’s hard to find fault with anything they are doing.
December Power Rankings
Welcome to the second edition of the power rankings. December was a bit of a wild month in the GRHL. Both undefeated teams were beaten for the first time, two of the winless teams found wins, and we saw some surprising upsets throughout the league. That makes for some changes at the top of these rankings. Goal scoring was down a bit from November’s games, with only 3 teams reaching double digit goals. December also featured a lot of close matchups, with 4 of the 6 games decided by 3 goals or less, and we got our first overtime game as well as our first penalty shot in GRHL history. Now that you have a little recap, let's dive into the rankings. NOTE: Records will now show X-X-X-X to reflect Wins-Losses-Ties-OT Losses.
10. Raptors (0-3-0-0; 5th in the Show-Me)
Finding themselves in 10th again is the Raptors. They found themselves on the losing side again, falling 10-3 to the Barracudas. I know the Raptors are still looking for their first win, but there are some positives to take out of this game. They held the Barracudas to 10 goals, which is their second lowest total of the season. The offense continues to be the Raptors biggest struggle, which is something we thought could be a problem before the year started. They are currently the second lowest scoring team, with only 15 goals scored in 3 games. Still though, holding the highest scoring offense to 10 has to be used as a stepping stone for this group to build on. Looking ahead, they will face a reeling Outlaws team in the second half of a back-to-back. That’s a game they can win if they can jump on a tired Outlaws team early. I’m really looking forward to that matchup, as it could be one of the best of the week.
9. Outlaws (0-3-0-0; 5th in the Lincoln)
Coming in 9th we have the other winless team, the Outlaws. The Outlaws' tough schedule continued into Week 3, facing off against the 2-1 Venom, who’s only loss came in the 2nd half of a doubleheader. The Outlaws simply couldn’t stop Jake Schulte, falling by a score of 9-4. You look at their results, and their overall stats, and it’s not looking good. However, they’ve played some very good teams with a combined record of 8-4. Before the season, I had the Outlaws as a middle of the pack team, and I honestly still feel that way. Their next three opponents (Raptors, Wolves, Thundercats) have a combined 2 wins, and that will really tell us how good this team really is. It would not surprise me to see them win all three games, and then they would be right back in it and more than likely sitting in a playoff spot. That stretch will be key for them, as it’s probably their easiest string of games all season long. They need to capitalize or they very well could find themselves on the outside looking in come May.
8. Thundercats (1-2-0-0; 3rd in the Lincoln)
The Thundercats picked up their first win of the season against a previously undefeated Moose team, winning a close game 10-9. Now, I know the Moose had several scratches, but that’s not the Thundercats fault and shouldn’t be held against them. What impressed me about the Thundercats was their team game. They spread out the scoring, with all but one player recording at least a point. They were led by Brandon Payne who had a monster game, scoring 3 and adding another 3 assists for a 6 point night. Yet they also got secondary scoring with Johnny Lynn, Craig McHatton, Josh Taylor, and waiver pickup David Frazier all recording goals. This is what I expected of the Thundercats; a deep team with a balanced attack. It’s not all gravy in Thundercat land, however. They still gave up 9 goals to a team that had only 12 goals in 3 games from players not named Costillo or were waivers. The Thundercats defense continues to struggle, and they are currently last in goals against per game, giving up over 1 more goal per game than the 2nd lowest team. Their scoring is fine, but they are going to have to lock down that defense to hold onto a playoff spot.
7. Wolves (1-2-0-0; 4th in the Lincoln)
Another team that found their first win, the Wolves beat the Jets 11-9 in a come-from-behind victory. The Wolves started off slowly, falling behind by 4 on two separate occasions, 5-1 and 7-3, before clawing back in the 3rd. They were able to capitalize on a fatigued Jets team. Despite their 1-2 record, they have just a -4 goal differential, and that’s with a 14-9 loss to a tough Moose team. This team seems to be finding their stride, and I think they will continue to get better. Their next SEVEN opponents currently have a .500 record or worse. This is a huge opportunity to rack up some wins here in the middle of the season. I don’t expect them to win their next 7 games or anything, but those are all games they should be able to be competitive in and have a chance to come away with some victories. They are currently sitting at #6 in both Goals Against per game, and Goals For per game. Similar to the Outlaws, they were a middle-of-the-pack team in the preseason rankings, and not much has changed for me. Shane Wall continues to be solid for them, and Matt Kovarik is a huge piece for them, scoring a hat trick in his GRHL debut. If he continues to be a spark plug for this team, look out.
6. Sting (2-2-0-0; 2nd in the Lincoln)
The Sting continued their pattern of win one, lose one, dropping their matchup against the Yetis 8-5. While the final score was a 3 goal game, the game wasn’t all that close. The Yetis jumped out to a 4-0 lead about 5 minutes into the second period before the Sting got on the board. The Sting never led in this game, and they were stuck chasing the game all night. That game was really indicative of how important Justin Windmiller is to this team. The Sting just looked off all night, and I think part of it was not having Windmiller’s calming presence on defense and on the bench. I’m really looking forward to their next matchup against the Venom. The Venom have been on a roll, but this Sting team can definitely compete with them. The good news for the Sting is no matter the outcome of the next games, they will still be in a playoff spot, thanks in part to the slow start of the other teams in their division outside of the Moose. While they have some breathing room, they are going to need to string together a couple wins in the new year to solidify their playoff spot.
5. Yetis (3-1-0-0; 3rd in the Show-Me)
An impressive weekend from the Yetis, winning both games of their doubleheader. First, they beat the Sting 8-5, and followed that up with an overtime win against the Jets. This was the first weekend we saw a full Yetis roster, and it didn’t disappoint. This is what I expected the Yetis to look like with a full roster. Their depth was a highlight, with scoring up and down the lineup, and Stubblefield was solid, making the saves his team expected him to. They continued to be stingy defensively, which has become a trend with this team I wasn’t sure anyone saw coming. The third period of the Jets game you could see fatigue take its toll, as they were outscored 4-2 in the period. However, they were able to bend and not break, and get the game to overtime where Jared Jackson was able to bury the OT winner. The Yetis are proving to be a tough matchup for anybody, and if they continue to get a full roster, they can compete for the lead in the Show-Me Division.
4. Jets (2-1-0-1; 4th in the Show-Me)
A tough weekend for the previously undefeated Jets, as they netted just 1 of a possible 4 points on the weekend. They did force overtime against the Yetis where they ultimately fell, 9-8. Their second game saw them get out to a lead against the Wolves before tired legs and lungs got the best of them, as the Wolves mounted a third period comeback to win 11-9. Similar to the Yetis, the Jets were outscored 6-2 in the third period of their second doubleheader game. These losses however come with an asterisk, as they were missing three huge pieces in Joe Combs, Zach Ruyle, and Quinn Hellmann. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say the outcomes could have gone the other way with a full roster, especially the Yetis game. With that said, this was my concern with the Jets (and others) from the start; those top heavy teams missing a top player or two could make for some tough matchups. We saw it with both the Moose and Jets in Week 3. I still think the Jets will be fine moving forward. They do have some tough games coming up, facing off against the Moose and Venom in January. The game against the Venom is a key matchup, as a win would leapfrog them ahead of the Venom in the standings, while a loss would keep them at 4th in the Show-Me, with no games in hand on the teams they would be chasing.
3. Venom (3-1-0-0; 2nd in the Show-Me)
The Venom win again, beating the Outlaws handily, 9-4. Frank Hart was a monster in this game, allowing 1 goal though about 55 minutes before allowing 3 late goals. Speaking of monsters, Jake Schulte again dominated, as he had 6 goals and 8 points in this one. They dominated from puck drop, controlling the game and never letting the Outlaws get anything going. When the Outlaws did get chances, Frank Hart was there to shut them down. At this point, I think it’s safe to say the Venom might’ve been a little slept on before the season, but that tide is turning. They were 7th in the pre-season rankings, 5th last month, and 3rd this month. I still have concerns with their scoring depth, as only 3 players have more than one goal on the year. They do have 5 players who are scoring a point per game or better, but when 76% of your goals are coming from two players, that’s a concern. Now, if Jake Schulte and Ryan Mearns stay healthy and continue to rack up goals, that won’t matter. Their schedule does toughen up, with games against the Sting, Jets, and Barracudas upcoming. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep things rolling against those teams.
2. Moose (3-1-0-0; 1st in the Lincoln)
Another previously undefeated team that fell, the Moose dropped a close one to the Thundercats, 10-9. Like the Jets, they were missing a chunk of their roster, playing without Travis Zobrist, Steven Rader, new addition Nick Olbrich, their star scorer Nick Costillo and I think that was the difference. The Moose looked out of sorts all game, but found their stride in the third and scored 5 unanswered goals, but it was too little, too late. The bright spot for the Moose was their depth finally showed up. Through the first three games, they had a total of 12 goals from roster players not named Costillo, but got 7 goals from roster players in this game. Also like the Jets, I’m not worried about the Moose moving forward. Even with the loss, they are still 2 points ahead of the 2nd place Sting in the Lincoln. They have a solid team, and ran into a tough opponent while missing large pieces from their roster. They have a big matchup coming up against the Jets, and with full rosters, I expect it to be a great game.
1. Barracudas (3-1-0-0; 1st in the Show-Me)
Finally, ending up at the top of the rankings we have the Barracudas. They beat a scrappy Raptors team, 10-3. Their only loss on the season is their double header against a tough Jets team in Week 1. The Barracudas continue to light up the scoreboard, as they’ve scored double-digit goals in all but one game, and they scored 9 in that one. They are proving to be a solid team all around, scoring the most goals per game, and allowing the 2nd least amount of goals per game. That’s a recipe for long term success, and we’re seeing it unfold. They play such a team game, focusing on puck control, and stifling defense, really limiting opponents’ high-danger chances. The big question mark is roster commitment. We have yet to see a full lineup, and they’ve had no less than 2 scratches in every game. With scratches being a standings tie-breaker, will that come into play in the spring? They are currently tied with the Venom and Yetis in the Show-Me with 6 points each, but their division record and goal differential is what’s giving them the edge right now. They do have some tough competition moving forward, playing the Yetis, Sting and Venom in their next 3 games. A win against the Yetis would solidify their top spot in the Show-Me, and victories against all three would essentially lock them in the top spot in the division unless the wheels completely fall off late in the season.
Week 3 Hot Takes
Ladies and Gentlemen week three is in the books and I think we got more questions than answers in this week’s games. With that let’s dive right into this week’s Hot Takes!
Outlaws: Still looking for structure after week 3
This team was much better than the score indicated. They ran into Jake Schulte doing Jake Schulte things on one end of the rink and a HOT Frank Hart on the other. I think they have all the pieces to be a successful team, but can they put the pieces of the puzzle together to maximize productivity without sacrificing defensive structure? Can the Outlaws win both games in their double header in week 4?
Venom: Who needs to draft Offense when you got Schulte
Jake Schulte showcased why he will be a front runner for MVP in this one. He showed great patience in the zone to utilize defending players as screens and then picked his corners repeatedly. Frank was an absolute monster until the final 3 minutes of the game in this one as well, giving up only 1 goal until that point. This Club Captain group is putting their guys in positions to succeed and it’s going to pay dividends. If Joey Blackwood, Ryan Hall, and Eric Urban start to capitalize on more of the chances they are getting, look out! This Team is poised to make a solid playoff push if they keep playing like this. With Venom taking on the Sting in week 4, can Venom generate enough goals to keep up with the highflying Sting offense?
Barracudas: The Blue fish keep on eating, but can they beat a top team without Owen Reiser
The team chemistry of this team is outstanding. Many of these guys have played together prior to this season and it shows in their playmaking ability. It looks like they can just sense where the other guys are on the rink, and it makes it hell to play against. Katich made his season debut and looked fantastic in his performance, allowing just 3 goals in this one. I talked with one of Club Captains before the start of this one and it looks like Surhe should be in for the rest of the season. However, can this team win against another Top Tier team without waiver help and how will Suhre look when he finally plays?
Raptors: It’s a Seller’s Market out there boys
All jokes aside, this team is a tough match-up for any team. Unfortunately, tough losses take their toll, and the Raptors are no exception. This team is going to compete and get wins, but right now the struggle is real, and frustrations are high. They need a morale boost or a pick me up if you will across the board. If the team hits the reset button and comes out firing against the Outlaws, I can see them winning at least 3 games in January and February. Like the Outlaws, the pieces are all there, they just need to find the winning combination.
Moose: Goaltending is optional right?
Leading goal scorer Nick Costillo was out for this match-up, and the reigns were passed to the rest of the team to pick up the goal scoring. With four players scoring two or more goals in this one they did just that, unfortunately for the Moose though their goalie couldn’t pull it together. Pate looked lost in this one giving up multiple goals on shots he normally saves. The Moose have also yet to field a full roster after four games played, and there is questions on how this team will be able to gel with so many players missing time. Can they win without Costillo? Will they ever field a full roster?
ThunderCats: They got their 1st W, but this is not a playoff team
The ThunderCats controlled the puck well in this game and came out to an early lead. Payne and McHatton lead the way with a combined 10 pts. I liked that the ThunderCats finally seemed to put it all together and play with speed and control, but I have concerns as well. They controlled the play for most of the game but gave far too many chances to the Moose late in this one, almost blowing a 6 goal lead. The ThunderCats will win more games if they continue to play like they did in the 1st and 2nd but need to keep that game speed going for all three periods. Can they improve to 2-2 against the Wolves next month?
Yetis: Overwhelming pressure brought them the W
Scott Robben and this Yetis defense kept Kyle Dickenson in check in this one limiting him to only 4pts. Then insert Andy Stubblefield standing on his head with Keith Duffin scoring 6pts and you have a great recipe for success. The Yetis leaned heavily on Duffin, Niemeyer, and Weber for offensive production in game one which is in stark contrast to game two.
Sting: Frustration or Lack of structure hurt them in this one
Watching this game and the only thing going through my head is Sting looks off. They look frustrated coming out of the gate. Missing Justin Windmiller certainly hurts the overall play making, but I felt like Sting could not figure out Yetis defense in this one. Tyler Krapf looks a bit rusty while still dealing with a lower body injury. On top of that they couldn’t limit Yetis on the defensive side. There were able to get secondary scoring from Sean Patrick Jr and Kyle Gehrig. I feel like Sting are similar to the Outlaws in that they need to find their style of play, but once they do this team will be even more potent on the offensive front. How long until TK is back to his scoring ways and lighting up goaltenders across the league? Will they be one of the first teams to make a trade this season? Sting take on Venom in week 4, can Kyle Hempen win against his former teammates and help prove they are the better top-heavy team?
Yetis: Can we Crown Stubblefield with the goaltender of the year after week 3?
This Yetis team showed some real grit to grind out the W in second game of a double header. Game two show cased the leadership quality of the Yetis. This Club Captain group was able to keep their tired personnel group focused on the limiting the Jets opportunities late in this game while turning the Jets mistakes into goals and nothing says Christmas like sharing. The Yetis got into the Christmas spirit in this one with 8 different skaters earning points.
Jets: Let’s talk about that overtime lineup boys
The Jets moved the puck well in this game and generated some great opportunities. Drew Quinones scored 6 goals with Whitt and Hinton each scoring 1 goal each, usually this would be enough for them to win. However this Yetis team is resilient as they come and forced the game into overtime. This is where some of the fans and I questioned some personnel moves before the puck dropped in overtime. We aren’t privy to the conversation or thought process prior, but we were certainly asking ourselves why Drew Quinones wasn’t starting in over time. The other question is would it even had made a difference?
Jets: Fresh pair of Legs and a fresh goaltender= a fresh L in the books
Double headers are the toughest challenge teams will face this season and this one is no different. I can’t knock the jets here as they played a solid game. The Jets battled hard throughout this one and spread the scoring around with 4 players earning goals. Fatigue took its toll and the Wolves pounced. Andy Bunse was solid in this one, he may have given up 11 goals, but it could have been much, much worse. The only question is would the Jets have won if Hellmann and Combs were in the lineup?
Wolves: Who needs a hockey stick anyway
This game was back and forth for most of the contest. That is until a Wolves player sacrificed his stick to the Hockey Gods in hopes of a win. And they must have listened because after the stick was sacrificed the Jets seemed to miss a step and get just a bit slower. This was a great win by the Wolves who got great plays from each of their players even if they didn’t end up on the stat sheet. AJ Williams was all over the Jets for the entire game and scored 4 goals. Eric Yeargain had another solid game with another 3+ point game of the season, not bad for a guy on $3 contract.
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November Power Rankings
First off, sorry for not having a Power Rankings article after the first week of games. The goal is to have a Power Ranking article after every weekend of games, and we just slipped up on the first one. The good news is, that gives us more data points to go over for these rankings! The first two sets of games have had some real nail biters, and some games that probably sent some teams home upset with their performance. For those new, these rankings won’t be a pure rehash of the Standings, but rather a mix of past performance and future expectations. As teams perform well or poorly, they will move up or down accordingly. I do like to take into account strength of schedule, but this early in the season, that can be difficult since only a handful of teams have played each other. Enough chit chat, let’s get into it.
10. Raptors (0-2-0; 5th in the Show-Me)
Coming in at 10th is the Raptors. They didn’t fare too well in our pre-season article, and they haven't started off too hot, either. They are 0-2-0, but have played two stronger teams in the Venom and Jets. They had a chance to beat the Venom, but a third period collapse doomed them. The Jets game didn’t go their way, but it was a 1 goal game until the third. I have to admit, this team is performing better than I expected, as they are a tough team to play against, and they are hanging with some of the better teams. They’ve got to find a way to clean up their third periods, though. They’ve been outscored 13-1 in third periods; those 13 goals account for over 60% of their total goals against. On the positive side, they have only had one scratch so far, and if they can find a way to close out games, look out. Their next game won’t be any easier, taking on the high powered Barracudas offense. They are going to need to limit the Barracudas chances if they want a chance to win.
9. Wolves (0-2-0; 3rd in the Lincoln)
In 9th place, we have the Wolves. Like three other teams, they are also 0-2-0, losing a close game against the Yetis, 5-4, and a not-so-close game against a good Moose team. Like the Outlaws, they were missing a chunk of their roster against the Moose, but I still feel the Moose are just a better team right now. Now, they did keep it fairly close, losing 14-9. The Wolves balanced attack has all but one of their skaters with at least one point. Their top 3 point scorers are AJ Williams (5), Tom Amato (5), and Eric Yeargain (4). They did get goals from all but two players in the game against the Moose. I like the depth of their roster, and if they can get everyone there, I like their chances against almost anyone. They have another tough game against the Jets, but the Jets will be on the second half of a back to back, so that could be a winnable game for them. If they can get a full roster, with fresh legs and their depth, they could give a tired Jets team fits. It’s also worth noting that despite their record, they are still holding on to a playoff spot, so if they can start bagging a few wins soon, they will still be in the playoff hunt.
8. Thundercats (0-2-0; 5th in the Lincoln)
I had a difficult time ranking the four 0-2 teams, because all of them played a fairly tough schedule. Each team lost to one of the Moose, Sting, Barracudas, or Jets, who are a combined 9-2. The Thundercats and Outlaws were the only two teams of the bottom four to play 2 of those 4 teams. I ended up placing the Thundercats behind the Outlaws, because even though they both had a hard schedule, the Outlaws performed a little better in their two games, and the numbers back that up. The Thundercats have scored the 2nd lowest total number of goals (11), have given up the most goals of any team that has only played 2 games (26), and when you look at goals against per game, they are last (13). Now, that’s a lot to be concerned about, but I still think they can have a good season and turn it around. This is a good roster as we talked about in the pre-season article, but I would have expected a better showing. Their upcoming game doesn’t get any easier, as they have to face the undefeated Moose. They can’t let their early season struggles get to them, or their season could spiral out of control fast.
7. Outlaws (0-2-0; 4th in the Lincoln)
The Outlaws have had a tough schedule to start, facing off against the Moose and Sting. I know they were not pleased with their showing against the Moose, dropping that game 8-3. They played a much better game against the Sting in Week 2, but came up just short in a back and forth game, losing 10-9. They did have quite a few scratches for that game against the Sting, and with a full roster, I think it might have been a different outcome. Their two games were quite different, as in game 1 they had only two goal scorers, but in game 2, they got goals from all BUT two players. I expect more of the latter from this team. They are too deep and talented to have the majority of their roster go scoreless. They can create tough matchups for other teams, and as the season moves along, I expect to see more of that spread out scoring attack. Defensively, they have allowed just the 3rd least amount of goals, which is a positive sign. If they can get their entire roster clicking like they did against the Sting, I think they’ll find success, and quickly.
6. Yetis (1-1-0; 4th in the Show-Me)
The Yetis are the only team with a .500 record at this point, which is not something I thought we would have seen. They won a close game against the Wolves in Game 1, and got handed a pretty significant loss to the Venom in Game 2. Right now, the Yetis seem to be backward from what I expected at the start of the season. They have been a ‘defense-first’ team, as they have given up the least amount of goals, and the 2nd least amount per game. Their offense has been struggling mightily, however, mustering only 9 total goals, the lowest in the league. How bad is it? As a team, the Yetis have 15 total points. There are currently 4 players with more than 15 points on the season, and 3 more with 14 points. If they can find a way to increase their scoring without breaking down defensively, this could be a strong team moving forward. However, they have a double header up next and have to face the Sting and Jets, two high powered offenses.
5. Venom (2-1-0; 3rd in the Show-Me)
The Venom have had a strong start to the season, splitting their double header in Week 1, and easily dispatching the Yetis in Week 2. Their only loss has been to a strong Barracudas team, and the Venom were in the second half of a back-to-back, so I’m sure fatigue played a role. Their offense was a little light in Week 1, scoring a combined 13 goals across two games, but they exploded in Week 2 putting up 12. Eight of those 12 goals came from Jake Schulte, and 2 more came from Ryan Mearns. Now, outside of the Barracudas, they have had a fairly favorable schedule. I still have concerns about their depth, as only 3 players have more than 3 points. Right now, they are being powered by the play of Jake Schulte and Ryan Mearns. Don’t get me wrong, those are two very good players, but as the season goes on, they will need to find some secondary scoring against some of the deeper teams in the League. The Raptors gave them fits, and the Venom had to come back down by 3 in the third to get that win. However, if they keep bagging wins, they should be able to hold down a playoff spot in that Show-Me division.
4. Sting (2-1-0; 2nd in the Lincoln)
Our second 2-1-0 team, the Sting find themselves comfortably in 2nd in the Lincoln division with a 4 point cushion and 4 goal differential lead over the third place Wolves. The Sting beat the Thundercats in Week 1, 9-5, and lost to a very strong Moose team 16-9, but split their doubleheader by squeaking out a win against the Outlaws, 10-9. This team is doing what it needs to to win, and are relatively balanced between offense and defense. They're currently -2 in goal differential, but that’s skewed a bit by that blowout loss. They are pretty much middle of the pack in both Goals For and Goals Against. I would have expected this team to be more offensive minded, but they aren't sacrificing defense for offense at this point in the season. Like the Venom, they are a little more top heavy, with three players with 10+ points, and nobody else with more than 4. Something to note is, Kyle Dickenson has 13 of their 28 goals. Don’t get me wrong, it’s obviously great to have a pure goal scorer like that at your disposal, but again, I’d like to see the scoring spread out just a touch. That said, they do have 3 other players who have at least 3 goals. Tyler Krapf was back on the rink, but still dealing with a nagging injury. This team has the potential to be much more dangerous as the season moves along. I think this team will be tough all year and should have no problem making the playoffs.
3. Barracudas (2-1-0; 2nd in the Show-Me)
Our third and final 2-1-0 team is the Barracudas. This is perhaps my biggest surprise of the season so far; but it’s not their record, it’s their goal scoring. They are tied with the Moose with 38 goals for, scoring at a clip of nearly 13 goals per game. That’s WAY more than I expected from them. Every player who’s played more than one game has a goal, and their goal leader, Cort Hellmann has 7. That’s about as balanced of a lineup as you're going to find. They are proving to be a force, and if they keep this up, there’s no reason they can’t make a run at that Show-Me Division title. They aren’t giving up a ton of goals, as they sit in sort of the middle of the pack with 9 per game. This team is darn good, and any team that plays them is going to have a tough time with them. The one thing is, can they get everyone there? They have had quite a few scratches both weeks, so that’s something to keep an eye on, especially with scratches being a tiebreaker.
2. Jets (2-0-0; 1st in the Show-Me)
Coming in at 2nd and our first undefeated team is the Jets. What can you really say, we thought they’d be good, and they’ve been good. They’ve breezed through their first two opponents in the Raptors and Barracudas, winning both handily. They currently have the second best goal differential in the league at 13, only trailing the #1 team, the Moose. The three headed monster of Quinn Hellmann, Drew Quinones, and Brendan Whitt has been lethal. They are similar to the Sting and Venom in a way, with two players who have at least 8 goals, but nobody else has more than 3. As mentioned with those teams, they are eventually going to need their depth. Everyone has off nights, or has to miss games. These very top heavy teams are going to need those secondary scorers to come through for them at some point. The Jets have been a little loose defensively, and they will need to clean that up. At this point in the season, I expect the show-Me will be a battle between the Jets and Barracudas, then everybody else.
1. Moose (3-0-0; 1st in the Lincoln)
Finally, the top team is the Moose. Off to a perfect 3-0-0 start, and the first team to win both their double header games, the Moose have been very good. They are currently sporting the best goal differential at +17, and atop the Lincoln Division and League Standings. Scoring a league-best 38 goals, and one of the stingiest when it comes to allowing goals (7 per game) this team has all the makings of a winner. That doesn’t mean there are some concerns, though. Like the Sting, Nick Costillo accounts for 16 of their 38 goals, and even with all those goals, they only have 4 players who have registered at least one goal, and gotten 10 goals from waivers (the most in the league). That means through their first three games, nearly 70% of their goals are from either waiver players or Costillo. I feel like I’m repeating myself here, but they are going to have to start getting production up and down their lineup. Some of these teams are going to be able to survive relying on a handful of players, I’m sure of it. What I’m not sure of is which of these top-heavy teams will their lack of depth scoring catch up to them. Nine more weeks to find out.
‘22-’23 Preseason Predictions
Today we’re going to attempt to predict where each team will end up at the end of the season. This will sort of be a preseason power rankings article, but also a bit of a prediction attempting to place each team within their division. Now, this is a compilation of a few opinions, not just my own. I’ll present the list as a whole, taking those individual opinions and combining them into a single list. At the end, I’ll show each individual list so you can get an idea of the variances. These types of predictions are always so hard to do for a number of reasons that’s too long to list here. I will say, none of these opinions should be taken personally, it’s just the fact that someone will finish first, and someone last. Just a bit of a fun article to debate over before the puck drops in a few short weeks. We’ll go bottom up, and I’ll give division/playoff rankings at the end. On to the rankings!
10. Raptors
The Raptors end up coming in 10th on the list, with 7th being their highest rating, and two 10th place rankings. They were the only team with just one writer penciling them in to make the playoffs. The overall consensus seems to be this roster is lacking offense. I tend to agree; I think they have players who definitely can score, I just question if they can get those players to score as consistently as they are going to need them to to be competitive game in and game out. They have some solid players who are above average on the defensive side of the puck in Scott Moss, Tim Haas, and Aaron Gruebner, but not quite on par with some of the best defenders in the league. The Raptors can definitely have success this season, they are just going to need to play as a 4-man unit for the full 60 minutes. Their key to success is going to be limiting high-danger chances against Ryan Patrick, moving the puck up the floor as a group, and getting the forwards to backcheck hard and take away the prime scoring areas. If they consistently make it difficult for other teams to get the puck to those high-danger areas, they should be able to squeak out some 6-4, 5-3, 7-4 wins. They really don’t have any one ‘star’ player who can take over a game and do everything by themselves. That said, they should be one of the harder teams to play against, with a lot of grit and players who are always hard on the puck. If that Captain group can get everyone on the same page up and down the lineup to play a solid team game, they can make life difficult for some teams.
9. Barracudas
9th on the list is the Barracudas. Now, not everyone dislikes this roster. They had one 5th place vote, but they also had two 9th and a 10th place vote. Only one writer had them making the playoffs, and had them securing that playoff spot by finishing 3rd in the Show-Me division. That seems more than fair to me, as I expect them to be in that 5-7 range all season, and I could see them finishing between 2-4 in the Show Me Division. The roster overall is pretty solid, with no real weaknesses, but also I don’t see a lot of strengths. This team is kind of hard to get a read on for me, because I don’t see any gaping holes in their lineup, but I also don’t see too many highlights, either. They should have solid goaltending, but outside of that, the writers were somewhat split. Some have them top 3 offensively, and lower half defensively, while others question their offense and are not concerned about the defense. Again, I kind of fall in the middle. I don’t expect them to stand out in either category, but I think I like their defense slightly more than their offense. I view Jeff Weinacht, Tim Duffin, and Brady Reichman as plus defensive players, and Cort Helman, Trae Wargo, and Jared Gilomen as plus offensive players. The thing I’m torn on is, what style best suits this team? Are they a puck control team or a rush team? If they can get that figured out and find a recipe that works for them, they could be better than I expect.
8. Wolves
Coming in at 8th is the Wolves. This is where the rankings start to kind of go all over the place in terms of spread amongst the writers, and you see wild swings depending on the list you look at. Only one writer had them missing the playoffs, but two of the three writers had them earning their playoff spot through the Wild Card. They had rankings ranging all the way from 3rd to 10th. I have them in the middle; I don’t see them being the 3rd best team, but I don’t think they finish last, either. I view the Wolves in a similar light to the Barracudas; solid roster with no big holes. However, I like the Wolves top end and depth better than the Barracudas. Tom Amato, AJ Williams, and Matt Lesko should all be battling as their top scorer. That’s one reason I like this team; they are very balanced. Anyone on the team can score any given night, and a few of them can have multiple-goal games night in and night out. This is a roster that I also feel fits well together. They have passers, they have finishers, and they have defenders. The reason I ranked them where I did is their division. I expect them to be competitive in the Lincoln Division, but I also feel other teams in that division have slightly stronger rosters. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if they end up finishing higher. There’s a group of teams I feel are all very close, and the Wolves are in that group.
7. Venom
Similar to the Wolves, the Venom have a wide spread in the rankings from the writers, but they end up in 7th when it’s all said and done. The Venom were ranked as high as 4th, but also as low as 10th. Like the Wolves, three writers have them in the playoffs, and just one has them missing. The one thing the writers all seemed to agree on is their defense. The Venom should have one of, if not, the best defense in the league with Tim Ranz and Jake Schulte on the back end, and Frank Hart in net. Not only are Ranz and Schulte very solid defensively, those two can also generate offense from the backend by making strong outlet passes or carrying the puck themselves. The question becomes their offense. Now, Ryan Mearns will get more than his fair share of goals, and I expect he will lead the Venom in goals, with Schulte right behind him. After those two is where I start to question things. They just seem to lack the depth scoring of some other teams. Not to say their depth players can’t score, but I think other teams will get more scoring from the back half of their lineup. I imagine that Captain group is looking for Nathan Haselhorst, Brandon Tennant, and Eric Urban to produce for them to supplement the offense from Mearns, Ranz, and Schulte. If they can get that depth scoring going, and at least play even with teams when their big guns are on the bench, they can be a dangerous team. Matchups will be important for them, because if the bottom of their lineup is getting caved in, can the top guys make up that difference if they get too far behind?
6. Outlaws
The Outlaws were one of the (few) teams the writers all seemed to agree on. They were ranked as high as 5th, but no lower than 8th. They are also the first team we see where all 4 writers are expecting them to make the playoffs, with two having them as wild cards, and two finishing 3rd in the Lincoln. On paper, this looks to be a solid team, again, with no real holes. They also seem to have built a team with players who all fit into their style of play. It would seem they are going to be a team looking to score off the rush, utilizing their speed to attack opponents. I expect them to lean heavily on Cliff Korte defensively, but they do have some forwards who are responsible in their own zone in Mason Kelly, Dustin Sotnyk, and Zach Heatherly. They have a top goalie in Alex Kaiser, good top line players, and solid depth. There’s not much I don’t like about this roster, but as I mentioned on the podcast, I think they are one piece away from being a top 3 team. I’m not concerned about their offense, but with the right trade, they could go from very good to elite. I have them as a shoe-in for the playoffs, but currently I don’t see them competing for the Division lead. They are right at the top of that second tier of teams for me though.
5. Sting
The Sting scored fairly well with most of the writers, again, with all 4 picking them to make the playoffs. Interestingly though, three have them finishing in the top 3 of the Lincoln, and one squeaking in as a Wild card team. Their rankings ranged from 3rd to 8th. This is a team that is somewhat top heavy in my opinion, but they have some of the best top talents in the league. Their depth is what the writers were concerned with. Nobody is questioning whether Tyler Krapf, Kyle Dickenson, and Justin Windmiller can carry the offense. They have some secondary scoring, but that’s the one area I think they could look to improve in. They have players who like to play a puck control game, but I’m not sure the bottom portion of their lineup has the skillset to play that style. Like Windmiller, Drew Estes is a player who can control the pace of the game from the backend, as well as shut down opposing teams. Another area I think they could improve is puck retrieval/grit. I’m not a believer in a team needing 11 ‘gritty’ players to have success, but a team that is trying to play a puck control game needs players to win those board battles. Kyle Gehrig is someone who will go to those dirty areas and dig out pucks, but I question who else on that roster is doing that? If they can get some other players to commit to doing those things, then they could be very dangerous. Regardless, I still think they are going to be a good team and in the top 5 when it’s all said and done.
4. Yetis
Ending up in 4th is the Yetis, and they had similar rankings to the Sting, with rankings ranging from 3rd to 7th. Again, all 4 writers had them making the playoffs, with 3 of them finishing 2nd in the Show-Me and one having them as a Wild card team. This Yetis roster is one of the deeper teams, with scoring throughout the lineup, and players who can play up and down the lineup as needed. They should have ample scoring, with Jared Jackson, Nick Weber, and Keith Duffin leading the way. They should get plenty of secondary scoring, and their defense is fairly stout with Scott Robben and David Hempen anchoring the backend. The only question I have with them is their defense. They have scoring, but do they have enough commitment from their top line players to get back and cover defensively? This should be one of the top teams in the league, with no big holes in the lineup, top end scoring, and defensemen capable of shutting down other teams' scorers. This isn’t an overly fast team, but they have some speed, just not overwhelming speed. I don’t expect them to generate off the rush like the Outlaws, or be a pure puck control team, but fall somewhere in the middle. They should be competing for the top spot in the Show-Me division all season long.
3. Moose
The Moose were a somewhat polarizing team it seems, with two writers ranking them 2nd, and two having them in the bottom half of the league. None of the writers had them missing the playoffs, but two have them winning the Lincoln division, and two have them as a wild card. I think the rankings speak to the roster makeup. They definitely have top end talent in Brent Lyons and Nick Costillo, who form a dynamic duo. Taylor Williams, Willie Webb and Lyons are all capable defensemen. I really like their depth scoring, featuring Andrew Burton and Zach Bunjan. The questions I have about this roster are with their third line and their health. They have some injury concerns, but if everyone is healthy and committed, this should be a strong team all season. Their first two lines should be on the plus side of the scoring while they are out there, they just need to make sure the bottom portion of their lineup can hold their own, and get good matchups against other teams. I haven't brought this up yet, but with the Moose (and other top heavy teams) missing one or two players drastically changes this lineup. If they have a full, healthy roster, they should be one of the top teams.
2. Thundercats
Possibly the second most consistent team when it comes to the rankings, the Thundercats scored very well, with two 2nd place finishes and two 4th place finishes. Not one writer has them as a wild card team. This Thundercats roster features plenty of speed, and absolutely zero holes. Plenty of players who can fill multiple roles, and can generate offense from the backend. Honestly, I expect Brandon Payne to lead the team in points, but almost anyone on the roster could end up right behind him. They are that deep. I don’t know how other teams are game planning to match up with the Thundercats, because I don’t see many who can effectively. Their ‘third line’ would be a 2nd line for most other teams. They have solid players up and down the lineup with Brantlee Wright, Craig McHatton, Brian Meagher, and Matt Hanafin all capable of double digit goals. Even their ‘depth’ players would be able to play up on other teams, which makes the Thundercats that much more dangerous. If they get consistent goaltending from Kyle Killam, they should be able to lead the Lincoln division and secure that playoff spot come May.
1. Jets
The only team with unanimous votes among the 4 writers, they got 1st place votes from every single writer. They are clearly the preseason class of the league. Like many others at the top of this list, they are deep, but what separates them is their top end talent. Featuring Quinn Hellmann and Drew Quinones, both of those players can control a game. Having two of those players means the Jets can always have a game changer out on the floor at all times, which is going to make it very difficult for other teams to play their game. Beyond that, they have players who can supplement those top end guys in Nick Moore, Jason Belkie, and Brendan Whitt. On top of THAT, they have very solid depth players who can hold their own. I don’t think it matters which 4 the Jets throw out there, they can skate with anyone. Joe Combs should be able to clean up any miscues, but I don’t expect many, given Q. Hellmann and Quinones should be able to keep everything to the outside. The Jets also benefit from a weaker division, as I view the Show-Me Division as the weaker of the two. Now, we have yet to drop the puck, but when it’s all said and done, I’d be surprised if the Jets aren’t entering the playoffs as the #1 seed and a pristine record.
Division Rankings:
Lincoln
-
Thundercats
-
Moose
-
Sting
-
Outlaws
-
Wolves
Show-Me
-
Jets
-
Yetis
-
Venom
-
Barracudas
-
Raptors
Overall League Rankings:
1. Jets
2. Thundercats
3. Moose
4. Yetis
5. Sting
6. Outlaws
7. Venom
8. Wolves
9. Barracudas
10. Raptors
Writer Rankings:
Writer 1:
Writer 2:
Writer 3:
Writer 4:
1. Jets
2. Thundercats
3. Sting
4. Yetis
5. Outlaws
6. Moose
7. Venom
8. Wolves
9. Barracudas
10. Raptors
1. Jets
2. Moose
3. Yetis
4. Thundercats
5. Sting
6. Venom
7. Wolves
8. Outlaws
9. Raptors
10. Barracudas
1. Jets
2. Thundercats
3. Sting
4. Venom
5. Barracudas
6. Outlaws
7. Yetis
8. Moose
9. Raptors
10. Wolves
1. Jets
2. Moose
3. Wolves
4. Thundercats
5. Yetis
6. Outlaws
7. Raptors
8. Sting
9. Barracudas
10. Venom
Pate’s Draft Review
Let me start off by saying thank you to Scott Moss for getting us booked at Lewis and Clark College, Matt Clark and Amanda Edwards for running the draft while dealing with our BS and the Board of Directors along with the Club Captains for making it happen in such a short notice.
I reference a pre-draft document that I created for Moose to go into the draft with throughout the article. On that document I sorted players between $20+ 1st liners, 2nd Liners, 3rd Liners, and Defense. My biggest concern going into this draft was if every team wanted to play a 2x2 we had 16 traditional defensemen to fill 33 spots. I have more insights that I will save for the Moose Draft breakdown.
Venom: Grade C
Venom did not disappoint or waste any time with the first overall pick in the GRHL first Auction Draft. Venom had $79 to start the draft, more than anyone in the league. In my notes leading up the 2022 draft I had Venom penciled in to target AJ Williams and Nathan Haselhorst. I felt that these two players fit in with the game style Venom’s Club Captain group would like to play. Instead, they come out of the gate and pick up Jake Schulte number 1 overall. Tim Ranz with their second overall pick, and Nathan Haselhorst with their third. I like Brandon Tennant at $2 for a nice mid to late round value pick.
I’m grading Venom a C because they drafted with a win now mentality, but to me they will fall short of championship and will be a bubble team. With only 2 players on multiyear deals, they will have to start all over again next season. This is the only team graded under a B-. Look for them to make a big trade after the first couple of games to get a feeling of what their needs are. I expect one of the top 3 guys to be moving and my guess would be Tim Ranz to be traded in to bring some extra scoring to this team.
Draft Results
Jake Schulte: $27 1-Year Contact
Tim Ranz: $27 1-Year Contract
Nathan Haselhorst: $20 1-Year Contract
Eric Urban: $1 2-Year Contract
Brandon Tennant: $2 2-Year Contract
Ryan Hall: $1 1-Year Contract
Joe Carnahan: $1 1-Year Contract
Jets: Grade A
Jets had $62 to spend at the start of the draft and in my pre-draft notes I had them penciled in to target a $20 winger for the first line, guys like Nick Weber, Nathan Haselhorst, or Keith Duffin, and then fill in the roster with mid-range talent without spending over $20 on a roster position given their cap situation… Man was I wrong… With the third pick in the draft the Jets take Nick Moore at $15. They then follow this up with Drew Quinones at $29. I like Zac Ruyle at $7 and Belkie at $4. Alex Patrick is coming off an ankle injury but if he can get another year under Quinn’s coaching, I expect to see improvements in his game.
The Jets get an A for drafting a real contender, while also scoring big and picking up a couple of guys cheap considering their talent level. Nick Moore’s shoulder could be an issue this season and going forward which is something to watch but locking in Belkie for 3 years at $4 is an absolute steal in my opinion.
Draft Results
Nick Moore: $15 2-Year Contract
Drew Quinones: $29 1-Year Contract
Alex Patrick: $1 1-Year Contract
Zac Ruyle: $7 1-Year Contract
Jason Belkie: $4 3-Year Contract
Jordan Bodenbach: $4 2-Year Contract
Dustin Arand: $2 1-Year Contract
Thundercats: Grade A
What a Draft by the Thundercats! They went into the draft with the 6th most cap but made the most of it. First, they draft Brandon Payne at $30, then follow that up with Brantlee Wright at $11. Their next 6 picks were at or below my pre-draft notes. But that doesn’t mean this team only went for low ended talent. They found absolute steals in this draft! When I look at their roster, I don’t see any glaring weaknesses in their rosters. From top to bottom this team is as solid as they come. My only ding for this team is if they get down late, who takes over the game for them to bring them back.
If I had to pick a roster outside of my own to build around, this would be it. These guys hit with every pick they had and are built to win this year and years to come. They will lose Payne after this season but should have plenty of money to bring in talent to help fill that void.
Draft Results
Brandon Payne: $30 1-Year Contract
Brantlee Wright: $11 1-Year Contract
Brian Meagher: $9 2-Year Contract
Craig McHatton: $4 3-Year Contract
Josh Heatherly: $3 2-Year Contract
Matt Hanafin: $7 1-Year Contract
Josh Taylor: $6 1-Year Contract
Sting: Grade B
Like Venom, I had someone penciled in for Sting for the first round of the draft and they didn’t disappoint. With their first pick Sting selected Kyle Dickinson at $24. This would actually turn into a nice value pick for Sting. Some of the next few picks pushed the boundaries of teams budgets and some at $30 or more. After Picking up Dickinson, Sting then fires back and reels in Drew Estes at $27. I really like this pick. Drew is a puck moving defenseman with great vision and great hands. He will absolutely fit in well with this team and their playing style. But I may like their next 2 picks even more. Brandon Baker at $3 and Kyle Gehrig at $11 were great value picks. This Club Captain group must agree with my opinion because they locked in both players for 3 years each.
Sting came into the draft knowing who they were after, and it showed. With Dickinson and Estes they brought in the talent to win now, while also drafting Baker and Gehrig to be those core guys of the team for the 3 seasons. My only ding is if they don’t win the championship this season, they go into the next draft with only 2 roster spots filled.
Draft Results
Kyle Dickinson: $24 1-Year Contract
Drew Estes: $27 1-Year Contract
Brandon Baker: $3 3-Year Contract
Kyle Gehrig: $11 3-Year Contract
Shaun Patrick Jr: $1 1-Year Contract
Brett Miller: $2 1-Year Contract
Alex Thole: $1 1-Year Contract
Yetis: Grade A-
The Yeti’s draft was the tale of a two-sided coin. On one side they were heavily invested in getting the league's top talent, only to lose out in the end once they saw the value was too high for the player involved. I believe they were in the mix for 5 of the first 8 players drafted. On the other side, missing out on the top tier talent meant they had money to spend throughout the draft. And they pushed the boundary for some players but were also rewarded with some exceptional talent at value prices. Keith Duffin and Chris Niemyerer went just higher than I had them in rankings. However, the Yetis next 5 picks were all at or below where I had the player's value listed at. If I could change anything, it would be to take Niemeyer’s 2-year contract and give it to David Hempen, as I see more value in it. Chris was a great pickup by the Yetis but he is just getting back into the game and it may take a season or two for them to get their full return on his contract. But you can’t hate on Nick Weber at $16, this was a veteran Club Captain group that took what the draft gave them.
I like this team a lot. And every time I look at their roster it looks better and better. They will be very competitive this season and very flexible with the playing style they implement. They could very easily run 2x2 one period and change it up to a 3x1 the next and their players are flexible to make it happen and excel at it.
Draft Results
Keith Duffin: $19 1-Year Contract
Chris Niemeyer: $8 2-Year Contract
Stephen Storll: $9 1-Year Contract
Bryan Rucker: $7 1-Year Contract
Nick Weber: $16 3-Year Contract
David Hempen: $1 1-Year Contract
Scott Robben: $5 2-Year Contract
Raptors: Grade B
The Raptors executed a calm and controlled approach to the draft and didn’t reach for any one guy, and it completely threw off my pre-draft notes I had on them. I fully expected them to be all in on Drew Quinones and send the house with the kitchen sink to get him. Instead, this Club Captain group showed great maturity and picked their targets well. Chris Habermehl at $11, Jason Deak at $13, Loren Sawyer at $19, and Jeremy Pflasterer at $5. All signed to 2-year deals. Which means this core group stays together for at least 2 seasons. Like the Thundercats I’m concerned with who this team will have to take over a game late if they are down, but I’m not going to give them negative remarks on the draft. I see this draft as a 2-year plan to win. This team will compete game in and game out, no doubt about it. What this writer is concerned about is if this team finishes the season with a compensation pick and then only has 2 other spots 2 fill after that. Heed my warning, this team will be an absolute monster in season two if they don’t make a playoff push this season!
The Raptors lack the offensive fire power of some of the top teams of the league but have the strongest defensive core in the league. They also are built for the future with only 2 players not on extended contracts. I like what they have going, but I like this team more when I look to next season and beyond.
Draft Results
Greg Piper: $8 1-Year Contract
Tom Williams: $7 1-Year Contract
Chris Habermehl: $11 2-Year Contract
Jason Deak: $13 2-Year Contract
Loren Sawyer: $19 2-Year Contract
Aaron Gruebner: $8 1-Year Contract
Jeremy Pflasterer: $5 2-Year Contract
Barracudas: Grade B-
They were who we thought they were! They targeted Jared Gilomen and Tim Duffin early with Trae Wargo coming in as their third pick. They would have selected Keith Duffin as well if the cap space allowed for it. Jeff Weinacht at $10 was a huge pick, and they turned around and signed him for 3 years. I was surprised by Tim Duffin and not Trae Wargo getting a two-year deal. They then follow up by keeping Ryan Raphael at $3 for two years. This writer was somewhat surprised as most people I talked to didn’t know much about Ryan. I had hoped to take him late in the draft for about what the Barracudas paid for him, but I’m only questioning giving the unknown Ryan a 2-year contract vs Trae Wargo.
The Barracudas have a solid roster from top to bottom. Looking ahead they will be keeping a solid core going forward for the next few seasons. My knock on them is lack of scoring for the 2nd and 3rd lines, I’m assuming Weinacht is playing defense with this assumption. But to me outside of their top guys secondary scoring will be an issue.
Draft Results
Jared Gilomen: $20 1-Year Contract
Tim Duffin: $12 2-Year Contract
Trae Wargo: $14 1-Year Contract
Jason Howard: $3 1-Year Contract
Ryan Raphael: $3 2-Year Contract
Jeff Weinacht: $10 3-Year Contract
Jacob Troxell: $3 1-Year Contract
Wolves: Grade B+
The Wolves were in a great spot starting the draft with $72. They missed out on the Jake Shulte and Drew Quinones sweepstakes, but instead took AJ Williams with their first pick. Brad Foiles, Matt Kovarik, and Matt Lesko picks were right where I had them value wise. They found good deals with Aj Flach, Eric Yeargain, and Mike Stahlschidt picks. Like most teams that didn’t splurge on players, the Wolves are solid from top to bottom. My only concern with them is who will be playing defense. Mind you this is also dependent on whether they play a 2x2 or a 3x1 format. This is a team that will be able to compete this year and next, although do they have the firepower for a playoff push?
This is a very flexible team comparable to the Yetis. They have guys that can move all around the roster to allow them to play a 2x2 or 3x1. I don’t really see a weak line on this team. The third line won’t score much, but they will play solid defense and pressure the puck well regardless of who they are facing. Very strong defensively with decent scoring prospects. Their playoff contention rests solely on how the Club Captains utilize the roster.
Draft Results
Aj Williams: $23 1-Year Contract
Brad Foiles: $11 1-Year Contract
Matt Kovarik: $12 1-Year Contract
Matt Lesko: $15 3-Year Contract
Aj Flach: $4 1-Year Contract
Eric Yeargain: $3 2-Year Contract
Mike Stahlschmidt: $4 2-Year Contract
Outlaws: Grade B
The Outlaws front office group is not lacking on talent, and as such came in with the lowest cap space for the draft $61. They took Cliff Korte at $19 which took almost a third of their available cap space, but don’t worry this Club Captain group stayed focused and built a team in the style they like to play. This is proven by the fact that they gave most of their draft picks 2-year deals. Cliff Korte is a heck of a talent on the defensive side of the house and will solidify the defense for 2 seasons. Jared Steinmann is another great pick up here at $7. He is a rover type player capable of playing anywhere on the rink. Dustin Sotnyk and Mason Kelly were also great pickups for the Outlaws, both coming in under my pre-draft values. The only negative I have for the Outlaws is what will their defensive structure look like? They have complimentary players for each of their lines if they separate Bommarito, Shaw and Wendel, but will they have the defensive structure on the backend. I see this as a fast breakout team looking to catch teams off guard with their quick breakouts.
It looks like the Outlaws came in prepared to draft a specific style of team. This will be a very fast break orientated team, and with almost everyone on 2 years deals this team will be able to keep most of its cohesion going into next season as well. I’m worried about them being able to sustain pressure when Cliff Korte isn’t on the rink on defense. Scoring won’t be an issue for them, but how will they adjust to quick breakouts against them?
Draft Results
Cliff Korte: $19 2-Year Contract
Zach Heatherly: $5 1-Year Contract
Jerad Steinmann: $7 2-Year Contract
Matthew Mumford: $8 1-Year Contract
Dustin Sotnyk: $10 2-Year Contract
Mason Kelly: $8 2-Year Contract
Nick Ruffini: $3 1- Year Contract
Moose: Grade B+
Moose came in with a very specific gameplan, and for the most part executed that game plan. I will break this down more in a later behind the scenes article. Moose’s biggest issue is can they get everyone to the game each night. If we do, then we will be a tough matchup for the entire league. Moose lacks scoring depth on the third line but makes up for it with a solid defensive core. Moose is potentially only losing Brent Lyons after this season, which allows them to keep the team chemistry going for multiple seasons going forward.
Draft Results
Zach Bunjan: $15 2-Year Contract
Brent Lyons: $33 1-Year Contract
Andrew Burton: $14 2-Year Contract
Willie Webb: $10 2-Year Contract
Steven Rader: $1 2-Year Contract
Jonathan Young: $1 1-Year Contract
Travis Zobrist: $1 1-Year Contract
Pate's Midseason Review
Bring out the pitchforks, I'm back for another article!
Taking a look at the standings we have:
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Wolves with 10 pts and a win over the Thundercats.
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Thundercats with 10pts and a win over the Yetis.
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Yetis with 10pts but a loss to the Thundercats puts them in third place.
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Jets with 8 pts.
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Raptors with 6 pts and a divisional record of 2-2.
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Outlaws with 6 pts and a divisional record of 2-3.
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Barracudas with 5 pts.
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Moose with 4 pts.
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Sting with 2 pts.
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Venom with 0 pts.
Recent Trade:
Moose acquired Dustin Sotnyk. Dustin brings a strong forecheck and playmaking ability that should help bring some much-needed secondary scoring to the Moose. Dustin should settle right into the second line of the Moose causing chaos at both ends of the rink for the opposing teams.
Venom acquired Willie Webb. Webb is a veteran defenseman who can move the puck in the offensive zone as well as keep the slot clear of opposing players. Most importantly this should allow the Venom to move Mearns out of the defense and allow him to make plays on the offensive side of the rink to take pressure off the rest of the team.
Team breakdown:
Wolves: Six weeks into the season and the Wolves have been absolutely dominating. The Wolves league-leading 30-point goal differential is more than the next two teams combined Yetis (14) and Thundercats (12). What's even more impressive is their Goals Against (29) is 18 better than the league's second stingiest team Raptors (47), and almost half of those came from three players; Chris Noble (6 in two games), Chad Berkman (3), and Grant Kleinschmidt (5). The Wolves only loss came at the hands of the Outlaws in Week 4 (Outlaws 9-6 Wolves) in which the Outlaws found their groove and Kleinschmidt popped off for 5 goals. My only concern so far is Bommarito missing three out of the six games, but when he does play, he is averaging just over 3 pts per game. The Wolves' scoring is a team effort with every skater on the roster logging 3 goals or more in six games.
I'm disappointed that the December game was canceled because I would have liked to play the Wolves at the midpoint to truly get an understanding of where the Moose stand in the division. For now, I'll have to wait until week 9 for that matchup. Look for the Wolves to continue their dominance for the remainder of the season. They won't blow most teams away but their ability to maintain puck possession and create chances in the offensive zone is second to none.
Thundercats: The Thundercats are showcasing what you want to see from the top teams in any league. They win against the teams they are supposed to win against as well as dominating their division. The Thundercats are league-leading 4-1 in their division and second to only the Wolves in another important category player scratches Thundercats (8) Wolves (7). In my game against the Cats, they maintained consistent pressure in the offensive zone throughout the game. Jordan Stradtman carried the offense for over 30 minutes, and when the Moose made defensive adjustments the Thundercats offense was then powered by Quigley, CoJo, and Mullins.
It's difficult to talk down on a 1 loss team, however they were fortunate in their game against the Yetis. In this matchup, the Yetis were missing 6 players including goaltender Andy Stubblefield who is only giving up 6 goals a game. In week 2 the Thundercats were down 4 goals with 3 minutes left and came back to win just as time was running out. Another concern, if not for Cory Johnson's veteran play at the end of this game, the Thundercats would not have won and instead would have started the season off 1-1. With that said this team has shown great promise outside of the loss to the Wolves, and my earlier concerns with team cohesion can now be thrown out the window.
Yetis: The Yetis have the roster makeup that the other Show-Me teams strive to copy. They have 2-way forwards that pressure opposing teams all over the rink, sound defensemen that limit opposing teams' scoring potential, and solid goaltending night after night. The Yeti's roster has embodied these concepts even more after their bombshell trade that brought over forwards Kyle Gerhrig and Alex Thole as well as defenseman Drew Estes. Nick Weber and Jared Jackson will continue to lead the Yetis in the scoring department but with the addition of Gerhrig and Thole the Yetis now have 3 solid scoring lines.
Unfortunately, one item where the Yetis have struggled halfway through the season is roster commitment. The Yetis (19) scratches are tied as the league's least committed roster. The Yetis only loss came while missing 5 of their top skaters and starting goaltender. If the Yetis can fix their commitment issues, they will run away with the division title and will look to be the number two seed in the playoffs.
Pate's top 3 power ranking:
1) Wolves
2) Yetis
3) Thundercats
The Wolves are my top team solely based on the 1-2 combo of Jake Schulte and Shane Wall combined with the offensive prowess of Brandon Payne and VJ Bommarito. Schulte's ability to slow the pace of the game down to an absolute crawl prevents teams from wearing down Wall. Mix those in with the fact that the Wolves excel at getting offense from their entire roster, and you have by far the toughest team to play against in our league. That is of course unless your name is AJ Williams in a revenge game!
The Yetis (2) also have a helluva combo pairing arguably our league's top goaltender with the league's top shutdown defenseman. Andy Stubblefield and Drew Estes lead a team of 2-way juggernauts and an elite secondary defenseman.
This team has been stingy in goals against, with Stubblefield giving up just over 6 goals a game before the trade with the Sting. This Yetis team will continue to dominate the Show-Me division unless the rest of the division decides to make some major roster adjustments.
The Thundercats looked great on paper before the season, and halfway through the season, they have not disappointed us. They are the league's top-scoring offense and showcase that offensive power every time they take the rink. My biggest knock for them vs the Wolves and Yeti's is Killam is averaging 9 goals per game while the starters for the other two teams are averaging 6 goals per game or less.
Middle of the Pack
Jets/Raptors/Barracudas
These teams all have one thing in common, and if you take out the Jets game vs the Moose and the Raptors game vs the Wolves they are at that .500 mark and have a goal differential of -1 to 1. The other thing they have in common is they have beat the crap out of each other and traded wins/losses to stay at that .500 mark. Fortunately, in most of the remaining games, we get to see how they match up with the rest of the league. I can honestly see all three of these teams finishing the rest of the season 3-3. I’m looking forward to seeing if our middle-of-the-pack group will continue their average ways or find ways to break the mold and break free from the rest of the pack to chase down the Yetis for the division title.
Jets:
The Jets have been uncharacteristic this season with (19) scratches. At 4-2, this team is kicking the heels of the Yetis for the division title, but Quinn Hellman is going to have to get creative to pick up wins against the Yetis to take the #1 spot in the division. To me, the Jets are 1-2 pieces away from beating the Yetis. Fortunately for the Jets though, they play the Yetis twice in the next 6 games to figure out a good strategy for what is likely to be the Show-Me divisional matchup in the playoffs.
An interesting note so far for the Jets, if you take out the Moose game that the Jets won 12-1, is they have (49) goals for and (49) goals against, or 9.8 goals per game. The most shocking part for me is (9.8) GAA takes Joe Combs from 4th overall to tied 8th goals against on the season. In my preseason article, I predicted Combs would finish 4th overall in GAA because of the addition of Jared Gilomen. Combs has started (5) games this season and is 2-1 with a 6.67 GAA with Gilomen playing defense and 1-1 with a 10.5 GAA when Gilomen is out. Outside of the Yetis games I expect the Jets to finish strong in the remaining games of the season if Gilomen can play. The season is still young, and this Captain group may decide to make some personnel changes, but it is unlikely unless they get steamrolled by the Yetis in week 8.
Raptors:
The storylines for the Raptors are lack of scoring and five of their games this season have been decided by (1) goal. This team is excellent at protecting their net, but they must find a way to score more goals if they are going to take that next step towards the Cup. Brent Lyons, Jeremy Pflasterer, and Stephen Storll have combined (7) goals so far this season when any of the trio is capable of putting up that number on their own. I'm expecting the captain group of the Raptors to open up the play in the remaining part of the season to find their winning formula of aggression and conservative play styles before the playoffs. The Raptors have a tough schedule remaining in which five of the remaining six games are away.
I scrubbed the stats pages on the GRHL website for every team, and I cannot find any obvious outliers for the Raptors. They aren't overly reliant on waivers, they don't have one guy blowing up the stat sheet, and the game stats don't get skewed when 1 player misses. The Raptors are the GRHL's most consistent team through six games for better or worse.
Barracudas:
The Barracudas are another team with high scratches this season (19), but the part I find concerning is they have gotten (16) goals from waiver players this season. Outside of Cort Hellmann's (19) goals, no other Barracuda has more than (5) goals this season. Without that production from the waiver players this team would rank 9th in goals for. This team must make a trade and bring on someone to assist in the scoring column if they expect to compete in the playoffs. Couple that with starting goaltender Justin Suhre missing (6) games due to a back injury and the remainder of the season looks bleak without some kind of change for the Barracudas.
Waiver goaltender Stephen Craig has performed well as a substitute for starter Justin Suhre thus far in the season with a (9.2) GAA, which is good enough to put him 7th in the standings for goalies with two starts or more.
The Rest of the teams
Outlaws:
The Outlaws to me are stuck between the middle of the Pack teams and the top three teams in the league. In the first 6 games of the season, they had to play 5 divisional games, winning one against the Wolves and losing two against the ThunderCats. I don't get this team. They score a crap ton of goals (67), are middle of the pack on goals against (57), and yet somehow have a 3-3 record despite a positive 10-goal differential. For now, we will chalk it up to the divisional games. Alex Kaiser's 8.4 goals against a game are good for 5th in the league and 2nd in the division.
1/3 of the league leaders are filled with Outlaw players but they are struggling to find consistency from night to night. They are getting production from every player on the roster, goaltender Alex Kaiser has also chipped in for 2 assists this season, and yet when I look at the roster, I'm not sure what adjustments can be made to help them play more consistently. They have outstanding offense, solid defense, and a stud goaltender. Why are you 3-3? I can see the Outlaws finishing the season 5-1, but I can also see them going 2-4 and going back for another compensation pick.
Moose:
This is not where I expected my team to be at the halfway point in the season, and if I'm honest we would be 4-2 if I could close out games. Another issue we've faced is finding consistent secondary scoring. We are far too reliant on Nick Costillo putting this team on his shoulders every night. Every game remaining for the Moose's schedule is vs a playoff team. If we are going to win games and showcase that we are a contender, then the Moose will need better goaltending from me as well as finding that spark that will help push this team from pretenders to legitimate cup contenders.
Sting and Venom:
Both teams are selling off players to playoff teams and are solidifying their spots at the bottom of the league. They do play each other on January 27th, and I expect Venom will win this game. I think trading for Webb will allow Mearns and Ranz much more space to create plays, but also Sting winning this game could potentially cost them the top consolation pick. So, expect a competitive game in which the Sting will fall just short as time runs out.
It's been a heckuva season so far. Make your predictions on Discord on how you think the season will finish. Who will win the Cup, what did I get right in my article, and what did I miss the mark on?
Lincoln Division Post Draft Grades and Rankings
The Wolves had $26 to draft 3 players and one of those players included a compensation pick. I was talking to Rick leading up to the draft and when asked who I thought they should take I said Drew Estes because they already had plenty of scoring on the team and that was only going to improve with Jake Schulte joining the Captain group. However, Tom Amato threw out the trump card and decided to move back to defense this season. With that the Wolves selected Brandon Payne with the #3 overall pick. He is a flexible player with great hands capable of playing offense or defense and excels when he can fill the support role vs being the main fixture of a team’s offense. The Wolves followed this pick by drafting the tenacious VJ Bommarito who should lead this team in scoring this season and finish in the top 5 for goals this season. The Wolves final pick was bringing back Sean Carmody, a player capable of pressuring opponents with a relentless forecheck or playing a stay-at-home defenseman role on the second defensive pairing.
Draft Grade: A
The Wolves team will have a balanced attack with all three lines putting up more goals than they did last season and the Wolves will be the top scoring team in the league for the 2023-24 season.
Post Draft Rankings: Lincoln: 1 League ranking: 1
The Moose came into the draft with $39 in cap to fill 5 roster spots. We had 2 players in mind that we wanted to target in the early portion of the draft, Kyle Watson, and Jeff Mullins with hopes of taking Brantlee Wright in the later portion of the draft. We took advantage of not bidding in the first few rounds. It allowed us to not get wrapped up in the draft and prevented us from chasing players that went for more than we had planned to spend in our pre-draft meeting. Tom Williams came up early in the draft and we were happy to scoop him up for $3, the Yetis also thought the price was right and offered us a trade in the middle of the draft Tom Williams $3 for Chris Niemeyer $8.
This was an excellent move by the Yetis Captains. First, you must understand that I’ve played hockey with Chris for almost 20 years and on the way to the draft I was considering offering to trade a cap year for Niemeyer or a potential player in the draft. I figured the Yetis would be willing to make a trade if it meant creating some more cap space. What made this such a great move by the Yetis was the fact I had to try explaining to my fellow Moose Captains the type of player Chris is while also breaking down the cost in cap and how much cap it would leave us for the rest of the draft. Oh, and I still needed to follow the draft that was going on during all of this. We ended up turning the trade down for two reasons Jon Hemker and Jared Gilomen. Both are talented defensemen, and both were going to a team at a discount. If we made the trade, we would go from being tied with the Jets at $12 of cap to spend on a player to $8 of cap, putting us 4th with the teams left behind Jets $12, Venom $11, and Yetis $9. However, if we take this trade, we are likely to take Brantlee Wright instead of Jeremy Elledge to give us more offense.
I’m happy with the team we drafted, I feel that we have a similar look to what we had last season with an upgraded defense and should see more scoring from our second line this year as well.
We also turned down trade offers from the Venom for Jon Hemker immediately following the draft and the Outlaws trying to trade for Zach Heatherly within 24 hours of completion of the draft.
Draft Grade: Post the grade you would give the Moose draft on discord and on Socials, I’m not grading myself… But we have without a doubt the best Defense in the league
Draft Grade: Post the grade you would give the Moose draft on discord and on Socials, I’m not grading myself… But we have without a doubt the best Defense in the league.
Post Draft Rankings: Lincoln: 2 League ranking: 2
The Thundercats entered the draft with $51 in cap to fill 4 roster slots, giving them the second most $ to spend on players at the draft. The Thundercats shocked me when they targeted the talented Cory Johnson for the compensation pick instead of a shutdown defenseman. Cory is a versatile player who can play any position on the rink except maybe goaltender, someone get this man some pads. They followed this up with 2 of the best offensive weapons in the draft in Jordan Stradtman and Jeff Mullins and rounded out the draft with defenseman Taylor Williams. Once again, the Thundercats are the best team on paper going into the season, but this year I’m not falling for it. I have concerns about the team’s identity. They have plenty of speed and talent to play any style of game they want to match up against the opposition, and therein lies the problem. Early in the season I expect their style of play to be dictated by their opponents. This coupled with Killam taking a while to get back into form after the offseason will cause this team to lose some early season matchups they would otherwise win. This isn’t all doom and gloom. The Thundercats have without a doubt the most skilled roster in the GRHL this season, and once Killam finds his form, they will be a force to recon with. My other concern with the Thundercats early in the season is they have a lot of new faces and I’m not sure who the go-to-guy will be for the Thundercats. Who will be the guy to lead them back from a deficit or shutdown AJ Williams or Nick Costillo if they have a late lead. This will get sorted out as the season progresses. Lastly, I see a roster full of exceptional 2-way players with a couple of solid defensemen, but I don’t see a true number 1 defenseman on the roster who can shut down the top guys in the league.
Draft Grade: C
The player I would have taken with the 4th compensation pick is Drew Estes followed by Brent Lyons. Both players were available, and both would have helped Killam early in the season until he finds his form. Outside of that they had an exceptional draft but having $51 in cap can help cover roster mistakes.
Post Draft Rankings: Lincoln: 3 League ranking: 6
The Outlaws had $13 to draft 2 players. With the 1st compensation pick that means they had $12 for the compensation pick and $1 to draft their last player. I predicted that the Outlaws would take Grant Kleinschmidt with the #1 pick because he fits their style of play better than other players. This does not mean it was the correct pick though. Grant will help this team take huge steps in the right direction this season, but outside of Grant and Cliff Korte who plays defense? This team has scoring depth on all 3 lines, but they also have 2 different scoring strategies withing the captain group. Will they play a fast breakout style or a puck control style? When they played well last season this team usually controlled the puck and the pace of play for long stretches in the game, but the moment they were losing they flipped to a fastbreak style team with far too many turnovers. Will that continue this season? And who will be the voice of this team and take charge on the bench? Lastly, Kaiser is a heck of a goaltender, but will he get the defensive support he needs to limit the backdoor scoring this season?
Draft Grade: B
There is only so much a team can do when you’re strapped for cash. Also, I may have said they would take Kleinschmidt because he fits the team’s style of player better than other, I feel that Chad Berkman would have helped take this team further up the standings with his ability to shut down the top players in the league and slow the play down in the offensive zone to allow Kaiser to catch his breath and maximize scoring opportunities. Grant will be in the top 10 in points, but will it be enough for the Outlaws to make the playoffs?
Post Draft Rankings: Lincoln: 4 League ranking: 8
The Sting finished last season with a heartbreaking loss in the Championship game. Not only that but this team would have to make a decision. Do they target Kyle Dickinson or Drew Estes in the draft because they couldn’t afford to draft both. I initially was not fond of this draft for the Sting Captains. However, after reevaluating the Sting picks, I like the choices they made. The Sting needed to fill holes in their defense and did just that for all 3 players drafted. Drew Estes was the best shutdown defenseman in the draft and the Sting were able to retain Drew for another season. Austin Davis at $4 is a value pick for me as he could have gone for $2-3 more, and they made sure to lock him in for 3 seasons. Brett Miller is a bit raw as a player, but he skates well and has a good report with this captain group, and they were happy to bring him back to the Sting roster.
Draft Grade: B
I give the Sting a B because I feel that if they didn’t draft Drew at $24, they could have used the cap to even the talent out a bit more in their picks. This was not a bad draft, but I think this team might struggle scoring enough goals this season.
Post Draft Rankings: Lincoln: 5 League ranking: 9
Show-Me Division Post Draft Grades and Rankings
The Season Champion Jets had a very strong 2022-23 season but fell short in the playoffs. The Jets had a fairly straight forward draft to look forward to this session. With $22 in cap space and only 2 spots to fill the Jets could be a bit loose with the pocketbook if they wanted. When reviewing this team prior to the draft I had them taking Alex Patrick on a team friendly $1 deal and then spending $21 to draft Brandon Payne or similar player. Yet this club captain group showed me once again you can do all the pre-draft prep you want, but once the draft timer starts that all goes out the window. This team showed great gamesmanship and patience in this draft. They entered auctions when the money to talent was at an optimal value, drove up the price, and then stepped out without overpaying for the players that were being bid for. They did however strike when they found players that fit their structure and needs. The Jets got a good deal for Nick Olbrich at $6 who made improvements towards the end of last season with the Moose and looked like he had regained form after taking some time away from hockey the previous year. Jared Gilomen at $12 is an absolute steal and will fit in perfectly with this Jets defense. I don’t know how they did it but for this writer this team looks better this season than they did last year
Draft Grade: A
The Jets were able to improve their overall roster and save $4 in cap space to help them make future moves easier. Textbook draft by a veteran CC group.
Post Draft Rankings: Show-Me ranking: 1 League ranking: 3
The Yetis entered the draft in a similar position as the Jets, they had a disappointing playoff performance but had a very solid season and finished 2nd overall in the GRHL last year. With $25 in cap space for two roster spots, the Yetis were in a perfect position to make a splash. The Yetis lost goal scorer Keith Duffin and the gritty 2-way player Stephen Storll. The first player drafted by the Yetis is Ryan Reader, who is capable of playing offense and defense and is capable of skating with anyone on the rink. They Yetis then drafted Josh Taylor, who may not skate as well as Storll but he makes up for it in his shooting ability and physical play. The theme for the Yetis in this one is finding players capable of playing either offense or defense and players who are hard on the puck and not afraid of the physical part of the game. I think they Yetis are about where they were last season talent wise, but will be more physical on the defensive side of the puck.
Draft Grade: B+
The Yetis utilized their cap to bring in talented players that filled their roster and also tried to make a move during the draft to free up cap space for the later rounds. More on that move in a separate article.
Post Draft Rankings: Show-Me ranking: 2 League ranking: 4
Raptors had an Astonishing $47 in cap for three players and one of those players was a top two compensation pick! Let me start by saying that drafting Chad Berkman to a two-year contract for only $10 should be illegal. The man is a game changer and brings much needed star power to this Raptors team. Then if that wasn’t enough, they go out and draft Brent Lyons who put up 57 points last season with the Moose. The icing on the cake was Stephen Storll who I can only speculate will be used to cause absolute havoc to opposing teams 2nd and 3rd lines. All three players bring goal scoring ability mixed with a gritty 200’ 2-way play style. The Raptors were the first team to finish the draft and I have to believe that they executed their draft plan perfectly.
Draft Grade: A+
The Raptors clearly executed their draft plan to a T. They were the first team finished by a large margin, and greatly improved their team for this season and the future.
Post Draft Rankings: Show-Me ranking: 3 League ranking: 5
Barracudas had $39 to fill 4 roster slots. First, they were able to reunite the Duffin brothers by drafting Keith Duffin early in the draft for $14 and then they made the pick even better by drafting someone to pair with him in Nathan Haselhorst who also is on a $14 contract. The Barracudas then went quiet for a bit watching and waiting for Jared Gilomen to slip further in the draft, but it was not to be. Once Jared was picked up by the rival Jets, the Barracudas quickly picked up Trae Wargo for $7, half of his contract last season, and Brantlee Wright for $4, almost 1/3 of his previous contract. The Barracudas were frugal in this draft and made out like absolute bandits increasing their overall skill level, but did it cost them the grittiness they were known for last season
Draft Grade: A+
No other team was able to bring in as much talent as the Barracudas and spend less than $10 a player to do so.
Post Draft Rankings: Show-Me ranking: 4 League ranking: 7
The GRHL Champion Venom entered the draft with $40 in cap space and needed to sign 4 players. With Nathan Haselhorst going to the draft and Jake Schulte going to the Wolve Club Captains group, this team was in desperate need of a goal scorer. Entering the draft, the Venom Captains had one guy in mind to fill that role, Kyle Dickinson. They were able to bring Kyle to the team at a hefty but well deserved $25. Next up they outbid the Moose to bring back the playoff performer Joey Blackwood for a team friendly $2. With $13 in cap and two roster spots to fill, the Venom were content to sit back and watch the draft a bit until the next piece of their puzzle came onto the board. When Jon Hemker’s name did come up for draft the Venom struck, they quickly ran his salary up to $11 thinking they had won the bid. Unfortunately for the Venom fans Jon will be wearing Moose orange instead of Venom green this season. The Venom were able to regain their composure though and were able to draft Nick Ruffini and Alex Patrick to team friendly deals at $2 and $1 respectively. I see this Venom team capable of keeping the opponents frustrated with a stout defense and one of the league’s top goaltenders, but I’m concerned with their ability to maintain pressure in the offensive zone. They brought in one of the best goal scorers in the league in Kyle Dickinson, but will they be able to support him enough to remain a threat in the Show Me Division?
Draft Grade: D
They left $10 in cap and 2 cap years on the table, which gives them wiggle room to make trades post draft but can they make it happen?
Post Draft Rankings: Show-Me ranking: 5 League ranking: 10
Pate’s Pre-Season Power Ranking
Let me start by saying I know I’m going to take flak for this ranking, but as the season progresses, we will see how teams utilize players and how the player chemistry in those rosters pan out. For the first 2 months, player chemistry will play a very large role and may allow for some upsets.
Offensive Rank: How many goals the team will score in comparison to the league average.
Defensive Rank: The team’s ability to shut down opposing teams’ scoring chances and how often they give up high scoring chances. Note: I’m ranking with the assumption that every team is playing with a 2x2 formation, and they are not.
Goaltending Rank: The goalie’s ability to shut down opposing shooters, consistency is my biggest factor.
Overall ranking: I try to use the above rankings to justify the overall ranking along with team chemistry and how I expect the captains to utilize their roster.
Wolves: 1
The Wolves will have a balanced puck controlling attack that will benefit goaltender Shane Wall tremendously. Their opponents will get frustrated trying get the puck out of their defensive zone with Tom Amato and Jake Schulte controlling the pace of play, just to run into a fresh Shane Wall on the opposite side of the rink.
Offensive Rank 5: This team is more than capable of being higher than fifth in goals, but I see them playing conservative puck control games. I’m also expecting the Wolves to move the puck with their defense to open up plays downlow and in front of the opposing goalies for the offense. For this reasoning I expect their early goal leaders to be the guys who crash the net and work for those rebound and back door goals. I’m looking forward to how they utilize VJ Bommarito in this offense. Will they have him use his speed to move the puck around the zone to find and exploit weaknesses in the defense, similar to AJ Williams was on the Thundercats, or will the Wolves utilize him as a breakout threat similar to how he played on the Outlaws.
Defensive Rank 2: These guys on D excel at moving the puck and have the speed to lock down the fastest forwards in the league. Opposing offenses will need to get creative to create consistent pressure in the offensive zone.
Goaltending Rank 1: Shane Wall was already a top 5 goaltender in the GRHL, but having a defense that can shut down the best in the league along with a puck control offense will cause Wall’s GAA to plumet and the Wolves to jump to the top of the Rankings.
Moose: 2
The Moose improved their roster from last season and should see more scoring from their second line, something that was drastically missing from last season. Most importantly though the Moose enter the season with the top rostered Defense in the league. Look for the Moose defensemen to assist the second and third lines break out of the defensive zone and control the puck to maintain pressure in the offensive zone.
Offensive Rank 4: I bounced this offense up and down from as high as 2 to as low as 6th and settled in at #4 overall. The Moose should see more scoring from their second and third lines which combined for a total of 6 goals last season. Most importantly though Andrew Burton and Nick Costillo return this season and look to improve on their combined 106 goal total from the 2022 season.
Defensive Rank 1: Jonathan Young, Kyle Watson, Jon Hemker, and Willie Webb could all find a home in the rest of the league’s top defensive pairings and will allow the Moose the flexibility to mix-match size and speed to ensue they can shutdown whatever the opposing team throws their way.
Goaltending Rank 8: Last season was my first-time playing goalie in a full season since 2018 and it showed. I’m hoping to improve my GAA this season by being more consistent on my positioning and showcase why the Moose should be the number 2 team, but make mistake I am the Moose’s weakest link this season. I put myself at 8 because of the amount of 10+ goals against I had in the middle of last season.
Jets: 3
The best team of last season somehow improved their roster overall. Losing Brandon Payne hurts but Jared Gilomen gives them an excellent defensive core and look for Nick Olbrich to have a breakout season. With the improved defensive core goaltender Joe Combs will have a career year and be in the running for this season’s top goaltender.
Offensive Rank 2: The Jets move the puck with the best of them, and unless the league recognizes and then shuts down the pattern/formation they attack with then they will return as one of the league’s top offenses this season.
Defensive Rank 3: The Jets improved on the defensive end this season and we should see much fewer high scoring chances against goaltender Joe Combs this season.
Goaltending Rank 4: Combs is a solid veteran goaltender with good positioning and combined with Hellman, Whitt, Gilomen, and Ruyle locking down the center of the rink will cause havoc with opposing offenses.
Yetis: 4
The Yetis also improved their roster by bringing in versatile 2-way players Ryan Reader and Josh Taylor. I see Josh as a traditional defenseman with a heavy shot capable of playing offense and Ryan Reader might be the best 2-way forward in the draft.
Offensive Rank 8: Don’t think I’m not a fan of this offense because I’m ranking them at 8. I put them at 8 because like the Wolves I see them as more of a puck control team. The Yetis have plenty of fire power this season to be in the top 4 of scoring, but I expect them to control the puck and move it with all four guys on the rink to wear down opposing teams and exploit weaknesses caused by fatigue.
Defensive Rank 6: This defensive core is solid from top to bottom but lacks some of the firepower and shutdown ability of the top 5 teams.
Goaltending Rank 2: Andy Stubblefield is always in position and slides across his crease with a butter smooth ability. If he isn’t 2nd, he will be first in my rankings.
Raptors: 5
The Raptors had a game plan for the draft and executed it to a T. Chad Berkman, Stephen Storll, and Brent Lyons compliment this entire roster. Look for this team to average 8-9 goals a game while playing a team orientated shutdown defense.
Offensive Rank 6: Brent Lyons and Chad Berkman will help fuel this offense and create space for this offense. This team was last in scoring last season and the Raptors should see almost double the amount of scoring this year.
Defensive Rank 5: I have this defense at 5 because they have a good mix of veteran defensemen that are capable of shutting down opposing offenses and controlling the pace of the game in the offensive zone.
Goaltending Rank 9: Last season was a tale of two Patrick’s and I have him at 9 currently because of the inconsistency of last season. Ryan’s overall numbers should improve this season with this improved defense giving up fewer odd man rushes.
Thundercats: 6
The Thundercats have the most talented roster in my opinion, but I think it takes a few games for them to work the kinks out of having so many new players. Kyle Killam will improve his game as the season progresses making this team deadly in the playoffs and a cup contender despite being ranked 6th.
Offensive Rank 1: The firepower this team possesses is insane and I can’t wait to see this team come together as the season progresses.
Defensive Rank 7: This defensive core has the best skaters in the league with a mix of stay-at-home defensemen and offensive defensemen. I knocked them down because I’m expecting quite a few high danger scoring chances early in the season when the offensive defensemen get caught up in the play. As the season progresses and these guys start to gel, we will see fewer of these high scoring plays going the other way.
Goaltending Rank 10: I expect Killam to have a bit of a slow start to the season causing him to fall to 10 but is Killam is not someone to take lightly come playoff time.
Barracudas: 7
This team is made up of mostly 2-way forwards and I’m concerned with them shutting down the league’s top offenses. My biggest question mark for them is goaltender Justin Suhre. If Suhre plays for most of the season this team will have a chance to make a playoff push, but if he misses a few games this team will have trouble finding its footing going into the playoffs.
Offensive Rank 5: I like the offensive additions for the Barracudas, and I expect them to score goals in bunches. This team will have a bit of a different make up this season with some added finesse and speed.
Defensive Rank 9: I’m marking the Barracudas down because they only have 1 true defenseman on the roster in Brady Riechmann but filled with nine 2-way forwards who can fill into the defensive roll. I’m expecting a bit of a learning curve on the defensive side or an early season trade for a defenseman.
Goaltending Rank 3: This ranking is based soley on Justin Suhre playing the entire season. If he plays all year look for him to not only bale out the Barracudas defense but also be in the running for Goalie of the year.
Outlaws: 8
Much like the Thundercats, I feel like this team will have an identity crisis early in the season. Unlike the Thundercats I’m not sure if they are capable of rebounding from some tough early season losses. AJ Williams and Grant Kleinschmidt help this team out and will punish opposing teams who make mistakes against them, but until I see this team gel and find an identity, I can’t rank them higher than 8.
Offensive Rank 7: I initially had this team ranked as high as 3rd offensively with Shaw, AJ, and Grant leading the charge on the offensive front, I keep going back to last season and playing this team in week 1. When they controlled the puck in the offensive zone and moved it around to all four skaters, they were a force to be reckoned with, but if they fall into a run-n-gun style of play I see them skating themselves into trouble.
Defensive Rank 8: Defensively I see this team with a similar make up to the Thundercats with Kliff Korte being the Outlaws main shutdown defenseman. I see Kleinschmidt and Shaw filling in as offensive defensemen but no one else pops out to me for the 4th defensive slot unless they want to put AJ Williams on D to maximize his rink time.
Goaltending Rank 6: Kaiser is a heck of a goaltender capable of stealing games, but last season he was left out to dry by this defense at times with far too many high danger scoring chances. I’ve got him at 6 mainly because I’m not sold on the Outlaws team chemistry yet and their ability to prevent too many good scoring chances for their opponents.
Sting: 9
I don’t hate this roster; they are one of the tops in the league on the defensive side and are more balanced offensively than they were last season. However, losing Dickinson and being unable to replace his goal output will hurt this team until they change up their identity and find scoring elsewhere. I’ve got them as a lock for a compensation pick, but this team will gladly play spoiler for teams late in the season if given the opportunity to make the playoffs.
Offensive Rank 9: I see consistent scoring as the Sting’s biggest trouble this season. I expect defensemen Justing Windmiller and Drew Estes to jump into the play more this season to help create plays for their offensive counter parts, but will it be enough. I also expect Kyle Gehrig to continue to be a catalyst for this team as well. However, if this team is going to make strides in the right direction though we will need to see Tyler Krapf lead his team on both sides of the rink to get the Sting back to the championship. I don’t see TK scoring 7-8 goals a game though, as that’s not his style of game. What I would like to see though is TK getting 4-5 points per game where he is feeding the play with his passing ability and sliding into the open zones to release that wicked wrister.
Defensive Rank 4: Drew Estes and Justin Windmiller will lead this team on the defensive side along with Greg Piper and Austin Davis. This defensive core loves to control the slot and force teams to the outside. I expect them to continue their spectacular play from last season and carry it into this season to help Kyle Hempen keep the Sting in every game they play.
Goaltending Rank 7: Kyle plays a very aggressive game and loves to come out to challenge the play. He usually has a bit of a rough start to the season for the first game or two but should be settled in by week 3. Look for him to be outside of his crease making spectacular saves all season long.
Venom: 10
The Venom brought in Kyle Dickinson to help replace the loss of Jake Schulte and he will be able to do that to some extent. Unfortunately for Venom fans though, this team will greatly miss Jake’s ability to slow down the pace of play and create opportunities for the Venom offense. The main issue I have with the Venom is their overall depth. They got creative with the roster last season to handle the line mismatches and create opportunities, but unless some of the $2-3 players have a breakout year this season the Venom offense will fall flat.
Offensive Rank 10: I have some serious concerns with the Venom offense this season. The loss of Jake Schulte closes the amount of space these forwards came to know and love last season. Dickinson and Mearns should score enough goals to keep the Venom in games going into the third period, but can they create enough plays to allow their linemates to score. This Venom team will need to outwork the opposition in order to find consistent scoring opportunities this season.
Defensive Rank 10: This team has 2 rostered defensemen, Tim Ranz and Matt Mumford. Mearns has played D in the past, but he is better utilized creating plays rather than shutting them down. My concern with the Venom is seeing them get trapped in their own defensive zone for long periods at a time and getting fatigued in the process. Venom has the cap space to make trades without sacrificing their future in order to bring in another defenseman, but can they find a team willing to make a deal.
Goaltending Rank 5: Frank was my #2 goaltender last season, and he slipped to #5 due to the trouble I see with the rest of the roster. I’m expecting Frank Hart to keep this team in games that they have no business being in, and they will absolutely steal games because of their goaltender.