What We Learned From Every Team After Week 1

By GRHL Staff

One week is never enough to tell us exactly what a team will become, but opening night gave us our first clues about the 2026-27 GRHL season.

The defending champions still appear capable of overwhelming teams with their depth. Two of last season's lowest-scoring teams opened the year with eight or more goals. Several offseason additions immediately became important pieces for their new teams, while some familiar stars picked up exactly where they left off.

Some of those developments will disappear as quickly as they arrived. Others could become defining stories of the season. Here's what we learned about all 10 teams after Week 1.

Jets: The defending champions still have answers everywhere

The Jets and Venom were tied 5-5 in the second period before the defending champions took over, scoring six consecutive goals on their way to an 11-7 victory.

That stretch was a reminder of what made the Jets so difficult to handle last season. They don't simply have high-end scorers; they have enough of them that stopping one part of the lineup doesn't necessarily solve the problem.

Seven Jets scored Saturday. Mason Kelly and reigning MVP Quinn Hellmann each had hat tricks, Brendan Whitt finished with a goal and two assists, and Greg Piper, Jason Beilke and Owen Delesky each had a goal and an assist. Steven Hurt also scored, while Ryan Patrick contributed two assists from goal.

The Jets led the GRHL with 150 goals last season, but Brett Lucas and Craig McHatton are no longer part of the roster that produced that total. There was reason to wonder whether losing two productive players might reduce some of that offensive depth. At least for one night, it didn't.

What we learned: The personnel has changed, but the Jets still appear to have the scoring depth that made them the league's most dangerous offense last season.

Venom: Finding consistent help for Kleinschmidt will be important

Ben Kleinschmidt opened the season with four goals and an assist against the Jets, putting himself right back among the league's scoring leaders after finishing fourth with 57 points last season.

The performance itself isn't particularly surprising. Kleinschmidt has been one of the GRHL's most productive players for years. The more interesting question for the Venom is what develops around him after an offseason that included Brandon Payne's departure for the Moose.

There were encouraging contributions in Week 1. Ryan Raphael recorded two assists, while Jordan Nevels, Tim Ranz and Tom Williams each scored. The Venom were tied with the defending champions at 5-5 before the Jets' six-goal run broke the game open, so there were stretches when the offense was doing enough to keep pace.

It's only one game, and seven goals is hardly an offensive failure. The question is whether the Venom can develop enough consistent scoring around Kleinschmidt to remain one of the league's better teams.

What we learned: Kleinschmidt remains the centerpiece of the Venom offense, and the early question is who will consistently produce alongside him.

Yetis: Nick Costillo may have changed their offensive ceiling

The Yetis scored 90 goals last season, second-fewest in the league. They opened the new season by scoring six in the first period and 11 overall against the Barracudas.

Nick Costillo's arrival was always going to give the offense another significant weapon, and his first game with the Yetis showed exactly why. Costillo scored four times and added two assists after producing 23 goals and 35 points in nine games with the Moose last season.

The encouraging part for the Yetis was that the offense didn't end with Costillo. Willie Webb had three assists in his first game with the team, Dustin Sotnyk scored twice, and waivers Ryan Ramshaw, Henry Hunsaker and Josh South combined for five goals and two assists.

That production also came with Aaron Gruebner, Jared Jackson and RJ Pluhar out of the lineup. Jackson scored 20 goals last season, so there is still additional offense that wasn't present Saturday.

It would be premature to declare last season's scoring problems solved after one game, especially with waiver performances playing such a large role. Still, an 11-goal opener with three regulars missing is about as encouraging a start as the Yetis could have asked for.

What we learned: Costillo gives the Yetis a high-end offensive threat they didn't have last season, and Week 1 offered early evidence that there may be enough scoring around him to make the improvement substantial.

Barracudas: The start overshadowed a much better final 40 minutes

An 11-6 loss doesn't look particularly encouraging, but the Barracudas' opener was really two different games. They allowed the first six goals and put themselves in an enormous hole during the opening period, then played the Yetis much more competitively over the final 40 minutes.

Chad Berkman was at the center of the response, scoring three goals and adding an assist after leading the Barracudas with 22 goals last season. Andrew Burton had two goals and an assist in his first game with the team, while Trae Wargo added two assists.

The Barracudas were also missing Cort Hellmann, Jeff Weinacht and Travis Zobrist, along with regular goalie Kevin O'Koniewski. Playing shorthanded helps put the 11 goals allowed in some context, while the six goals they generated after falling behind 6-0 showed there was still plenty of fight in the lineup.

It doesn't erase the opening period. Giving any team a six-goal head start creates an almost impossible task, and the Yetis took full advantage. But the Barracudas showed enough afterward that the final score shouldn't automatically be interpreted as 60 minutes of one-sided hockey.

What we learned: The Barracudas showed some encouraging offense after a disastrous opening period, but avoiding those early holes will be critical.

Sting: Cory Johnson gives the offense another significant weapon

Cory Johnson scored 28 goals in only eight games last season with the Wolves, so his ability to score was already well established. What matters now is what that production can do for the Sting.

Johnson scored three times in his first game with the team, including the goal that tied the game 4-4 and eventually sent it to overtime. Tyler Krapf added a goal and an assist, Justin Windmiller recorded two assists, and Drew Estes finished with a goal and an assist while scoring the winner 1:47 into overtime.

The 5-4 result also shouldn't be mistaken for a game in which the Sting spent the night trying to catch the Wolves. The Sting took the game's first three leads, with the Wolves answering each time. Demetrius Daniels eventually gave the Wolves their first and only lead at 4-3 before Johnson tied it.

For a Sting team that scored 97 goals last season, adding a player with Johnson's scoring history alongside established offensive contributors like Windmiller and Krapf could make a meaningful difference. And this wasn't even a complete look at their offense. VJ Bommarito, who is expected to be a significant part of the Sting attack this season, missed the opener.

What we learned: Johnson immediately gave the Sting another proven scoring threat, and with Bommarito still to join the lineup, Week 1 may have only offered a partial look at the offense's potential.

Wolves: The new pieces are already contributing

Cory Johnson's departure removed a player who scored 28 goals for the Wolves last season, but Week 1 provided some encouraging evidence that their offseason additions can help replace that production.

Brett Lucas scored twice and added an assist in his first game with the Wolves after scoring 33 goals for the Jets last season. Scott Robben also made an immediate impact with a goal and an assist, while Demetrius Daniels scored the goal that briefly gave the Wolves a 4-3 lead.

The Wolves ultimately lost 5-4 in overtime, but they earned a point despite playing without Tom Amato. That makes Week 1 an incomplete look at what the new offense will eventually be.

Lucas was expected to be an important addition. Robben's contribution was more notable given that he had 10 points with the Yetis last season. If both remain involved offensively once Amato returns, the Wolves may have enough options to absorb Johnson's departure.

What we learned: Lucas and Robben immediately became important parts of the Wolves offense, and we still haven't seen what the group looks like with Tom Amato in the lineup.

Outlaws: There may finally be more offense around AJ Williams

AJ Williams scored three goals in the Outlaws' 8-6 victory over the Raptors, but Williams producing offense isn't a new development. He led the team with 36 points last season and has been one of its primary scoring threats for years.

What happened around him Saturday was much more interesting.

Codi Labeda had two goals and three assists in his first game with the Outlaws. Michael Shaw added a goal and two assists, Logan Wendel scored, and waiver Nicholas Santos contributed a goal and an assist. The Outlaws built a 7-2 lead before the Raptors rallied in the third period.

That matters for a team that scored a league-low 77 goals last season. Williams was the only Outlaw to reach 20 points, leaving the offense heavily dependent on him to create production.

Labeda arrives after recording 48 points with the Raptors last season, fifth-most in the league. If his five-point opener is the beginning of a productive season rather than simply a big debut, the Outlaws' offensive structure could look very different.

What we learned: Williams remains dangerous, but Labeda's arrival gives the Outlaws a second established high-end producer and could make their offense much less one-dimensional.

Raptors: Alexander Alberter gave them something to build on

The Raptors spent most of Saturday chasing the Outlaws after falling behind 7-2, but Alexander Alberter helped turn what appeared headed toward a lopsided finish into an 8-6 game.

Alberter scored three times in the third period. Bryan Rucker added a goal and an assist, Sean Hazlett scored, and waivers Matt Mumford and Grant Hinton also contributed.

The larger concern is how the Raptors ended up needing that comeback. Allowing an Outlaws team that scored just 77 goals last season to build a five-goal lead isn't the start they wanted, particularly after losing Codi Labeda to that same team during the offseason.

Alberter's performance gives them an interesting development to follow. He had previously shown scoring ability as a waiver before becoming a regular this season, and three goals in Week 1 suggest that production may translate into a larger role. One game isn't enough to know how consistently it will happen, but the Raptors could use another scorer emerging after Labeda's departure.

What we learned: Alberter's three-goal performance gives the Raptors an intriguing new source of offense, but they'll need more than third-period rallies to replace what departed during the offseason.

Moose: McHatton could be an important addition around Stradtman

Jordan Stradtman scoring six goals is extraordinary even by his standards, but the defending scoring champion putting up goals isn't the most revealing part of Moose's 8-7 victory over the Thundercats.

McHatton recorded 34 points with the Jets last season and immediately looked comfortable creating offense around the league's most prolific goal scorer. All four of his assists Saturday came on Stradtman goals, providing the first evidence of a combination that could become particularly difficult for opponents to handle.

There were contributions elsewhere as well. Jerad Steinmann and Samuel Ehrhard scored, while Jon Hemker added two assists.

The other important part of the Moose opener was who didn't play. Brandon Payne was scratched and has yet to enter the lineup after producing 45 points between the Venom and Yetis last season. That means an offense that scored eight times Saturday still hasn't shown what it looks like with one of its biggest offseason additions.

Stradtman will score regardless of who is around him. The more significant development would be McHatton becoming a consistent creator for him while Payne adds another established offensive threat elsewhere in the lineup.

What we learned: The early Stradtman-McHatton chemistry gives Moose another potentially dangerous combination, and the offense still has Brandon Payne waiting to join it.

Thundercats: The offense showed it can keep pace with anyone

The Thundercats came away without a standings point, but there was plenty to like offensively in an 8-7 loss that wasn't decided until Stradtman's winning goal with 28 seconds remaining.

Jeff Mullins opened the season with two goals and three assists after finishing second in league scoring with 64 points last year. Jason Quigley scored twice, Chris Habermehl had a goal and an assist, Brad Foiles scored, and waiver Nicholas Santos also found the net.

The distribution of that offense matters. Mullins being productive is expected, but getting goals from several different places allowed the Thundercats to trade offense with a Moose team featuring the league's reigning scoring champion.

The next step is turning performances like that into standings points. The Thundercats went 6-7 last season despite finishing with a positive goal differential, so losing another close, high-scoring game is something they'll want to prevent from becoming a pattern.

There's no reason to treat one narrow loss as evidence that it will. For now, Week 1 showed that the Thundercats have enough offensive options to make life difficult for good teams.

What we learned: The Thundercats showed legitimate scoring depth against Moose; now they need to turn competitive performances against strong opponents into wins.

After one week, the questions are starting to form

Week 1 gave us reasons to reconsider a few teams without giving us enough evidence to redefine them yet. The Jets still look deep, while the Yetis and Outlaws gave us the first indication that two of last season's weakest offenses could be substantially improved. The Sting and Wolves both received immediate production from important offseason additions, and the Moose may have uncovered a particularly productive connection between McHatton and Stradtman.

There are also questions that won't have answers for several weeks. We don't know whether the Yetis can sustain this level of offense, whether Alberter can consistently produce for the Raptors, or whether the Barracudas' final 40 minutes were more representative than their disastrous first 20.

That's what Week 1 gives us: an early look at what might be different this season and which teams could be headed in a new direction. With 12 games still to play, we'll find out soon enough which opening-night performances were signs of things to come and which were simply one good—or bad—night.