S CAROLINA FIRE ANTS

Notable Additions: David Pastrnak
Notable Subtractions: None.
Forwards:
Overall, this is an older group with some youngsters sprinkled in. Jiri Hudler, Tyler Ennis and Alex Tanguay will be asked to shoulder much of the scoring burden while the younger players continue to improve. Kuznetzov, Johansson are moving in the right direction and could be the future offensive stars of this team. Most of the forwards are rounded out with physical players (Milan Lucic), and more good but not great scoring punch (Oshie, Hansen, Boyes). While they don’t have the top end guys, their 9-12 guys provide more overall offense than most clubs. David Pastrnak (just drafted) provides a potential top line forward for the future.
Grade: B
Defense:
The Fire ants have some serious problems on the blueline. Trevor Daley brings some offensive punch, and Justin Faulk provides top level 2-way play, but beyond that only the aging Zbynek Michalek is a legitimate Top 4 defenseman (good shutdown guy). The rest of the defense is really suspect with perhaps Braydon Coburn being the best of the remaining. This club seriously needs to upgrade their defense as Salo looks like he’ll be retiring, Gonchar is far from a spring chicken and Fistric is really not an NHL caliber player.
Grade: D
Goaltending:
Marc-Andre Fleury is the undisputed #1, and provides solid goaltending for the Fire Ants. However, Evgeni Nabokov as the backup no longer is a workable proposition. South Carolina will need to address the backup role at some point in the year, but at least they’re starting with Fleury – which isn’t bad.
Grade: B-
Expectations:
This team will score a lot of goals, and be competitive in a lot of games. However, unless they seriously upgrade their defense, a playoff berth seems far-fetched.

EL DORADO LYNX
Made Playoffs

Notable Additions: Jay Bouwmeester, Victor Rask
Notable Subtractions: None.

Forwards:
Alex Ovechkin, James van Riemsdyk and Brandon Saad are established scorers on the wing. However, where most teams have strength (Center) there are many question marks for El Dorado. Ryan Kesler and Valteri Filpulla are the top 2 pivots, but neither is a #1. Behind them are some solid 2-way players, but other than Teuvo Teravainen and Viktor Rask, there don’t appear to be any other potential top 6 scorers on the club. There is no question that the Lynx are going to struggle to score. The way things look now, the top line will end up scoring maybe 40% of the team total.
Grade: C

Defense:
The defense is solid, but unspectacular – although the addition of Jay Bouwmeester makes them much tougher to play against. While they did score a respectable number of goals as a group, they just don’t get enough pucks on net, and their shooting percentage seems unsustainable. Only Jack Johnson can be considered an offensive threat at this point in time. Still, Johhny Oduya, Marc Stall, Eric Brewer, and Jeff Petry round out a nice blend of speed and size. They will certainly be tough to score against.
Grade: B+

Goaltending:
The ultimate 1a/1b in GUMP. Carey Price and Tukka Rask are an insane duo in net for the Lynx, and will keep them close even if they can’t score as much as in the past. For that reason, and the defense, this is definitely a team that will be hard to score against. Low scoring games with special teams will rule the day for the Lynx.
Grade: A+
Expectations:

While they do not possess the goal scoring talent they once did, the Lynx are still a formidable club on the backend and in Net. They will be hard to play night in and night out, and will manage to get into the playoffs due to their defense and goaltending. Good luck anyone on taking a season series from these guys.

CHARLESTON CHIEFS
Made Playoffs

Notable Additions: Dion Phaneuf,
Notable Subtractions: None
Forwards:
The team as constructed boasts 2 of the Top Goal scorers in GUMP like the Chiefs do with Steven Stamkos and Rick Nash. Helping dish the puck is Anze Kopitar, a top all around pivot and David Backes who is also an excellent 2-way player. Those 4 provide the main punch for the club, with the rest of the lineup really being a supporting cast including the ageless Jaromir Jagr. Lots of veterans with a few youngsters sprinkled in, this is a much better defensive forward corps than most clubs, but they still have punch with 11 players with 10+ goals (excluding their big 4). They will expose teams with a weak defense as they can score up and down the lineup.
Grade: B+

Defense:
The addition of veteran Dion Phaneuf adds an edge – and yes offense! However, the group is loaded with veterans that know how to defend, and still have a physical edge. There are also a LOT of them, and likely to be some hard fought battles for icetime. Boasting veterans Matt Carle, Brooks Orpik, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Michael del Zotto they are deep and solid. This will allow them to keep the youngsters to limited time and let them develop without hurting the team now. The only theing this group lacks is the blueline tandem to really make the Power Play work. Jason Garrison and Del Zotto look to be the powerplay quarterbacks, but beyond that there really isn’t a top notch puck mover.
Grade: B
Goaltending:
A very good tandem here with Sergei Bobrovsky and Johnathan quick. Between the two of them, they will have solid play night in and night out, and if either one hits a cold streak, the other can easily step in. With the blueline as constructed, and the goalies they have, they will certainly be in the top half of the league in GAA.
Grade: B+

Expectations:
This is a playoff calibre team – but can they do it in this division. It feels like it will come down to their series against the Lynx, as I expect them to be neck and neck. It doesn’t seem possible that the Baltimore offensive juggernaut can be stopped, and that makes it harder for another team to make the playoffs. Close, but I think they will get edged out unless they get a few bounces.

GREAT LAKES PILOTS

Notable Additions: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Notable Subtractions: Roberto Luongo
Forwards:
Overall, the Pilots have some good pieces here. Ryan Getzlaf is one of the premier Centermen in the leadue, and Scott Hartnell, Taylor Hall, and Tyler Bozak can be considered top 6 material. However, beyond that there is potential, but the next wave of scorers just isn’t there yet. Derek Roy, Riley Sheahan and Tommy Wingels will try to hold the fort while the youth infusion tries to make an impact. Tomas Hertl and Ryan Spooner are probably the next best potential scorers, and Vladislav Namestikov also has potential. Overall though, they’re light on scoring , and I don’t think Getzlaf can make more than 1 line good here.

Grade: C

Defense:
The defense is solid overall, but they will need to eventually replace the aging Stephane Robidas. They have some established veterans with Ryan Suter, Danny Dekeyser , Jake Gardiner and Nick Leddy providing a legitimate top 4. However, things drop off after that as the only established players left are not really great 3^rd pair material (Marco Scandella – good, Stephane Robidas – bad). This is an area that will need to be addressed, but Ryan Suter eats minutes like Phil Kessel eats hot dogs, so that should allow them to shield the 3^rd pair somewhat.

Grade: B

Goaltending:
With only Brian Elliott and rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy in the fold, it’s likely that the Pilots will need to make a move for another goaltender at some point. While the current pairing looks good on paper, Elliot has had injury issues off and an and Vasilevskiy is not yet ready for a lot of starts. So, it’s OK now, but we’ll have to see what happens to really get a gauge on the goaltending situation.

Grade: C
Expectations:
This is a team that will be competitive night in and night out, but the defense is good, not great. The scoring is OK, not great and the goaltending (what’s here) is good, not great. All in all they won’t get enough of the wins they need in the division, and they’ll likely be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

BALTIMORE CRAB

Notable Additions: Karl Alzner, Johnathan Drouin, Marian Hossa, Ryan Callahan
Notable Subtractions: None
Forwards:
This is a team that has built an enviable amount of talent through the draft. With almost superstars, young players ready to burst out, and almost all reasonable 2 way players, this is the premier scoring team in the league. It’s an almost All-Star team: Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Johnson, Filip Forsberg, Tomas Tatar, Jaden Schwartz, and veteran 2-way wizard Marian Hossa round out a lethal top 6 that is young, and will get better as someone makes a push past Hossa. While only Tarasenko and Johnson are considered top players in the league now, it won’t be long for others to join them.
Grade: A+

Defense:
This is also a strong group with some young players ready to break out and become elite players. They’re not there yet but they will be soon. There is a good blend of speed, passing and skating ability, and they’ll be able to trot out a legitimate 6 skaters that can be top 4 on most clubs. Ryan McDonagh and Johnny Boychuk are the anchors. Recently acquired Karl Alzner, and Zach bogosion will help out, but the biggest remaining pieces, and potential stars are the pairing of Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen. Overall, they’re not a huge group, but they can really move the puck and skate. They will have 2 lethal Powerplay units.
Grade: A

Goaltending:
Antti Niemi and Jonas Enroth are currently in net. A bit pedestrian (neither is an average GUMP goalie), but with Niemi getting the bulk of the starts, and an offense that is off the charts, they should overcome the weakness here. Still it certainly is a tandem that can be better.
Grade: D

Expectations:
Although their goaltending is weak, it would be a shock if the Crab did not make the playoffs. The offense (forwards and defense) is just too lethal. They can’t all slump all year long – and it’s talented scoring up and down the roster. This team will be almost impossible to stop offensively and that will carry them into the playoffs.

SALEM SABERCATS
Defending 3-time champions
Notable Additions: Jason Demers, Bo Horvat, Andre Burakovsky, Scott Darling
Notable Subtractions: Dan Boyle (D), Eric Gelinas, Jaroslav Halak

Forwards:
Salem has been a powerhouse for years, and they still have tremendous depth at the Center position boasting Nicklas Backstrom, Logan Couture, Jeff Carter and Pavel Datsyuk. However, the rest of the wingers while experienced are starting to drop off a bit..notably Patrick Marleau, Patrick Sharp and Loui Eriksson. The only notable youngster at wing who is making a splash is Gustav Nyquist, but the rest of the forward corps is not real strong. However, they did draft Bo Horvat and Andre Burakovsky – which significantly upgrades the bottom 6 in their lineup.
Grade: B

Defense:
The defense on the other hand has a great combination of offensive skills, experience and youth. Leading the way is the quartet of Duncan Keith, Alex Pietrangelo, Anton Stralman and Torey Krug. As solid a top 4 as you will find in GUMP. The 5-6 spots are a bit rough, but newly acquired Jason Demers, Eric Gryba and James Wisniewski look to fill those in pretty well. Overall this is a high scoring defense, able to spread the minutes around and create a true shutdown tandem when necessary.
Grade : A-

Goaltending:
Carrying 4 goalies on the roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they moved 1 to try and shore up their forwards. But, with the Trio of Frederik Anderson (solid), Craig Anderson (good but injured often) and Scott Darling (above average backup) they certainly have the bodies in place to be solid at goal. Not top tier, but very respectable. One of the future ‘tenders, Niklas Svedberg will be fighting for icetime if Salem carries 4 goalies into the season.
Grade : B

Expectations:
Salem has been a powerhouse for years, but this looks like a year where they will have to fight harder for a playoff berth. While Salem made some aggressive moves, other teams in the division have made upgrades or player development is on the upswing. When the last weeks of the season are upon us, Salem will be in the mix for a playoff spot, but it will be a toss-up whether they get in or not. If they do, it will because their Defense played outstanding hockey – and they will be dangerous!

PITTSBURGH HORNETS
Made Conference Final
Notable Additions: Anthony Duclair
Notable Subtractions: None

Forwards:
Evgeny Malkin and Bryan Little lead the club up front, giving a powerful 1-2 punch at the Center position. Lots of young players are starting to mature, making their mark in the league including Alex Galchenyuk, Nik Bonino and Ryan Strome. This club has good offensive punch through the first 3 lines, but not truly elite scoring. Still when Evgeni Malkin is on your club, it’s hard not to be above average.
Rounding out the club are some very solid 2-way wingers (Joel Ward, Brandon Sutter). Anthony Duclair has yet to prove himself at the NHL level, but has strong upside.
Grade: B

Defense:
This could be the last year together for this group. Victor Hedman is the cornerstone of the club and along with Slava Voynov provides a solid first pairing. Andy Greene provides veteran leadership and a physical edge to the club. After them, there is a much younger group of players trying to fit their way into GUMP and make an impact. Dmitri Kulikov and Travis Hamonic lead that group, but overall the defense lacks scoring punch and shutdown ability.
Grade: C

Goaltending:
With Ben Bishop and Petr Mrazek splitting duties, this is a very solid and consistent pairing for the club. It’s not the best in the league, but is very solid and will do well this season. Can they provide that consistency with a mediocre defense? If so, this is a playoff team.
Grade: B

Expectations:
Really hard to say how this team will do this year. They’re a middle of the pack scoring team, middle of the pack Goaltending team, and a defense that probably won’t keep the puck out of the net enough. In some divisions that wouldn’t be as big an issue, but there are some seriously top notch scorers in this conference, and they will be exposed. Playoffs?

SOUTHSIDE ICE RENEGADES

Notable Additions: Alexei Emelin, Melker Karlsson, Jyrki Jokkipakka, Darnell Nurse
Notable Subtractions: Dmitry Orlov

Forwards:
Southside has only a few established NHL’ers with high offensive skill. Joe Pavelski and Patrick Hornqvist lead the way with up an coming Mika Zibanajed providing most of the offensive punch. Unfortunately, beyond that the cupboard is a bit bare. Ryan O’Reilly is established as a solid 2-way player, but will his offense ever become enough to be a first line player? Same with Rickard Rackell. The Ice Renegades will struggle to put 2 solid scoring lines on the ice night after night, let alone 3. This team will need some help via trades or draft to challenge for a playoff spot.
Grade: C-

Defense:
The defense on the other hand has a VERY good core of defensemen, with all under 30. Jonas Brodin, Mike Green, Seth Jones and Jake Muzzin are reliable defenders and have good offensive skill. Klein and the recently acquired Emelin will round out the top 6, making this a very capable defense corp that will help keep them in games.
Grade: B+

Goaltending:
With Braden Holtby as the main man, the Ice Renegades are set for years to come with a top 10 GUMP starter. Carter Hutton is not your ideal backup, but since he will only play a fraction of games, it’s not a large concern for a club that looks to have Holtby start over 70 games this year. Overall, this has to be seen as the strength of the club, and Holtby can steal 5+ games per year for them.
Grade: A

Expectations:
There is much to like on this team Defensively, but can they score enough goals? Usually in GUMP, you need to roll at least 2 lines that can pot 60+ goals to have a chance for the playoffs. In this respect they fall short. But the defense and Goaltending is certainly above average and will help mitigate that. Ultimately, it looks like it’s too much to ask of them to drag this team to the playoffs. They will be competitive, but it doesn’t look like the playoffs are in the cards.

WINNIPEG FALCONS
Notable Additions: Adam Lowry, Calvin Pickard
Notable Subtractions: None

Forwards:
With Tyler Seguin (quack!) & Jamie Benn the Falcons boast one of the premiere 1-2 punches in the league. Mike Hoffman, Michael Frolik, young Zemgus Girgensons and (still good) setup man Mike Ribeiro make sure that there is secondary scoring AND people to get the puck to Seguin and Benn. After that, there is a pretty steep falloff in offense, although the other forwards are all defensively responsible, and they shouldn’t be a hindrance to the club. Overall a solid group and age is not that much of a problem at this point. Adam Lowry adds grit and some potential to rise to a 2^nd line scoring winger.
Grade: A-

Defense:
A top 3 of Dan Girardi, Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba is very good indeed. After that there is a significant falloff though as Zidlicky, Lovejoy and Mark Stuart look to round out the top 6. Zidlicky is still an effective PP QB, but needs to be protected defensively at this point in his career. The top 3 need to eat a lot of minutes to cover for the others though. Overall, some fine pieces in play, but this league has a long history of exposing weak defensive pairs, and that will be a problem for the Falcons.
Grade: C+

Goaltending:
Steve Mason comes in on a bounce back year, and looks to put up VERY good numbers. Jake Allen is the up and coming Goalie every club likes to have. Thomas Greiss is a solid backup for insurance, but they drafted Calvin Pickard to push him in camp. Unfortunately, it looks like Josh Harding will no longer be able to play, but their depth at the position renders that point moot. Overall this is a top tier group, and will be asked to bail out the weak 3^rd pair all season long. They can do it too!
Grade: A

Expectations:
This is a tough call. Year in and year out, clubs with a weak bottom 2 are exposed, and this club has a weak bottom 3. But the goaltending is so, so solid. With a top 6 that can score as well as anyone in the league, they have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs. In this division, I think they have enough and will squeak in.

DENVER SPURS
Notable Additions: Roman Polak, Scottie Upshall
Notable Subtractions: Josh Bailey

Forwards:
This is a team with a split between veterans : Matt Duchene, Lecavalier, Briere and Zach Parise and the up and comers (Carl Hagelin, Lindon Vey, Riley Nash, Benoit Pouliot). Between the groups, there is reasonable scoring potential, and the drop off from there is large, but still productive. This is a team with a scoring by committee approach as they only have a single 30 and single 20 goal scorer. All the others will need to have above average seasons to give this team the scoring punch they need. That being said, the forwards will be hard to play against, but just won’t be able to muster the pop they need. There’s a good chance this will end up being the lowest scoring team in the league.
Grade: D

Defense:
The Spurs boast 2 of the top offensive D-Men in the league in Kevin Shattenkirk and Keith Yandle. If Shattenkirk can stay healthy, they will have a very good top PP unit. The problem comes after those 2 players as the remaining guys (aging Jan Hejda, Willie Mitchell, Brian Campbell) are not top 4 players at this juncture of their careers. Olli Maatta has huge potential, but his early career has been marred by injuries.
Grade: D

Goaltending:
Goaltending is a strength of this club, with arguably the best in the league. Semyon Varlamov, Jonas Hiller and Cam Talbot will fight it out and the coach will tend to go with the hot hand. Having any of these 3 in net will give the Spurs a chance to win every night. That’s good – because they’re not going to score a ton of even strength goals.
Grade: A

Expectations:
In this division, they simply do not have the scoring to keep up with their rivals. No matter how good the offense is, you have to score sometime. In addition, they look to have a somewhat porous defense, and will have difficulties keeping the puck out of the net even with their goaltending. Nothing is impossible, but the playoffs seem out of reach this season.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And with Draft Day 2015 now behind us, it’s time to look at the big winners of the day. Sure, this is the GWMHL – we’re all winners in our special way. Except not really. Not at all.

1) San Jose
More isn’t always better, and it might seem strange to call a team that jettisoned several key veterans a “winner”, but the San Jose Hosers needed a change and made it happen. The Hosers had nine picks in the draft, including five in the top two rounds, and made them count. Sure, the loss of Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester will hurt, but San Jose reloaded with bluechippers like John Klingberg and Derrick Pouliot and could afford to take a chance on some long shots in the later rounds.

2) Salem
Stop winning already, Salem! Fresh off a Gump Cup threepeat, the Sabercats made a splash in the first round, picking up the 10th overall pick from Portland for pieces that were mostly redundant on its deep roster and using it to draft Andre Burakovsky. Then Bo Horvat fell all the way to Salem’s 17th pick. The rest of the draft? Doesn’t even matter. A strong team just grabbed two pieces that will be key as its veterans begin to retire.

3) Denver
Nope, not Delta! While the Sturgeon pretty much solved its defense problem in one go with the first-round acquisitions of Aaron Ekblad and Damon Severson, the Spurs didn’t have the benefit of the 1st overall pick and yet filled out its thin ranks with forwards like Curtis Lazar, Cedric Paquette, Josh Jooris, Jiri Sekac, and more. Time will tell if there are any world-beaters there, but for a team that could well be asking Joffrey Lupul to do first line duty, it was a big day.

The trade-happy Boston Banshees got things started on draft day, but the San Jose Hosers did most of the work, dealing arguably its top two defensemen and making four trades as kicked off a rebuild.

2015 draft day trades

• – Boston dealt a 3rd rounder and faceoff specialist Manny Malhotra to San Jose for defensive centre Paul Gaustad. The Hosers took Phillip Danault with the pick.
• – San Jose traded its longtime blueline anchor Dion Phaneuf to Charleston for a 1st rounder, using it to draft young defenseman Derrick Pouliot.
• – Minutes later, San Jose also moved Jay Bouwmeester to El Dorado for a 2nd, which would become Shayne Gostisbehere.
• – Salem added Portland‘s 1st rounder in exchange for goalie Jaroslav Halak, defenseman Eric Gelinas and a 3rd. Salem used the 1st to get Andre Burakovsky while Portland drafted Petteri Lindbohm with the 3rd.
• – After grabbing Aaron Ekblad and Damon Severson in the first round, Delta sent Jason Demers to Salem for a 2nd, which it used to draft Nikita Nesterov.
• – San Jose added Nikita Nikitin from Vancouver for a 4th rounder (Ronalds Kenins).

The 2015 Rookie Draft saw a defenseman go with the top pick for the first time since 2010. The Delta Sturgeon, recipients of some draft lottery fortune, picked Aaron Ekblad with their #1. Ekblad will be asked to lead the blueline on the rebuilding team.

South Carolina took winger David Pastrnak second, while defenseman John Klingberg went to the San Jose Hosers to round out the top 3.

Check out the complete 2015 draft results here.

With just days to go before one of the busiest trade days of the year, the Rookie Draft, action is heating up. So what’s happened so far?

Of the 9 trades made so far this offseason, 6 have involved the Boston Banshees. Not content with a group that got bumped in the first round, the Banshees have shipped out an amazing 7 roster players and 3 picks, including a pair of second rounders.

All that for a haul that includes, among others, a starting goalie in Roberto Luongo, talented wingers Marian Gaborik and Kyle Okposo, and young centres Sean Couturier and Charlie Coyle. Key contributors like Marian Hossa, Ryan Callahan, and Brad Richards were among the casualties.

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Night Train shored up its blueline with the acquisition of Chris Tanev (for a first and prospect Ryan Murphy) and veteran Dan Boyle (for a 2nd), and Ice Harbor sent Scottie Upshall, Roman Polak and a 3rd to Denver for Josh Bailey.

Check out all the moves right here.

Jaromir Jagr – one of the GWMHL’s all-time scoring leaders – made news at the Free Agent Draft, first by being chosen second overall by the Ice Harbor Storm, and then by being swiftly dealt to the Charleston Chiefs for centre Martin Hanzal.

2012-2013 Pre-Season Free Agent Draft Results
(passes omitted)

Round 1

1. Delta – G Martin Brodeur
2. Ice Harbor – F Jaromir Jagr
3. Pittsburgh – F Petr Sykora
4. Baltimore – D Bryce Salvador
6. Winnipeg – G Steve Mason
8. Charleston – F Dominic Moore
9. Great Lakes – F Tim Brent
10. Denver – F Derek Dorsett
13. Boston – D Michal Rozsival
15. El Dorado – F Zach Boychuk
18. Sterling – D Corey Potter

Round 2

22. Ice Harbor – F Peter Mueller
23. Pittsburgh – F Joe Vitale
24. Baltimore – D Colten Teubert
30. Denver – G Justin Peters
38. Sterling – D Alexander Sulzer

Round 3

43. Pittsburgh – F Nick Bonino
44. Baltimore – G Leland Irving

Round 4

63. Pittsburgh – F Casey Cizikas
77. West Virginia – G Curtis Sanford

Round 5

83. Pittsburgh – F Matt Martin