Gordie Howe Conference Preview

Months in the making, minutes to read, seconds to ridicule... I am pleased to present this indepth preview of the Howe Conference. Don't look for a Richard Conference preview from this author, I am no where near smart enough to analyze a conference I don't play in.

GPS
48-13-5 101 pts
ROV
47-15-4 98 pts
EAG
40-21-5 85 pts
SOC
36-22-8 80 pts
GRB
35-24-7 77 pts
AVI
33-28-5 71 pts
YDP
31-29-6 68 pts
TME
31-30-5 67 pts
COU
27-29-10 64 pts
OLY
24-33-7 55 pts
MIM
23-38-5 51 pts
NJT
10-50-6 26 pts

Grande Prairie Stingers
Fans got a taste of what this team can do after a magical run to the conference finals last year. And they want more. Ownership looks to be obliging, judging by their willingness to take part in the nuclear arms race with the Rovers and others in free agency. While they didn’t win the Blake/Jovanovski/Ohlund sweepstakes, this squad is still built to win the only thing that matters at the end of the day – the King’s Cup.

Strengths
This team oozes skill and is one of the most entertaining in the league. Their top two lines read like an allstar team – if the opposition manages to stem the tide that is Ovie/Staal/Nash, they get rewarded by seeing Booth/Kopitar/Perry jump over the boards. And the best part of the core group for Grande Prairie fans? All but Briere are young, cheap and will be Stingers for a long time.

Weaknesses
Hard to find on this roster, but the editor says we have to put something here, so… let’s talk about defense. The GPS were very aggressive in trying to land the top blueliners available in the auction, and they’re onto something. The Stingers enter the season with only seven D under contract, which could lead to uncomfortable times if injuries mount. While they have an offensive lynchpin in Mike Green, the supporting cast is fine but not up to par with their forward crop.

Player to watch
Alexander Ovechkin. Honestly, his name appears here because anyone who is a fan of hockey should get chills up their spine anytime Ovie has the puck in the offensive zone. The reigning goal scoring champ has only two things on his mind – a King’s Cup and fellow countryman Mr. Kovalchuk’s single season goal record – 66.

Outlook
The rose is in full bloom in Grande Prairie. Aggressive work by management to acquire veteran players – all be it not totally successful – has signalled the desire to win now. This team has the horses to do it and will look to add pieces as the season progresses, much like last year. Expect at least a divisional crown and a repeat visit to the conference finals – minimum.

48-13-5
101 pts
1st in division, 1st in conference


Baffin Isle Rovers
Another season, another King’s Cup title to defend for these northerners…yawn. Management gave their fans a little bit of offseason excitement by battling it out with conference arch-rivals Stingers for the services of Rob Blake. Not only did the defending champs come out on top, they set the record for highest individual salary – ever. Any championship team that can add an $11 million player the following season must be doing something right.

Strengths
Where does one start? Top end talent – check. Solid defense – check. Depth at all positions – check. Quality goaltending – check. Contributing and cheap youth – check. Did we miss anything? Oh yeah, defending champs – one big check.

Weaknesses
With seven centres under contract, the wings are naturally going to suffer a bit. With only seven natural wingers, four of whom are in their rookie or second year, things could get dicey if injuries start to take a toll and/or the young players hit a bit of a wall. Expect to see Malkin and Horton spend good chunks of time filling the gaps on the wings.

Player to watch
Rob Blake. Anyone with an 8-digit salary will have many eyes on him. While it may be difficult to meet the expectations of certain fans who are concerned about such things as dollars and cents, the Rovers are looking for the veteran to help bring further stability to the back end.

Outlook
Nothing short of a successful defense – again – of the King’s Cup will suffice for these Islanders. The Rovers are an elite team this season that has everything it takes to win. If it was only so easy… but judging by Baffin Isle’s track record, it is.

47-15-4
98 pts
1st division, 2nd conference


Edmonton Eagles
The Eagles consistently field a top-tier team that relies on team depth instead of a handful of superstars. Expect this year to be no different – veterans like Arnott, Selanne, Doan and Timonen will provide the leadership while a strong group of up and comers will be relied on to do more heavy lifting – like Jeff Carter. Will it be enough to wash out the bitter taste of another early playoff exit from the mouth of these birds? Time will tell.

Strengths
The squad will not have any trouble putting the puck in the net. The top two lines will be made up of 30 and 40+ goal scorers, and will be complimented by a supporting cast of checkers and depth players that have shown they can also find the back of the net when needed. Also expect Tomas Vokoun to quietly offer another year of solid goaltending – like last season, he’ll probably land in the top five in league wins, GAA and save percentage.

Weakness
As a group, the defence is unspectacular. Outside of maybe Timonen, there isn’t the one guy or pairing that a coach would feel 100% comfortable throwing out in the last minute of a tight game. And to top it off, the team let their best defenseman last year in Jovocop walk through free agency.

Player to watch
Jeff Carter’s breakout season arrived one year earlier than expected, as he netted a team-leading 39 goals in RHL19. Look for even more twine-bulging this season, as he becomes the focal point of the Eagle offense.

Outlook
While lacking the star power of some of the other Howe Conference juggernauts, the Eagles should be in the mix for home ice advantage and could possibly push for the organization’s 9th 40+ win season.

41-21-4
86 pts
2nd in division, 3rd in conference


South Edmonton Sockeyes
The writing is on the wall for the mighty fish – they are at a crossroads with their organization – the team owner admitted as much in the offseason. Always a contender, the Sockeyes are another year older and heart and soul Nick Lidstrom is in the last year of his contract. The problem is he isn’t only pending UFA – so too are other key players like Markov, Morrow, Robidas and Conroy. Is it time for a youth movement in South Edmonton?

Strengths
Top end talent – with Elias, Morrow, Roy, St.Louis, Lidstrom, Markov and Thomas in the lineup, the Sockeyes can ice a top unit as good as anyone. The squad is as versatile as they come – you want end-to-end pond hockey? They can skate right beside you. Perhaps a suffocating defensive game is more to your liking? They got ya covered.

Weaknesses
Expectations. In a town used to the Sockeyes being at the top year in and year out, the management group may be torn to try and maintain a level of excellence while trying to rebuild. Trouble is, it can be very difficult to suck and blow at the same time.

Player to watch
Tim Thomas. One of the best goaltenders in the league this season can push the right team over the hump. The question is will it be with the Sockeyes? Whether he stays or goes will be the measuring stick to whether the team is in rebuild mode or not.

Outlook
The coin flip says the Sockeyes are going to stick it out for one more season – so expect something close to what we’ve seen for as many seasons as we can remember (which is pretty damned good). The caveat being if the plug is pulled on the roster, the fall could be fast and the landing hard.

36-22-8
80 pts
2nd division, 4th conference


Banff Grizzly Bears
The Grizzly Bears have taken the slow and deliberate route in creating a viable hockey team from scratch – that is, until now. Entering year three, the team is no longer comfortable waiting for their high draft picks to make a mark while the organization weans itself off other team’s castaways. Given their desire to spend $12M+ on two players through the auction (Jovanovski and Ohlund), the goal this season is the playoffs.

Strengths
The Bears possess a handful of elite gamebreakers up front – Kane, Stamkos and Vanek – and some good up-and-comers like Neal, Dubinsky and Krejci that make a nice core to build around. They also have a decent supporting cast that provide a deep set of four lines that can put the puck in the net.

Weaknesses
If you thought rotating three goaltenders was bad enough last year - the team now has four keepers on the roster, none of which one stands out as a true #1. This in and of itself is an issue, but with some high injury-rated players on the blueline, things could become a gong show in their own end in a hurry.

Player to Watch
We’re going to cheat and pick two here – the two mercenaries brought in late in the auction at very steep prices – Ed Jovanovski and Mattais Ohlund. While both should bring some stability to the back end, they alone make up 60% of the team’s salary. Expect them to set a league record for buying team dinners this year.

Outlook
The great Banff hockey experiment v.2 improved from 26 to 35 points in year two.
You read it here first – expect the team to at least double its point total from last year as the organization makes the playoffs for the first time ever.

35-24-7
77 pts
3rd division, 5th conference


College Park Aviators
The Aviators have seen some of the most change out of any of the Howe conference team this year, including getting a little academic with a move to College Park. The team welcomed a plethora of new faces including Lecavalier, Boyes, Madden, Staios and Sutter. Management has built the team in a very deliberate way – forwards who can score, dmen who can play defence, and a star goaltender to keep it out of net.

Strengths
The Aviators are deep down the middle and can boast having the right mix of offense, defense and faceoff tenacity in their top four with Lecavalier, Richards, Stoll and Madden. And that’s after assuming Sharp will end up on the wing, given his versatility.

Weakness
Mobility and offense on the backend. No one is doubting their ability to shut things down defensively, but can this set of D provide the puck to the forwards when the need it? Case in point - is the powerplay QB really going to be Craig Rivet?

Player to watch
MA Fleury. In his first full season with the AVI, the focus will be on the young star to prove he can be one of the top tenders in the league. For the Aviators to make the move into the upper echelon of Howe teams, they need Fleury to keep games tight and steal his fair share.

Outlook
Fans have been patient with the rebuild of the Aviators. They now want to – and should – see some of the results as the Aviators are set to take another step forward. Home ice in the playoffs is a possibility, but they won’t challenge for the division – yet.

33-28-5
71 pts
3rd division, 6th conference


Yellowknife Dangerous Penetrators
The Penetrators shifted gears last year mid-season and conducted a mini-rebuild on the fly. The result? Three picks in the top half of the first round, four second rounders and a playoff spot. Not a bad result. The team is taking a page out of the Brian Burke method of building a team and moving from the goaltender out.

Strengths
The Penetrators boast perhaps the best 1 and 1a combination in nets with Olympic gold medallist Luongo and Can’t-Miss-Swiss Hiller. With the reality of only one being able to play at once, look for one or the other to be trade bait as the season progresses. YDP also boasts a top-4 blueline corps that can do it all while matching up to anyone in the league with Bouwmeester, Weber, Boyle and White.

Weaknesses
With the trade of Boyes and little new blood arriving through the auction, the squad’s set of wingers may be young but they certainly aren’t dangerous. Outside of Hemsky, there isn’t anyone who management can legitimately say is a top-2 liner. With Niemi also in the system, could we see a move that deals from a position of strength to address this weakness?

Player to watch
Ryan Getzlaf. When the team traded Burnaby Joe Sakic last season, it handed over the keys to the offense to the lanky pivot. There is no doubt he is YDP’s go-to man up front now. It will be interesting to see how he shoulders the load in his first full season being in such a crucial leadership position.

Outlook
Expectations from the fans should be somewhat tempered by the team’s current mini-rebuild. When management declined to bring in a big name talent in the auction even though the money was there, it signaled where this team is headed in the short term. That said, with great goaltending and a solid defense, YDP will not be a pushover.

31-29-6
68 pts
4th in division, 7th in conference


Airdrie T-Men
Perhaps the hardest team to get a good read on in the RHL, the letter-men have some great pieces – Iginla, M.Koivu, Ryan and Kessel come to mind – but seem content to just idle along. While the late addition of the elder Koivu helps, fans keep waiting for the squad to dip strongly into one of the largest bank balances in the league and make a serious run, but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen this season – again.

Strengths
The trio of Ryan, Miko Koivu and Kessel offer the potential of a first line that any team would want – young, talented, cheap and full of potential. Overall, the team is fairly well-balanced with some decent goal scorers (add in McDonald, Iginla and Kostitsyn to the list above), defensemen, and a reasonable starting goaltender.

Weaknesses
Given the T-Men have only three players rated above a three in the physical department, expect the squad to be tagged with the dreaded ‘easy to play against’ label. Also a concern is a fair number of higher injury-rated players, and unfortunately not just with depth players.

Player to watch
Bobby Ryan. This top draft pick should have an immediate impact on the roster – he will looked upon to be one of the offensive leaders immediately, taking some of the pressure off Jarome Iginla who has another year of mileage on his power forward body.

Outlook
Don’t expect the T-Men to challenge at the top of the standings, but also don’t look for them at the bottom either. They are a classic example of an average team – they do a couple things well, a couple not-so-well and a lot of stuff OK. They will challenge for a playoff spot as a bottom-half seed.

31-30-5
67 pts
4th in division, 8th in conference


Newmarket Cougars
The Cougars tweaked around the edges, but the core group is returning for another season in Newmarket. Preaching a strong team-first philosophy, the big cats are built with a foundation of top-drawer goaltending surrounded by dedicated foot soldiers who know their role. While you won’t see a lot of flash, the substance is generally there.

Strengths
As sure as the day will dawn, the Cougars will have top talent between the pipes. Brodeur and Price once again will decide how far this team will go. The team is also neck-deep in defensively responsible centremen – so much so that management has made it known they’d like to move some of this depth to address other needs. Even if one moves out, the team will still ice four talented players.

Weaknesses
Lagenbrunner, Nolan and Hagman will carry the offensive load on the wings this season, which is not exactly an inspiring group themselves. After these three though, the talent levels drops quite quickly. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on what this means for the team’s ability to score goals.

Player to watch
Carey Price. Is this the season where the torch gets passed from the King to the Future? It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff juggles the two netminders and just how many games each gets.

Outlook
Look for a lot of 2-1 and 3-2 games this year. Cougar fans hope they end up on the positive side of the ledger for the majority of them. The team will be in tight with a group of a half dozen Howe conference teams that will battle for the bottom 3 or 4 playoff spots.

27-29-10
64 pts
5th division, 9th conference


Vancouver Olympians
The Olympians will mark the passage of the old guard to the new at the end of the season (see player to watch below). Fans hope it will be in conjunction with a successful season that includes a playoff berth. To get there, they will need their top players to lead the way while getting enough contributions from the supporting cast. Some help from the gods up on Mt. Olympus wouldn’t hurt either.

Strengths
The OLY post two of the top young pivots in the game in Toews and Richards. Most teams would kill to have that one-two punch. The squad also has a solid top four on the backend in Mitchell, Hannan, Seabrook and Schultz – guys who all know their way around their own end. Add a couple of young puck movers in Gilbert and Giordano, the backend is solid.

Weakness
Expect the goalie carousel to be turning at breakneck speed this year with three tenders in the mix after the signing of Curtis Sanford. While competition will be fierce for the starting job, expect fans to be calling for a switch after one bad game from any of the three. There also isn’t a lot of depth up front in Vancouver – the team is praying that Stillman and Smyth can replicate their dual 76-point seasons. Don’t count on it.

Player to watch
Brendan Shannahan. The RHL’s most prolific goal scorer has announced this will be his last season. The only questions left are 1) can he net 16 goals to reach 700 and 2) can he put up 63 points to catch Jagr for all time point leader? We’ll know the answers in a matter of months when plenty of tears flow in Vancouver and St.Albert.

Outlook
While the Olympians pleasantly surprised many last year by finishing 12 games over .500, don’t expect the same result this year. While other teams in the division have improved, the Lotuslanders seem to be stuck in neutral. A strong push will be needed to make the playoffs.

24-35-7
55 pts
5th division, 10th conference


Vulcan Mind Melds
By all accounts, the Mind Melds had a tough offseason. No, they did not lose a star player; they weren’t rejected by a prized free agent, nor were they snubbed by a prospect at the draft table. In fact, it had nothing to do with the roster. They were realigned. Vulcan moves from the Patrick to the Calder division, where last season the average point total per team was 12 points lower where they were compared to where they’re going. This season will present a challenge the fourth year team – still in the process of shedding the expansion label – didn’t particularly need and certainly didn’t want.

Strengths
The Trekkers have solid, skilled and veteran leadership down the middle with Zetterberg, Ribeiro, Tkachuk and Rolston. That quartet lines up well against just about anyone in the league. The squad also possesses a good 1-2 punch in nets with Nabokov and Roloson – both of whom can step in and step up when required.

Weaknesses
The MIM suffer from a bad case of Penguinitis – their best forwards are all down the middle. There are no real game-breakers patrolling the wings. The best of the lot are Versteeg and Knuble, which don’t even come close to matching the snipers on the other squads in the division. On the back end, expect their top four (Visnovsky, McCabe, Stuart and Greene) to see a lot of ice, as things get pretty dicey at 5-6 and beyond.

Player to watch
Lubo Visnovsky: The Vis is far and away the team’s best defenseman. He can quarterback a powerplay with the best of them, and provides a strong transition game out of their own end. Trouble is, he has an injury rating that could mean serious trouble for the team if he’s lost for an extended period of time. Keep a close eye on how many games he gets in this year.

Outlook
Divisional realignment will soon be considered a curse word in Vulcan as the Mind Melds adjust to life in the Howe Conference. They finished a respectable 6th last year in the Richard Conference, albeit with a record that was 13 games under 500. If they were in the Howe, they would have finished 11 points out of the playoffs. Nuff said.

23-38-5
51 pts
6th division, 11th conference


New Jersey Titans
Step forward Titans, it’s your turn to be the conference’s punching bag for a season or two. Wins will be few and far between, however the goal in year one is to start to build a brand of hockey in New Jersey and identify who is in the long-term plans and who is only here for a good time, not a long time.

Strengths
Expectations. Quite simply there are none for a first year squad. That said they managed to pick up one of the game’s best snipers in the dispersal draft in Dany Heatley, along with a capable defenseman in Denis Wideman.

Weaknesses
You name it. But that’s OK.

Player to watch
Dany Heatley will be the immediate face of the franchise. While others will join him in the future such as John Tavares and more top draft picks yet to be picked, he is the man for now. He will lead this team in scoring – the question is by how much?

Outlook
There will be no call to remember these Titans after year one. Like most expansion teams, they have a one-way ticket to the basement. The true test will be whether management can show fans they have a plan and a vision for this team that could bring this team ultimate success. Remember that the Rovers were once an expansion team before winning all those cups.

10-50-6
26 pts
6th in division, 12th in conference