2018-2019 Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen

Don't put too much stock into line combos. They are just for depth purposes.

Offense
Riley Stotts(18)(.87/.31) Jake Kryski(20)(.79/.65/.58/.37) Mark Kastelic(19)(.63/.52/.17)
Luke Coleman(20)(.54/.38/.41/.07) Tristan Nielsen(18)(.71/.14) Carson Focht(18) (.48/.13)
Orca Wiesblatt(18)(.27)Cael Zimmerman(17)(.27)Hunter Campbell(17)(.19)
Ryder Korczak(16) Zach Huber(18)(.09)Matt Dorsey(19)(.18)

Notes
Their entire core minus Jakob Stukel returns. 

The Hitmen do show some developing firepower. Tristen Nielsen, Jake Kryski, Riley Stotts, Mark Kastelic all have the potential to reach, or at least get close to the 1 PPG mark. They also have Carson Focht who should put up big point increases with more responsibility. 

 They do have some "fillers" in the bottoms lines that may be pushed out in favour of youth. It's a sign that they have some oomf in their lineup, but not quite the depth to push for a division challenge just yet. 


Defense
Vladislav Yeromenko(19)(.65) Egor Zamula(18)(.35)
 Dom Schmeimann(19)(.17)Dakota Krebs(19)(.23)
Jackson Van De leest(17)((.14) Drea Esposito(18)(.17)
Layne Toder(18)(.14)
Luke Prokop(16)
Devan Klassen(16)

Notes
Calgary's Bane has been their poor defensive play the past few seasons.  Last year they received a gift from Regina acquiring Egor Zamula for free on Import waivers. This group while not overwhelming looks to bump up into the average category as they have a lot of defensive defencemen who can take care of their end along with 2nd-year Import Vladislav Yeremenko, who was drafted in the 5th round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

They also have some younger talent looking to push into the roster including 2017 7th overall selection in defenceman Luke Prokop.  There will likely be some early battles for ice time on their 3rd pairings, which is a good indication that their depth is increasing and their defensive game should improve.

Imports
Egor Zamula(18) - D
Vladislav Yeryomenko(19) - D

Goalies
Nick Sanders(20)(.890)
Matthew Armitage(19)(.890)
Ethan Hein(16)

Notes
Their goaltending remains a weaker point as they don't have a #1 starter. They have 2 older backups one of them being an OA.  They may look to acquire a cheap overage starter. Goaltending as it stands of this post looks below average.


Other OA's & Player Notes
They have 3 OA's on the roster but likely may have an open spot depending on if they keep an overage goaltender.

Drafting Outlook

Draft Year	Current Player Age	Picks	Positioning
2013	20	1,2,3,4,5	18th, late
2014	19	2,3,4,4,4,5	Late
2015	18	1,2,4,4,4,4	19th, Late
2016	17	1,2,2,3,5	16th Mid-Late
2017	16	1,2,3,5,6,7	7th, Mid-early
2018	15	1,2,2,2,3,3,4,4	4th, High

Notes:
Suggests that they should still be behind the pack; however good times will be approaching as their 15 and 16yr old draft class have favourable positions. They also made some big trades last season and added some extra depth into those age categories.

Last Season
.410 Winning Percentage

Offensive Adjusted Strength
240-229

Prognosis
Their cycle in the draft positioning is weak. Their forward core is developing. While offensively they won't be pushovers and have some strength in their top 6, they may not have the depth of other teams.

 Defensively they'll be ok. They have a group of 4 defencemen who can hold their own, they also have a fight for spots in the 5-7th positions.

Goaltending could be a concern. I think they look to shore that area up, but their options may be limited.

If they choose to upgrade OA's and goaltending they could push up into the slightly above average territory. Right now I think they are definitely in contention for a 3rd place/wildcard position. There is some potential for them to go higher if they upgrade their OA spots, but it doesn't really make a lot of sense to do so unless they find an option for a cheap cost.


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Edmonton Oil Kings  (Sunday Night/Monday Morning)