2018-2019 Regina Pats

Regina Pats

Offence

Jared Legion(20)(.82)	Jake Leschyshyn(19)(.63)	Nick Henry(19)(.55)
Robbie Holmes(19)(.43)	Koby Morrisseau(18)(.26)	Austin Pratt(19)(.41)
Logan Nijhoff (17)(.2)	Scott Mahovlich(19)(.1)	Tanner Sidaway(19)(.05)
Sergei Alkhimov(17)		Duncan Pierce(18)(.06)

Bryce Platt(20)

Notes:
Unlike Swift Current, Regina will still have some leftover firepower from the previous year. Their top line looks like it could be potent and their second line should be able to hold their weight as more of a checking line that can throw up some occasional points. Their bottom 2 lines won't be near as strong. An injury up front may hurt them a lot.

Their overall depth might be a little lean due to all their trades. 

Defence

Cale Fleury(20)	Brady Pouteau(20)(.28)
Nikita Sedov(17)	Macro Creta(18)(.15)
Jonas Harkins(18)(.07)	Parker Gavlas(19)(0)

Aaron Hyman(20)(.23)
Liam Schioler(20)(.14)

Notes: 
Some big questions regarding OA's. Pouteau needs some time to recover from shoulder surgery so Regina will be able to carry 4 until he returns. 

Cale Fleury is a question mark. He isn't signed yet by Montreal. That is a good indication that they aren't planning on him being in the AHL next season unless something major happens like injuries or trade developments. Montreal has a lot of depth on their blueline, so I think his chances of coming back are fairly high..

Their defense lacks overall depth, and Fleury will eat up big minutes. Fleury could be a prized defenceman to trade away at the trade deadline, as he is one of the best 2 way defencemen in the WHL.

Their defence as a whole is a big question mark. It could be weak, they could be able to hold their own with huge contributions from Fleury.  If their defence can hold up they may have a shot at a wildcard. If their defence proves to be too weak they will slide.

Imports
Sergei Alkhimov(17)
Nikita Sedov(17)

Both have committed to the Pats for next season.

Goalies
Max Paddock(18)
Matthew Pesenti(17)
Ryan Kubic(20)

Notes:
Regina may look to trade Ryan Kubic as Max Paddock beat him out of the starters role late last season. Goaltending may be a strong point for Regina. 

Other OA& Player Notes
Sam Steel - Gone to Pro's
LIbor Hajek - Gone to Pro's
Email Oksanen - Gone To Pro's
Josh Mahura - Likely Gone to Pro's

Can only keep 3 of ( Jared Legion, Bryce Platt, Aaron Hyman, Brady Pouteau, Liam Schioler, possibly Cale Fleury)


Drafting Outlook

Draft Positioning	Age	Picks	Position
2013	20	1,2,3,4,4	2nd
2014	19	1,2,5	Mid
2015	18	1,3,3	Mid-Late
2016	17	2,4,4,5	Mid
2017	16	3,4,4,5	Late
2018	15	4	Late

Notes: The amount of trades they've made makes this chart irrelevant, but it does show that they are in for some extremely lean times coming up. Regina also has no picks in the top 3 rounds in 2019, and 2020 drafts. They won't be able to recover properly until the 2021 draft.

Last Season
.604 Winning Percentage


Offensive Adjusted Strength
223-190

Prognosis
They are in re-tooling mode. They still have some veteran talent in their lineup, but their depth on the 3rd and 4th lines will not be strong. They may start of the season ok or even on a hot streak, but I expect them to slide eventually.

I have them definitely behind PA, Brandon, Saskatoon, MJ.  I think at best Regina is the underdog to Moose Jaw and hoping to squeak in off the last wildcard slot, but there is a risk they may miss the playoffs.

They are good at finding younger players; however, the new trade rules will directly hurt Regina from acquiring those types of players.

Next Up
Saskatoon Blades

Swift Current

2018-2019 Red Deer Rebels

Red Deer Rebels

Offence

Brandon Hagel(20)(1.2)	Reese Johnson(20)(.54)	Chris Douglas(18)(.22)
Alex Morozoff(17)(.27)	Josh Tarzwell(18)(.39)	Brandon Cutler(18)(.16)
Arshdeep Bains(17)(.18)	River Fahey(17)(.12)	Justin Svenson(17)()
Zak Smith(17)(.09)	Austin Schellenberg(18)(.07)	Ethan Rowland(16)

Jordan Borysiuk(16)
Ivan Drozdov(19) Import
Oleg Zaitsev(17) Import
Jeff de Wit(20) - Offseason FA pickup

Notes:
Very young group. Extreme shortness of veteran depth. Red Deer will be in tough to score goals. They will rely on a lot of youngsters..


Defence

Alexander Alexeyev(19)(.82)	Colin Paradis(20)(.22)
Dawson Barteaux(18)(.5)	Jacob Herauf(18)(.26)
Carson Sass(19)(.14)	Ethan Sakowich(19)(.14)

Hunter Donohoe(18)(.1)
Sam Pouliot(18)(.06)

Notes
Defensively they seem solid. Alexeyev is a 1st round NHL draft pick. Barteaux is a 6th round NHL draft pick. Their will be high turnover next season if moves aren't made. 

Imports

Oleg Zaitsev	17	C
Ivan Drozdov	19 RW

I believe Zaitsev has announced his intentions on coming to Red Deer. Drozdov is unknown but sounds like he intends to play in the KHL next season.


Goalies
Riley Lamb(20)
Ethan Anders(18)
Byron Fancy(17)

Notes:
Lamb and Anders split time. It would seem unlikely the rebels keep Lamb as a 20. Their goaltending seems average. They both put up decent numbers last season. They may see a high workload though with a weaker forward core 

Other OA & Player Notes
F Jordan Roy(20)(.17)
F Dawson Martin(20)(.25)
G Riley Lamb(20)(.902)
Jeff De Witt(20) Was a rebel in his youth and appears to be an FA pickup

Drafting Outlook

Draft Positioning	Age	Picks	Position
2013	20	1,2,4,6	Mid to Late
2014	19	1,2,3,3,4,5	Early, Midlate,Early/mixed
2015	18	1,2,3,4	MidLate
2016	17	2,3,3,4	Mixed
2017	16	1,3,4,5	Last
2018	15	1,1,2,3,4,5	7th

Notes:
Suggests their 19yr old class should be strong, however, they made a bunch of trades which weakened that class.  Their youngster group is probably below average with late positions and missing a couple picks.

This suggests that the rebels will be below average for the next few seasons.

Last Season
.465 Winning Percentage

Offensive Raw Strength
231-195

Prognosis
The rebels will have troubles scoring goals. They have a very young roster up front. Their defence and goaltending look ok. They have a similar roster to Moose Jaw but they are lacking that complete top line scoring punch.

 I wouldn't be surprised to see them become sellers at the deadline. They have some younger players I'm less familiar with coming into their 17/18yr old seasons that need to step up and bring some offence.

A wildcard spot would be considered an immensely successful season, but they may be hard pressed to make it. I see them finishing in the basement of the central.

Up Next
Regina Pats

2018-2019 Prince Albert Raiders

Prince Albert

Offense

Cole Fonstad(18)(1.01)	Kody McDonald(20)(.86)	Brett leason(19)(.5)
Justin Nachbaur(18)(.58)	Kelly Parker (19)(.86)	Spencer Moe(18)(.31)
Carson Miller(18)(.12)	Sean Montgomery(20)(.5)	Nikit Krivokrasoc(18)(.09)
Ozzy Wiesblatt(16)	Eric pearce(17)(.12)	Connor saleski(16)

Aliaksei Protas(17) I
Jakob Brook(16)
Noah Gregor(20)

Notes:
Slightly deceiving. Their core is a year away from peaking, however, they have some dangerous players this season, with a bundle of developing 18's who could provide a boost in offense. I think PA really wants next season to be their season and they made moves last year already making an expensive purchase for Kody McDonald.

Not including Noah Gregor I have them with 3 forwards earning over 1 ppg. 5 more forward between the .5ppg and .7 ppg mark. That means their roster has a group that will also score by committee and be difficult to shutdown. Basically 1 top line and 2 checking/scoring lines.

If Gregor comes over, make that 4 forwards earning over a PPG. They also still have another OA slot they could compliment that further.



Noah Gregor
They acquired his rights from Victoria. Gregor is signed and drafted with San Jose. Looking at San Jose's system, it is absolutely stuffed full of forwards. They have 14 spots signed in the AHL, not including 2-20yr olds (Gregor and Portlands Joachim Blichfield). It brings their total AHL players to 16 and theare is only 12 spots)

PA made a very good bet with Victoria is acquiring his rights depending on what the Conditional Compensation turns out to be.


Defence

Max Martin(19)(.44)	Brayden Pachel(19)(.38)
Sergei Sapego(19)(.41)	Zack Hayes(19)(.24)
Jeremy Masella(19)(.2)	Konrad Belcourt(18)(.15)

Kaiden Guhle(16) 1st overall in 2017

Notes: 
This group is an old and veteran group that peaks this season.Kaiden Guhle is also likely to make a big impression as he was the 1st overall pick in 2017.  This group should be above average. They also have an OA slot open to use as OA defenceman. They might look for a stud #1 guy.

Imports
Sergei Sapego(19)(.41)
Aliaksei Protas(17) F

Goalies
Ian Scott(19)(.897) NHL 4th Rounder
Brett Balas(17) 

Notes
Very strong starter, but not much depth for the backup position.

Other OA &  Player Notes
Goalie Curtis Meger(20) - I expect he won't be kept. if gregor comes over they still have an open OA slot. If he doesn't come over they likely have 2 slots.


Drafting Outlook

Draft Positioning	Age	Picks	Position
2013	20	1,3,4,5	middle
2014	19	1,3,4,5	9th
2015	18	1,1,2,3,5	5th
2016	17	1,2,2,3,3,4	Middle
2017	16	1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4	1st overall + 3rd position in other rounds
2018	15	1,2,3,4,5	3rd overall/Early-Mid

Notes: Suggests that they could have an above average roster, as well as some impressive youth coming up.


Last Season
.535 Winning Percentage

Offensive Raw Strength
266-235 + 1 OA slot

Prognosis
Prince Albert is on the upswing and I expect them to compete for a Home ice playoff spot. Their forwards are coming of age, and their defense and goaltending are all 19.  They should have a very exciting crop of 16's and 15's. They may be on the verge of an above average next few seasons as long as they don't pull off a swift current.

I am curious about their offensive potential. They might need another big punch or two into their lineup. If Noah Gregor returns that would indeed be a very big punch.

They could have very high defensive turnover next season if they keep all their 19 yr old defenceman and goaltenders.  That could lead to next year being a transition year.

Prince Albert will be a very tough team to play against. I think teams will have difficulties scoring goals against them. I also think they will be difficult to shutdown. I have them in contention for 1st in the East with Brandon. They still have an open OA slot in addition to Gregor to work with.

Next Up
Red Deer Rebels

2018-2019 Moose Jaw Warriors

Moose Jaw Warriors

Offense

Tristan Langan(20)(.6)	Justin Almeida(19)(1.36)	Ryan Peckford(19)(.67)
Nick Bowman(18)(.21)	Tate Popple(18)(0.31)	Brecon Wood(18)(.15)
Tristyn DeRoose(19)(.15)	Chance Petruic(19)(.07)	Tyler Smithies(18)(.22)
Brayden Tracey(17)	Yegor Buyalski(17)	Danill Stepanov(17)

*Barrett Sheen(20)(.35)
*Branden Klatt(20)(.22) Playing Junoir A

Notes:
Up front, they will be a 1 line team. Almeida and Peckford is still a pretty good combo. Langan made a big point increase last season.  After that they have a lot of fillers and depth players filling out the roster. 

A Lack of depth suggests that Moose Jaw may have troubles scoring goals next season. If they don't keep an overage goaltender I expect them to keep Barrett Sheen.

Defence

Josh Brook(19)(.71)	Jett Woo(18)(.57)
Brandon Schuldaus(20)(.42)	Matthew Benson(18)(.22)
Daemon Hunt(16)	Brenden Kwiatkowski(18)(.05)

Notes:
Their defence looks to be very strong. Woo, Brook and Schauldaus are a powerhouse combination on the back-end.


Other OA &Player Notes
Kale Clague, Brett Howden are signed, drafted and expected to play pro
Defenceman Dmitri Zaitsev and Oleg Sosunov are both eligible to be back as 20yr old Imports. It is hard to see them returning as they are strong defensively and need forward depth. Moose Jaw has also signed 2 Import picks from last draft and are coming over.

That leaves them with Sheen, Langan, Schuldhaus, Wilms fighting for 3 spots.


Imports
Danill Stepanov(17) *Signed
Yegor Buyalski(17) *Signed
Dmitri Zaitsev(20)
Oleg Sosunov(20)

Goalies
Brody Wilms(20)
Adam Evanoff(18)
Ethan Fitzgerald(17)

Notes:
Not sure if their plan is to keep Wilms or not. If they don't keep him they have an extra OA to potentially use up front. Goaltending appears to be slightly above average. if Wilms doesn't return it may drop to about average because Evanoff is only 18 with 20 games experience but seems capable.


Drafting Outlook

Draft Positioning	Age	Picks	Position
2013	20	1,4,4,5	5th
2014	19	1,2,3,5,5	4th
2015	18	1,1,2,3,4,5	4th
2016	17	1,3,5,5,5	Late
2017	16	1,3,5,5	MidLate
2018	15	1,4,5	Last

Notes: Suggests this year should be strong and there will be 3 tough years ahead; however, their run from last season has changed that outlook.


Last Season
.757 Winning Percentage

Offensive Strength
240-205


Prognosis
Their defense and goaltending could be very strong. it is difficult to read their forward group. They have numerous depth players that will be forced up into the lineup. Their defence and goaltending could be strong enough, along with a good top line and veteran depth to vault them into competitive territory.

My initial instincts have them as likely a favorite for the 1st wildcard spot. They should be behind Saskatoon, PA, Brandon. They could become prime sellers come deadline time as they have some very intriguing pieces.

Up next:
Prince Albert Raiders Tomorow

2018-2019 Medicine Hat Tigers

Medicine Hat Tigers

Offense
Ryan Chyzowski(18)(.72/.23) James Hamblin(19)(.91/.68/.06) Ryan Jevne(20)(.68/.39/.15)
Hayden Ostir(19)(.63/.37/.06)Elijah Brown(18)(.6/.2) Josh Williams(17)(.43)
Tyler Preziuso(19)(.5/.31/.17)Gary Haden(19)(.6/.25) Bryan Lockner(18)(.38/.21)
Baxter Anderson(18)(.11)Henry Rybinski(17)(.19)Dawson Heathcote(18)(.19)
*Vasily Podkolzin(17)
Jaeger White (20)
Mason Shaw(20)

Notes:
Not including Mason Shaw I count 8 players capable of hitting close to the .8PPG mark or above (Hayden Ostir, James Hamblin, Ryan Jevne, Elijah Brown, Ryan Chyzowski, Gary Haden, Josh Williams).

It gives the Tigers very solid depth and injury protection up front. The Tigers have a scoring by committee approach.

If Highly touted prospect Vasili Podkolzin comes over, and Mason Shaw is sent back their offense could be the most dangerous in the East division. Unfortunately, the fates of those 2 players are out of the Tigers hands.

Vasili Podkolzin is a potential Top 10 pick in next years NHL draft. His Russian rights were recently traded. It is largely unknown if he will come over to Medicine Hat.


Mason Shaw
Mason Shaw - Minnesota has 26 signed forwards at the pro level (plus 1 19y r old). There are 24 Pro spots in the NHL+AHL.   1 of those 26 signed is ECHL caliber and 1 of those is a rare enforcer. If Minnesota is completely healthy it means 2 players not getting ice-time or sent to the ECHL.

Being completely healthy is a rarity and some teams keep an extra player or two while some AHL teams sign their own players independent of their affiliation to the NHL.

If we look at Minnesota players most likely to get cut (20yr olds).  1 of them came from the NCAA and will be playing AHL/NHL. The other comes from Russia.

Shaw is right on the cusp of staying there. I think Minnesota will largely see how training camp plays out and Shaw can play his way on to the team. If their organization as a whole remains healthy, there could be a chance he gets sent back in late October/November.

 There was recently a news article that suggests Minnesota has him pegged for the AHL next season. That article goes along with my thoughts that he will be given a shot to make the AHL Club.  The Tigers should expect life without him and if he gets sent back it will be a big bonus.


Defence
Dylan MacPherson(20)(.33/.18) David Quenneville(20)(1.1/1.2/.86/.3)
Cole Clayton(18)(.13) Daniel Baker(17)(NA) 
Joel Craven(18)(.21) Trevor Longo(18) (.18)
Eric Van Impe(17((N/A)

Dalton Gally(20)
Linus Nassen(20)

Notes:
My line of thinking is that they will keep 2 veteran defenceman to play 1st line minutes and have their abundance of depth fight it out for the 2nd and 3rd pairing. The recent trade of Jaeger White seems to re-affirm that.

They will largely have to wait and see on what happens with David Quenneville. They have a 20yr old Import in Linus Nassen that could very well be sent back from Florida.

If that happens it would pose a logjam of 20's and likely a move being made.

David Quenneville
The Islanders have 8 signed guys in their AHL system. There just isn't room for him up there. He would be playing in the ECHL getting called up for injury replacements. I don't know if the Islanders would choose that path for him or not, it could be possible, but it seems like a poor idea to let a contract sit in the ECHL, when it could slide for another year in junior.

Linus Nassen, and Dylan Macpherson are the other 2 OA's.

Outside their top Line, the Tigers defence has a strong core of youth coming. Last season they all played fewer minutes on the 3rd line/healthy scratched and it was really only Cole Clayton that put up a big respectable and consistent step forward in his game.

Joel Craven and Daniel Baker look like they will take big steps, but they don't have that consistency yet that we saw from Clayton last season. That leaves an opening on their 2nd pairing. (Baker/Craven)

The rest Trevor Longo, Eric Van Impe, Ryden Fedyck, Ryan Watson, among other prospects will fight it out for 3rd pairing and depth minutes.

If I was judging this defence like they were on a team I was unfamiliar with, I'd say they have a strong top line and developing depth. Therefore they should be average to a slight notch above average because of their depth.

Imports
Mads Sogaard G (18)
Vasili Podkolzin F (17) - Top prospect for the 2019 draft
Linus Nassen(20)


Goalies
Jordan Hollett(19)
Mads Sogaard(18)
Gavin Bjorklund (16) 1st round pick in 2017
Kaeden Lane(17)

This is an interesting scenario. Hollett looks to be the starter but there may be up to 3 that are capable for the backup role. The Tigers selection of an Import goaltender looks to be protection for next year having a veteran goalie in case Hollett moves to the pros as a 20. It seems likely that he is in the plans of being the backup goaltender. 

Nonetheless goaltending looks to be a strong point.

Other OA& Player Notes
Dalton Gally(20)
Linus Nassen(20) Import
Jaegar White(20)(.5)


Drafting Outlook

2013	20	1,2,2,3,4	10th
2014	19	1,2,3,3,4,	17tth
2015	18	1,2,3,4,5,5	17th
2016	17	1,2,2,3,3,4,5	5th
2017	16	1,2,3,4,5	2nd Last
2018	15	1,2,3,3,4,5	11th

Notes:
Suggests they should be below average with late selections, with a strong 17yr old age group.
However, they have made significant trades boost their 18yr old age group. It would make sense that they are a year off from peaking.

Last Season
.556 Winning Percentage

Offensive Strength Index
262-241  (Without Shaw, Podkolzin, includes Quenneville)


Prognosis
Strong goaltending and strong developing depth. Suggests the Tigers should be on the cusp of making a lot of noise. Looking at the rest of the division I think they have potential to compete for the Division crown with Lethbridge.

Should they get Shaw and Podkolzin into their lineup, they might leapfrog into the favorite role.
If those 2 don't return I'd say they are capable of winning a Home ice Playoff Spot and get 2-3 rounds into the playoffs.

Next Up
Moose Jaw Warriors August 16th.

2018-2019 Lethbridge Hurricanes

Lethbridge has announced their intentions on bidding to host the 2020 memorial cup and have already made pre-season moves in favour of the 2020 season. They traded away 19yr old Zane Franklin(19)(.57/.22) for 18yr old Jackson Shepard(.31/.29). They have also drafted younger CHL Imports.

Lethbridge Hurricanes 

Offense

Jordy Bellerive(19)(1.3)	Jadon Joseph(19)(.6)	Jake Elmer(20)(.53)
Taylor Ross(20)(.78)	Logan Barlage(17)(.39)	Dylan Cozens(17)(.93)
Jackson Shepard(18)(.31)	Owen Blocker(18)(.12)	Keltie Jeri-Leon(18)(.29)
Shawn Harke(18)(.04)	Zachary Cox(19)(.1)	Brendan Stafford(18)(.17)

Ryan Vandervlis(20)(1.0)
Jacob Boucher(16)
Noah Boyko(16) 16th overall 2017

Notes: 
Lethbridge should have a very strong Top 6 with 4 players that could hit the PPG mark.(Taylor Ross, Jordy Bellerive, Jadon Joseph, Dylan Cozens)   A couple more squeaking close by (Jake Elmer, Logan Barlage). 

They have a veteran roster with a bundle of depth 18's looking for ice-time on the 3rd and 4th lines.
It may be unlikely that overage Ryan Vandervlis returns to the Hurricanes. He suffered a devasting off-ice accident involving fire. They may look to acquire another Overage Player if he isn't quite ready to return.


Defense

Ty Prefontaine(19)(.35)	Calen Addison(18)(.96)
Koletrane Wilson(19)(.19)	Matthew Stanley(20)(.24)
Nolan Jones(17)(.11)	Danila Palivko(17)

Alex Cotton(17)
Igor Merezhko(20)(.46)

Notes:
Merezhko's status is uncertain being an OA import.  I've left him off, but he is eligible to return. If he comes back the canes will have to drop an import as well as an OA (likely Matthew Stanley)

 Their top 4 has veteran experience, supplemented with some younger players looking to crack the team.

Addison, a 2nd round NHL draft pick, is a great puck mover who sees the ice very well. He can put up some points on the back-end, but was one of the lowest +/- guys on their team.  Prefontaine saw 1st line minutes with Merezhko last season.

Stanley and Wilson were 3rd pairing guys who had more ice-time than your typical 3rd line pairing in the regular season.

I see this defence as veteranly average. Similar to the Tigers defence from last season. (older veteran guys with experience that can hold their own, but beatable by Top Line players)

 They don't have the strength or defensive depth they have had the last couple seasons. They do have a potential 3rd OA spot they can use, that could bump this group into the above average category.

Imports
Akira Schmid(18) G - Signed
Danila Palivko(17) D - Signed
Igor Merezhko D  (20) - OA


Goalies
Reece Klassen(19)(.887) (23 games experience)
Akira Schmid(18) 5th round NHL New Jersey Selection
Bryan Thomson(16) WHL 2nd rounder in 2017

Notes:
I'm going to put their goaltending at average with a big question mark??? Akira Schmid, their 20th overall Import selection is relatively unknown. The scouting reports I read on him says he has a lot of potential, but is still a little raw. He put up excellent showings at international events but played for poor teams back home. He will likely compete for Switzerland at the world juniors as he was their 3rd string goaltender last season. This spot seems volatile.


Other OA& Player Notes
Ryan Vandervlis(20)(1.00) -  Suffered a Serious and unfortunate accident over the off-season. He spent a few weeks in the ICU with burns over half his body. He has undergone 5 surgeries and will need a few more. His family says they expect him to make a full recovery. I have no idea on if he will be able to play this season.


Drafting Outlook

Draft Positioning	Age	Picks	Position
2013	20	1,2,3,4,4	Late
2014	19	1,2,2,2,4,4,4	2nd
2015	18	1,2,3	2nd
2016	17	1,2,3,4,5	Late
2017	16	1,2,2,4,4	Late
2018	15	1,2,4,5	early Mid, late

Note: Suggests this year should be their "peak up-cycle" with their strong 2014/2015 drafts. Late positions in their 16 and 17yr old class suggest they may not have high-end depth in those age groups, however..........

They managed to draft an exceptional player in Dylan Cozens. He is a potential Top 3 NHL pick for next years NHL entry draft. Lethbridge also traded for the 4th overall WHL pick in the 2016 draft in Logan Barlage.


Memorial Cup 2020

I feel that this bid according to their drafting outlook seems very risky. There is pretty high potential that Jordy Bellerive will not be back as an overage (signed with the Penguins last season). It could be possible that Dylan Cozens may be playing in the NHL next season. Their other 18yr olds are underwhelming with their later positions in the draft.

IMO Lethbridge should have drafted 2 older Imports, beefed up their overage crop and looked to make some noise for this season. I worry about their depth for 2020. As of now they are too thin for 2020 and will need to make some moves to beef up. As Regina found out a couple seasons ago it is very expensive to acquire 18yr olds.. I fear Lethbridge might be on a path that leads to the same mistake and the new trade rules will make it more difficult for them.

I feel that is why they traded Zane Franklin(19) away for an 18yr old. I expect more moves to be made especially on defence as it is nowhere near championship calibre for 2020.

I take a big breath and go. "It could work" but I feel the chances of them failing are higher than their chances at succeeding. Nonetheless, I fully expect them to considerably alter their path for this season, or I'd rate their bid potentially behind other candidates in terms of having a competitive team.

 They have excelled at making deals which has bolstered their positions in the standings the last couple seasons. I think their path this season is very interesting because they should be tempted to bolster for this year, but may very likely try to push it back to next season.


Last Season
.500 Winning Percentage

Offensive Strength
251-248

Prognosis
The strength of this team the last couple seasons has been with their defensive gameplay and goaltending. Combined with a couple elite forwards it has catapulted them far into the playoffs. This season their roster is a bit different.

Their offence looks stronger with solid depth and scoring. Their goaltending is unknown and their defence might not be as strong as the past couple seasons.  Their current goaltending group only has a combined 23 games of experience. If their Import goaltender is a little bit raw, it could be an area of concern.

If they intend to host the Memorial Cup in 2020, I feel like this season will be "very tempting". I also feel like they need more oomf for next year if they want to host the memorial cup as mentioned above.

I personally feel it is a mistake to gear up for 2020 and they would be better served gearing up for this season. I see them finishing anywhere from 1st to 3rd, depending on what route they take.

Canes Fans, let me know your thoughts!

Next Up
Medicine Hat Tigers ( Won't be put up for about a week)