[SensGM]

It's back the Opening Night Lines for the ITC, you know the drill post your lines and a right up for both pro and farm and get PP and everyone loves PP! Say that outloud it's kinda fun!

Ottawa Senators Opening Night Lines

Line #1: L Wojtek Wolski [83/78] C Nathan Horton [83/85] R Vladimir Krivanek [82/66]
Pairing #1: L Quentin Anderson [49/83] R Mike Komisarek [62/83]

Don't be tricked into thinking this is a push over line as it proved when Ottawa got hot last season it is a line to be reckoned with. Up front the Senators #1 center Nathan Horton is going to be looking to match his grit with all of the other teams top players as a shutdown forward, but this year he is not joined by Anthony Stewart and finds himself flagged by Wolski and Krivanek. Wolski had a rough start last season but started to gel late after his trade and while Krivanek may fool a lot of people he is there to bring offense and has proven himself a mainstay player in Ottawa since coming over, in 188 games as an Ottawa Senator Krivanek has put up 126 pts playing limited 4th line and powerplay time. This year he gets a shot at the number one line to see if he can shoot for the stars. This is expected to be Ottawa's #2 scoring line.

On defense I am quite excited to have the new addition of Quentin Anderson a player who has a lot of big game experience from the Penguins and has been looking for a chance to shine. Anderson is smart on the puck and will see a lot of PK time, but here his job is to compliment his partner team captain Mike Komisarek. Komi likes to play a physical game and likes to pinch in and take point shots and Anderson is going to be relied on as the anchor defenseman to prevent break aways. Komisarek is returning to top pairing duty after an excellent season and hoping to continue to be one of the top shut down defenseman in Ottawa.

Line #2: L Ondrej Fiala [85/82] C Anthony Stewart [82/83] R Aleksander Suglobov [94/79]
Pairing #2: L Mannuel Hemmen [71/78] R Per-Olaf Falkstrom [41/86]

Last season the duo of Fiala/Sugs was the deadliest duo in all of the ITC and this year they are going to be centered by an excellent two way center in Anthony Stewart who is expected to take on a more offensive role this season. This is the trio that brings the Senators to the game and it is because they can do it all, they all play smart hockey, the line can hit, it can move the puck and there is no doubt that it can score. Fiala and Suglobov are both coming off of career seasons and this year I wanted to play them with a little more grit down the center so in steps Stewart who will hopefully gel with the two of them and find away to come up with a big season. This line is expected to have a lot of pressure as they CARRY the Senators towards the playoffs.

The defensive duo is one that fans have been waiting for, the 2017 draft picks are finally going to be playing together. Hemmen had an absolutely amazing rookie season and has gotten better every game that he plays and Falkstrom has finally turned into a top shut down D-man and proves that he can play smart hockey. Falkstrom is going to be bringing a lot of the grit to this line with Anthony Stewart hoping to not get caught playing an offensive game while Hemmen is the player the team looks to for moving the puck and opening plays up in the neutral zone, they should both play well together and prove to be a fantastic pair.

Line #3: L Scott Hartnell [68/79] C Branden Pastore [63/80] R Juha Mannisenmaki [71/79]
Pairing #3: L Edward Rodway [57/79] R Philippe Ducharme [64/79]

Not quite the line that I was hoping to ice this year, but needing Stewart as a 2nd line center has taped my hands together and this is the grit line for Ottawa that won't quite see the minutes I projected. Hartnell brings a lot of grit and leadership to the table and had a point every 2 games last season after being signed and will be the key to this line. Pastore can win faceoffs and hit like a mac truck, but can't move the puck. The key to this line rests in Juha Manni and him playing smart hockey and staying out of the box for taking bad penalties, if he can do that this line could be a serious shutdown line for me this year, if not then these guys won't see much ice time.

On defense I am quite a bit more happy. Rodway has shaped into that character defender I need him to be, he is learning to play smarter hockey, he only takes penatlies for fighting when his team needs him and he can hit so hard Audun would jump up and smile and as a shut down D I am going to need that from him. This year I have decided that Ducharme will make the opening cut, he is key on the PK and a good influence for Rodway on the blueline, he always proves to be a constistent defenseman and is needed to make some outlet passes to keep the puck out of our own end. The two compliment each other very well and I am hoping that can translate into a decent season for them.

Line #4: L Darren McLachlan [67/71] C Jaroslav Laman [72/61] R Anders Armfelt [66/76]

The 4th line is nothing special, it's mostly to develop Jaroslav Laman so that maybe he can step up and take over for Stewart later in the season or down the stretch for a playoff spot. McLachlan and Armfelt both bring a veteran presence to the team and bring some shutdown power deep in the team, they are grit players and are nothing more and won't see much icetime at all this season. They are the people to be scored on.

Goaltending: G Dan Blackburn [83/84] G Sergei Krivelyov [78/79]

As of yet there is no clear starter for the Senators coming into the season. Blackburn played average last season but is obviously the more proven netminder that we need to make the post season, but Krivelyov has proven he has game and is the netminder of the future for Ottawa and will likely see a lot of ice time. These two will probably split games all season until one of them gets hot and I am hoping the competition will push them to be better. Both need to play well if Ottawa is to make the playoffs this year.

Overall Thoughts

I am actually pretty happy with the team I am putting on the ice this year, in the top 6 I don't feel there is too much that needs to be fixed and in reality a 3rd line center that can grind that would allow me to move Pastore to the wing and Manni down the depth chart is really what I need to be a true contender for a playoff spot. I don't expect to make it deep, but to comepte for 8th-6th seed or so and I think that is a task I can accomplish. This team has a great balance of two way forwards, it's blueline maybe a little weak but it can pass and it has two world class netminders backing it up. This season I do want to comepete while I develop two more rookies (Diaz/???) on the farm team and see what the guys can do. I believe I should be able to keep the team intact for the most part and competeing for one more year after this and then maybe look toward really fire saling everything. Here's to hoping.

FARM TO COME LATER

[DevilsGM]

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

1st LINE
Kemp - W 77-81-72 E Machann C/R 81-79-80 PL Freddoso R/C 84-66-79 AA

I really liked the way that Kemp skated with the top line, especially in the final 3 pre season games. Machann is an exceptional playmaker, Fredosso can bang the net, and Kemp clears space with the best of them, and riding a top line, could get back to his 30 goal achievements.

2nd LINE
Gawlik W 81-71-75 AA Watson R/C 80-67-79 PL Marcinko C/R 81-78-77 AA

Gawlik was a great addition last year, and notched nearly a point per game. Watson is another tremendous playmaker and passer, and Marcinko should fill the net nicely from the right side. Not a hard line, but not soft either, I think this will be a much more responsible 2nd line then I've had in recent years.

GRINDERS
Bolduc W 80-78-75 PF Studer C 76-75-77 AA Stewart R/C 76-70-77 S

Who's NOT excited about Vlastislav Studer? Opposing teams. That's who. Big and strong and getting better with each day, he will replace and surpass what Rastislav Jelen gave NJ for several years. Simon Bolduc will probably bounce between lines, depending on opponent and coaches decisions, with Owen Kemp, but Bolduc provides similar muscle and scoring touch. Charlie Stewart, a MAJOR disappointment last season will probably be on a short leash should he not put up numbers.

4th LINE
Sharlow W 76-68-75 S Hollo C 77-71-77 PL Stalin R/C 80-60-73 AA

The role of this seasons 4th line will be much different then year's past. Hollo, a good playmaker, will dish to two finishers on either side of him in William Sharlow and Anatoli Stalin. Coach O'Connell and GM Rob Ryan are looking for them to make other teams pay for having weak 4th lines, by scoring a few goals here and there. Warren Duchak and Chris Durand will sub in for the Sharlow and Stalin on nights where more D is needed.
Duchak C/L 75-72-79 AA Durand C/R 79-77-75 AA

DEFENSE
Kuhanen 73-83-81 O Cote 54-87-72 P
A smooth puck mover, who is responsible in his own end, paired with one of the emerging stars on an ITC blue line. A very good top pairing in NJ

Lucas 80-76-78 O DeRose 59-84-77 D
Another dynamic duo, where Lucas is another one of the up and coming puck moving defensman in the ITC, combined with DeRose, who takes care of his end nicely, starting his 1st full season in NJ.

Gurevics L/D 70-79-75 Mapletoft 50-75-69 P
Coach O'Connell has paired the veteran (whos barely 26), with rookie Trevor Mapletoft, in order to ease the fierce rearguard into the ITC. The jump from AHL to ITC is the hardest for a defensman, and with good depth at the position, you'll see Mapletoft being used wisely by the Devils. Borek Filipek is a sturdy option for 7th d-man.
Filipek 48-80-69 D

GOALTENDING
Dowe 73-73-75
Watson 79-79-79

In the real only surprise, Mike O'Connell has tabbed Wes Dowe to get the start on opening night in Montreal for the Devils. Watson has struggled in the preseason, and in practices, and the Devs bench boss is just playing his gut. Watson, who finished so strong down the stretch, will likely end up back between the pipes more often then not this season.

[LeafsGM]

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

FORWARDS

LW Charles Goulet -- C Paul Pelletier -- RW Sami Hakkarainen

Coming down the stretch lasy year, this line "took off". Goulet and Hakkarainen had career seasons, and Pelletier only continues to get better. The Maple Leaf franchise is looking for big things from this trio.

LW Gordie Coleman -- C Filip Zenisek -- RW Jukka Isotalo

Called the "Misfit Line" by assistant coach Jacques Martin, all three players had poor seasons last year. Isotalo, who had been previously acquired in the Zherdev trade, failed to crack the lineup on a poor Maple Leafs squad last season. Coleman, acquired midway through the season in a trade for Tom Burr scored at an infrequent pace and ended up being a healthy scratch more often than not over the last 10 games of the season. Zenisek played well, but still fell below his average career numbers. They will be given the chance as a unit to rectify last season's mistakes.

LW John Huskins -- C Vojtech Mikeska -- RW Rastislav Jelen

The new checking line of the Toronto Maple Leafs, this trio crashed and banged their way through the pre-season. Big things are expected.

LW Saku Kulmala -- C Danill Beketov -- RW Vinny Chapman

The "kid line" will be anchored by veteran heavyweight Vinny Chapman. Beketov and Kulmala played well in the pre-season, but both could probably use a little more seasoning at the AHL level. However, with Dumas and Matteo fulfilling the underage quota, GM Goulding had the option of stagnating someone's growth, or giving these kids a chance to shine.

They will be on a short leash. With veterans Joffrey Lupul and Jukka Poutanen on the outside looking in,Kulmala and Beketov will feel the pressure to produce or spend their season riding the buses in the OHL.

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS

Tapio Hannila/Danny Syvret
Alexander Vitkovski/Allan Glashoff
Lance Marshall/Devan Malgunas
7th defenceman: Ulf Wallander

With the loss of veteran Lukas Vorel, the onus will be on this crew of career underachievers to play over their heads. Hard-hitting Devan Malgunas and "all world" defenceman Danny Syvret will be responsible for leading this core.

[PhoenixGM]

And to try again, the new PHOENIX COYOTES 2018/2019

OFFENSE

Line 1: Zach Parise – Oleg Ignatov – Tuomo Ruutu
Line 2: Chris Maltby – Marcel Hossa - Marko Kuusisto
Line 3: Ken Vernon – Aki Nokizawa – Magnus Gulbradsson
Line 4: Ben Maxwell - Alpo Toivola - Howard Kong
Backup: Yan Gagnon

DEFENSE

Pair 1: Simon Mulder - Herman Brook
Pair 2: Trevor Gerrow – Fedor Tyutin
Pair 3: Anton Volchenkov - Mattias Salming
Backup: Sergei Tsvetkov

GOALIES

Starting: Roger Walker
Backup: Ray Emery


Let's see what this team can do...

The Coyotes starts with the same Line 1 of last year. It was considered in the start of season one of the best lines, however had a lot of problems. Parisé, Ignatov and Ruutu must show that they will start to do great teamplays and not onyl individual skills, and play defensive as they did not play so much last season. "Ignatov was starting in the line 1 and he learned a lot with our mistakes. He can do much better playing with more experienced guys as me and Ruutu now. I'm certainly of this!" said the new Coyotes captain Zach Parisé.

In Line 2, evertything changed. Coyotes will try another passing play line with the experience of Marcel Hossa, the snaper Marko Kuusisto and the new young guy from the AHL, Chris Maltby. Maltby was a 1st round selection of 2017 entry draft and is excited about the new chance: "With great players as Hossa and Kuusisto, I can stay more calm and show all my potential, and I can develop more in my attack and defense skills of course" said the rookie player. This line can be a great success or a bad remember for the Coyotes fans. The key player here, IMO, is Kuusisto. If Kuusisto play his best as he played 2 years ago, this line will be a great one.

The Line 3 will continues to show a lot of hits, now with young guys. Nokizawa, that was nominated for Calder Trophy season 2017-18 as the best +/- rookie of the season, of course, will continue as the center. Mr. Gulb, the hitter from Sweden continue now as RW of this line. And another rookie is starting in this line: Ken Vernon. Read what Machado said about him: "Vernon will be one of the best defensive forwards of the league. He can hitt a lot and has a great checking and know how to be positioned. With some training, he will have some stickhandling that is very important."

And in the Line 4? After the disaster of Patrick Marleau last year, the Coyotes will do a neutral zone line with very knowed players: Maxwell, Toivola and the enforcer Kong. However, Kong must show more maturity to play this season. Probabilly another guy, that was next to be traded last season can take his place: Yan Gagnon. With the line 4 in a neutral zone, maybe this line can help a lot the others and be the key line to support the other 3. Let's see.

On the defense, some chances to get more experience. The main one is the trade of DeRose to New Jersey and get two new veteran d-man.

The pair 1 is Herman Brook and Simon Mulder. They continue to do the pair 1 AND MUST to show that he can play good as defensive pair. He showed last season a lot of offensive but low defensive attributes. "We did mistakes last season that was important to know how we need to play together. This second year will be a lot better" said Brook.

The pair 2 are Gerrow and Tyutin. Gerrow are now playing in the 2nd line and can have the support of a veteran. Tyutin signed with Phoenix after the trade of DeRose and helped a lot the Coyotes in the end of last season. "Tyutin bring us some more experienced that was necessary for our team. Now we can work better" said Gerrow.

The pair 3 show new-old face: Volchenkov. He signed as UFA and decided to retire next season. "I had about 100 games with Coyotes and was here my last good oportunity with 2015/2016 team that was worst in paper but we reached the playoffs. It is great end my carreer here" said Volchy. His pair will be Salming, that can show a lot more with a experienced guy on his side.

In goal, it is a problem. Continue to be Walker and Emery. None of these showed the consistency that they need. Walker was not more the great player of two years ago and Emery is most indicated to continue to be the starting. However, Walker will start as the main goalie and must show in the first games that he can again be the good goalie that surprised us some years ago.

As backups, Gagnon, of course, is upset about his situation as backup in the team. "Nobody wants to stay in bench! I want to play and get good icetime. But I have to work and if the coach give me chances I will try to get a position in the team. Youngs Tsvetkov and Flaherty know that they have to train hard because only will get a position if has much injuries. They will wait until 20 years old to be allowed to play in AHL.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the Affiliate in AHL, we show the SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE:

OFFENSE

Line 1: Todd Irvine - Joakim Wahlroos - Per-Olaf Thorssel
Line 2: Mathieu L'Hereux - Victor Ofonasin - Andrei Nebogatov
Line 3: Ron Hill - Adam Stepnicka - Paul Dussault
Line 4: Dmitrijs Jass - Milan Holla – Jouko Väänänen

DEFENSE

Pair 1: Steven Ingram - Louis-Philippe Plamondon
Pair 2: German Razumovsky - Brent Epstein
Pair 3: Guillaume Bouchard - Robert Dearaujo

GOALIES

Starting: Rafael Nemerovski
Backup: Hans Ruggeberg


In San Antonio, not so much changes. New 2 juniors players and 1 UFA sign. The 30 years older had gone and new-old faces back. Again, lost in the semifinals for (again) Iowa Stars. But this season, everything can change. The team are much stronger.

The line 1 continues the same as last year, that Wahlroos was the best player. Irvine and Thorssel helps the center to be the best offensive line of AHL.

Line 2 shows the back of L'Hereux for San Antonio, the new player Ofonasin and the great chance for the offensive guy Nebogatov. Ofonasin is a great defensive center and did 26 points with Colorado Eagles last season. L'Hereus back to San Antonio after did 79 points with Edmonton Roadrunners.

In line 3, the rookie Ron Hill can help the experienced guys Stepnicka and Dussault to help the other lines.

The line 4 is the same of last season: the captain Väänänen (3rd season as San Antonio captain) continues to help the line with Holla and Jass. "The managers get the key players that we want. Now it is up to us! Let's rock." said the captain.

For defence, some new names but great youngers too. Plamondon can shows his great skills with Ingram in the pair 1. Razumovsky can help a lot the rookie german Brent Epstein, that arrived from Frankfurt Lions. And in pair 3, Bouchard and Dearaujo continues with the team.

As goalie, no more then "the possible best goalie of future ITC" Rafael Nemerovsky. Nemo was selected this year as 35th overall and had a pot boost that can give him as the best goalie of the league. His backup continue to be the good Ruggeberg, from Swiss

Some good players can help San Antonio during the season, as Grégorie, Moran, Sunde and the goalies Belkin and Saraste.


As coaches, Anthony Forand must shows his job this season and has 2 great assistant coach to help him, and Frantisek Maimoich will start the 3rdd season as AHL coach, after the great seasons that he did.

This post has been edited by PhoenixGM: 03 March 2010 - 01:39 PM

[Pittsburgh!!!!!!!]

KEEP IN MIND GUYS

1PP FOR EACH OF FARM AND PRO LINES BEING POSTED WITH A SHORT WRITE-UP FOR EACH!

EASY POINTS!

[DevilsGM]

Quit yelling at me!!

[Boston Bruins GM]

Opening night lines for your 2018/2019 Boston Bruins
The start of a rebuilding Era

Line 1


Tougas 81/84/81--Shivensky 80/86/82--Sheppard 85/85/80
Clarke 69/84/78--Lyndon 47/85/75

There is no reason why this line cant be a dominant line injuries kept them from meshing together where Shivensky missed the final 25 and sheppard had to play on all 4 lines due to injuries.

Future outlook: The start of a rebuild does not look to promising for these 3 to be on the same team by years end

Line 2


Leong 80/70/73--Perezhogin 87/71/78--Lukes 81/68/76
Zelenko 78/71/72--Tsarev 47/61/62


Dont know what to expect from this line especially with a 2nd pairing ahl d man in there

Future outlook: Looking to deal Perezhogin so line may take a step back before taking another step forward



Line 3


Leclerc 60/75/64--Linhart 69/93/76--Kaspar 65/79/72
Zaynullin 62/80/72--Genser 43/71/59


Turning out to be a pilotless line

Future outlook: Look for everyone except linhart/zaynullin to br paerted with

Line 4


Nasbom 75/75/81--Soudny 76/75/77--Falkenberg 71/73/73


And the misfits create his 4th line, nothing really expected out of them this year.

[DaveG-Canes]

Carolina Hurricanes

Leo Bisaillion (92/72) - Eric Staal (87/80) - Aldis Ciganovs (86/71)
Joni Pitkanen (82/79) - Frantisek Linka (49/91)

the top line features one of the best scoring lines in the game and is anchored by a top notch two-way defenseman and one of the best young dmen in the game. That defensive pairing is going to have to carry the team after the Bouwmeester trade.

Justin Williams (84/80) - Alexei Yudin (82/65) - Daren Snow (78/74)
Shawn Belle (76/80) - James LaPointe (49/83)

While this line was a shocker last year and one of the best in the league, a repeat performance may be asking a bit much. Don't be surprised if Yudin is sent packing at some point this season if they don't live up to expectations.

Sergei Ogorodnikov (73/77) - Chris Higgins (79/82) - Jordan LaVallee (78/78)
Justin Hamulakie (78/71) - Don Detrie (48/85)

A decent but not stellar checking line. Look for Kris Chucko and Bengt Boberg to get looks this season as the team tries to find its identity going forward.

Bengt Boberg (75/76) - Ivan Dixon (60/80) - T.J. Strachan (50/74)

your typical checking line, Dixon and Strachan provide some physical punch to the lineup while Boberg is a good two-way forward in his own right and might be a capable 3rd liner for the team if they make some moves later this season.

extras: Kris Chucko (75/78), Artem Silvashko (66/76), Jacob Voyer (49/79)
Chucko provides a good two-way presence for the team, Silvashko is a capable 4th liner and can fill in on the 3rd in a pinch, and Voyer provides a bit more physical punch to the blueline as well as a capable fill-in player for the team.

Jean Boissonneault (82pot/74cons)
Cam Ward (80pot/82cons)

A damn good one-two punch in net, but don't be surprised if the Canes call up Matthias Schuler if they can move Ward to save some salary.

Lowell Lock Monsters:
Francis Phair (79/73) [80/73 pot] - Ron Bodger (76/61) [82/65 pot] - Valeri Zubtsov (74/61) [81/71 pot]
Alexander Monayenkov (71/63) - Sebastien Tardif (50/47) [70/54 pot] - Jesper Stahrberg (70/56)
Brandon Mintz (61/75) - Dominic Turbide (56/44) [88/70 pot] - Kelvin Lew (49/41) [84/60 pot]
Hector McNabb (41/70) - Alan Israel (44/43) [63/53 pot] - Peter Chase (53/67)

Richard Slaney (70/78) - Michael Soderholm (64/74)
Otso Raevuori (44/73) - Dmitry Shchekarev (56/69)
Stan Pellerin (43/68) - Daniel Black (43/66)
Kyle Nogaru (48/72) [81/74 pot]

Matthias Schuler (74pot/96cons)
Frederic Boisvert (68pot/57cons)

the team has a LOT of players still developing, including the not yet added Nogaru, but the belief is that when the team is ready for the playoffs they're going to be a force to be reckoned with. The first line right now is the only one that's a legit top line at the AHL level. But don't give it too long until the rest of the team has caught up with them.

[Pittsburgh!!!!!!!]

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Vladimir GOREV. 84/85/77 | Max MIROSHNICHENKO 89/72/84 | Tommy VISHEAU .. 88/86/85
Carl STROMHOLM. 86/82/82 | Jeff CARTER ...... 84/83/83 | Stein RASMUSSEN. 88/75/80
Samuel ASSAR .. 83/84/76 | Lukas BARTAK ..... 79/82/82 | Nick STEVENSON . 82/74/75
Reima MUSTONEN. 56/75/69 | Keith CURRY ...... 79/66/74 | Scott BESTER ... 76/77/73
Jon WITHERSPOON 58/78/70 | ....... .......... .. .. .. | Patrick MCINTYRE 67/77/71

Ben SHUTRON ... 86/85/81 | Turo SALMELA ..... 80/81/79
Viktor SOCHOR . 88/77/82 | Daniel FERNHOLM .. 62/87/79
Bobby BRUNK ... 75/82/78 | Erik WILBER ...... 47/86/77
Patrick POIRIER 46/80/69

Samuel BELANGER 78/78/77 | Daniel EKROTH .... 76/76/78

Top line returns from last year. It was a dominant line. Gorev had 36 goals and team-high 73 points, Visheau had 43 goals, and Max had 68 points. Easily the best on the team. They return for more destruction: Gorev also had 235 penalty minutes.

Stromholm and Carter have been anchored together for six seasons now. Both are steady offensive presences with complementing roles. Rasmussen was a fixture on the third line with Stefan Kovar and Jon Hill - however both of those guys now find themselves off the team, and Rasmussen gets promoted. Funny how that works.

Third line is a bit makeshift. Bartak is a two-way forward with good playmaking, while Assar is a power forward with a monster shot, and Stevenson is a dangler with another monster shot. We're hoping for a better season from Stevenson this year after his poor rookie campaign last year.

Fourth line and spare forwards are mainly just misfits - Mustonen and Witherspoon for toughness, McIntyre brings 88 hitting to the table along with good leadership, and Bester is the next 80/80 forward for the Penguins, he just needs a bit more seasoning. CON is a problem for these guys, but they'll have to deal with it.

Starting defense is unchanged from the second best defensive squad in the league last year - only a couple of goals against more than Atlanta. Only change is replacing the $2 million Danny Syvret with young Patrick Poirier, who has already overdeveloped defensively and could find himself as the next Erik Wilber.

Goalies remain some of the best in the game despite their low POT.

WILKES-BARRE PENGUINS

George GAUTHIER 73/62/70 | Markus KOIVURINNE. 73/63/72 | Brian BARNES .... 71/72/70
Maxim IVANTENKO 72/57/67 | Santeri KAURISMAKI 74/62/72 | Rostislav KUNDRAT 71/70/74
Truls BERG .... 69/73/67 | Ron HIMMEL ....... 67/64/69 | Atte LUSA ....... 62/71/65
Goran HANELL .. 45/40/55 | Charlie HARRAH ... 53/72/70 | David HULL ...... 49/50/61
Matthias GERG . 57/68/64 | Alfred SILPA ..... 60/73/70 | Patrick McKENNA . 60/66/69
...... ........ .. .. .. | John HUTCHINSON .. 54/46/62 | Matt McGRATTON .. 48/55/55

Tomas SRSEN ... 73/72/77 | Matt BARBARI ..... 54/74/73
Patrik RORHOLM. 71/68/70 | Larry KRIEGEL .... 42/76/65
Graham ADAMS .. 66/70/70 | Saku HAAPANIEMI .. 63/73/70
Adrian O'KEEFE. 49/73/69 | Douglas GUERIN ... 58/68/62
Mark BELL ..... 40/72/58 |

Ulrich DREHER . 72/72/74 | Rail ZYUZYN ...... 71/71/70
Max NYLAND .... 69/69/70

I'm a bit more pumped about this year's team than last year's.

We've got a lot of good defensive players, and some solid offensive presence. Hanell and Hull should be ITC-ready by the end of the year, and hopefully nicely developed through the AHL play-offs. Need a deep run and this team should provide it for me.

I might switch up Ivantenko and Gauthier as the season progresses. Ivantenko is 81POT with great offensive ceilings - he could potentially be an ITC'er if given time. He won't get that on my team, but I can at least get him developed properly.

Plenty of depth offensively and defensively. And in goal. I like that.

[DevilsGM]

ALBANY RIVER RATS

Revyakin W 65-63-63 Tobin C/R 40-50-53 Keinonen R/L 75-76-76 AA
Kelly L/C 60-70-69 PF Uvarov C 73-70-72 PL Segerstam R/C 70-53-64 S
Dowd L 71-59-69 S Kharitonov C/R 67-58-65 Dumais R 67-50-67
Nasberg L 57-60-65 TW Touzimsky R/C 68-64-69 PL Ulshin R/C 60-52-62 AA


Belohlawek 47-73-69 P Segerstam 78-65-73 O
Franek 41-70-61 P Banatoni 54-75-73 D
Englbrecht 40-71-67 P Dixon 44-75-70 D
BerryBess 51-66-62 D De 54-61-61 O
Sears 52-73-70 D

Nilsmark 59-60-61
Jacopec 66-65-69

The Albany River Rats made it to the Calder Cup Semi Finals last year, on the strength of two very dynamic players, who feature prominently on the big club in New Jersey. Trevor Mapletoft and Vlastislav Studer have made the leap, and they're replaced by two more AHL rookies, 1st overall pick Egeny Revyakin and the 8th overall pick from 2 seasons ago Merlin Tobin. Along with 37 goal scorer Aappo Keinonen, they'll run the top line. Zigmund Belohwlek and the very experienced Begnt Segerstam will be the top D pairing, and be very good.

The 2nd line isn't shabby with some ITC experience in Svytaslov Uvarov, centering Patrick Kelly and Havlar Segerstam on the right side. They should provide some backup punch to the top line. On D, Brian Dixon and new comer Vanni Banatoni make a good 2nd pairing.

The third line also will bring some punch, with Erik Dowd, Geno Kharitonov and Jose Dumais, which could possibly be a good scoring 3rd line, rather then the normal rough and tumble fare. On D the lifetime AHLer Egon Englbrecht will be paired with veteran Phil Sears, a new comer to the club.

The 4th line has veteran Jaromir Touzimski with Stefan Nasberg and Ben Tinning. Sturdy, responsible and veteran.

In goal, is the big downfall. With Wes Dowe starting in NJ, Zoltan Zeiler is the man in net. Hopefully he wont be TOO worked.

[traumdeuter]

OILERS STARTING LINEUP

The Oilers start with the same lines that ended the 2017/18-season. The only exceptions are newly acquired RW Alois Skala, who will start in place of Evzen Sebetka on the 1st line and RW Wes Manson, who completes the Hitting Line.

1st: L Samuel Lacerte – C Tero Peltomaa – R Alois Skala
D : Sam Miller – Patrick Beausoleil

After Lacertes great 17/18-season we expect even more from him this year. Paired with two snipers on his side he will be the playmaker of this line, even though we expect a good share of goals in his points-total. Skala clicks with Lacerte and should bring some hitting into this line, the main reasons he was brought in from Pittsburgh before the start of this season.
Miller provides the defensive hitting and Beausoleil plays a top positional game. Together they should give this line good protection from being outplayed too often.

2nd: L Wayne Kevury – C Tom Burr – R Nikolai Zherdev
D: Jack Johnson – Josef Machaj

After beeing put together midway through the 17/18-season these three instantly clicked as the teams top scoring line. Zherdev should be in for a 40 goal – 80 points season and Nr.2 on the scorebord behind Lacerte. Nothing more to say about them...
The Team’s top defensive pairing will play on this line with two of the better two-way-defensemen in this league.

We will switch the top two lines according to morale and opponent...

3rd: L Matt Sexton – C Miika Roine – R Wes Manson
D: Thomas Boutin - Jakub Kindl

The Oilers hitting line. After Roine’s switch to center and the addition of Manson this one feels complete after feeling more like a work in progress for the last several seasons. With his fighting and hitting Manson provides the scaring force this team lacks before. Outside of shutting down the opponents top lines with Sexton this line does not look completely lost in front of the opponent’s goal.
Boutin is the team’s top hitting Defenseman and Kindl is a nice two-way-defender, who looked comfortable on the hitting line in the 2nd half of last sesaon.

4th: L John Doig – C Derek Broten – R Ivan Boisvert

After the Oilers failed to bring in a decent Center for this line Broten again has to do this job. These three will provide a decent trapping line, as well as they will add another nice scoring line if need be and the call is on offense.

This post has been edited by traumdeuter: 04 March 2010 - 11:47 AM

[Belziley]

Ovechkin - Dewanye - Bjorkström
Vencl - Lamoureux - Barström
Murphy - Polozov - Veillette
Vranas - Korpikoski - Renaud
Bench: Mosley

Strnad - Thelen
Vostrak - Visheau
Woywitka - Healey
Bench: Konstantinov

Fleury
Bench: Crawford

My team is the same as last year starting lineup. IMy top line is still one of the most dangerous in the league when they have the puck and I hope they can take my team to the next level this year and make the playoffs. My second line will score some important goals and if a players is slumping, Renaud can take the place while mosley replace him on the 4th line. My 3rd line plays well in my own zone so I wanted to keep it that way.

My 1st pairing is a good mix of offense and defense, but Strnad can certainly score goals with his shot. My team miss a bit of hitting, Healey and Strnad are good in that department, but it is not enough. Fleury will have to step up for the lack of physical play.

Hope the chemistry will work this year as I have the same team 2 years in a row, I am confident

[krown]

2017-2018 ATLANTA THRASHERS


Dmitry Mozgunov . 83/83/82 | Darryl McIntyre .. 75/69/73 | Jeremy Plantinga . 93/83/88
Ilya Kovalchuk .. 85/76/84 | Jason Graham ..... 81/84/82 | Henry Brisebois .. 77/76/77
Lindsay Babich .. 83/82/76 | Simon Gagne ...... 80/76/76 | Dustin Brown ..... 79/79/80
Dean Van Evans .. 54/76/63 | Radek Sasek ...... 53/80/70 | Sandy Murray ..... 71/85/78

Dmitri Kalinin .. 78/85/80 | Jean-Francois Lavoie 53/88/77
Aidar Tupikov.... 72/80/78 | Peter Sundqvist .... 49/86/74
Del Street ...... 76/83/73 | Derek Archer ....... 44/84/71

Eli Fagerholm ... 87/87/82 | Jeff Deslauriers ... 81/81/79


Well, after I thought I had fielded the most complete team I had ever, we fell to the Buffalo Sabres in the 2nd round of the playoffs. With an eye to the future, Rick Nash, Gustav Kotsiuk, Jim Marshall, and Wes Manson are gone. Rookie Darryl McIntyre will get a long hard centreing the top line. Kovalchuk will get one season in Atlanta on the second line to provide more offense. The third line has been completely revamped with more of an eye for offense. Simon Gagne and Dustin Brown provide experience and leadership to this line, while Babich drops down to possibly a more comfortable role. This leaves Sandy Murray relegated to the 4th line which I think he is too good for, but is the only place for him in the meantime.

The defence remains untouched.

Goaltending duties will be handled again by Fagerholm, and he will get a chance to redeem himself for a less than spectacular post-season. Gone is retiring Rick DiPietro and in is UFA signing Jeff Deslauriers.


2017-2018 CHICAGO WOLVES


Borek Chalupecky | Steve Commodore .... | Benjamin Cliche
Owen Bizub ..... | Jean-Louis Laliberte | Tomas Lehky
Zigmund Stitny . | Erick MacLean ...... | Kurt Fantin
Issac Schwartz . | Ben Buchberger ..... | Artem Tarasovski

Yannick Durocher | Patrick Loiselle
Didier Dhinnin . | Sergei Sosimenko
Paul Maguire ... | Neil Wahler

Craig Eastwood . | Vladmimir Goldmann

Training grounds for prospects Steve Commodore and Craig Eastwood. That's about it.

[Anaheim GM]

Anaheim Mighty Ducks

Jesse JOENSUU. 81/80/79 | Dany HEATLEY .... 88/78/83 | Carl SUNDSTROM ..... 94/66/81
Benoit POULIOT 80/76/76 | Stephen BOYER ... 75/71/73 | Igor BARANOV ....... 77/80/73
Russ BACH .... 73/81/78 | Dusan SUPAK ..... 72/84/77 | Jaromir HOCHMAISTER. 80/76/78
Doug WILDING . 60/80/76 | Niklas LUNDE .... 86/53/74 | Jeremy COLLITON .... 70/83/72
.............. ........ | ................. ........ | Julius MENSIK ...... 80/50/75

Sasha POKULOK. 81/81/77 | Christian EHRHOFF 81/72/74
Ladislav SMID. 78/79/77 | Matt NISKANEN ... 79/75/75
Mark STUART .. 52/90/77 | Maxim ARBUZOV ... 49/78/71
Jordan SMITH . 41/84/70

Simon CHARRON. 88/77/80 | David LENEVEU ... 79/77/74

The team is getting younger. Gone are Sedin and Cogliano. Boyer, Baranov and Arbuzov are my up and rising stars. Baranov already has a season under his wings but I'm hoping Boyer can develop fast, that's why I'm putting him on the second line. I have two reserve players in Mensik & Smith that makes less then 1M so that is a bonus in this tight salary cap world. I'm hoping for the 8th place since there is a lot of good teams in the West and I just lost Sedin my best foward, replaced by Marcinko and then Pouliot. I like Marcinko but I wanted Baranov or Hochmaister on the 2nd line and they are similar players.

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks

Teijo JÄRVINEN . 65/57/69 | Maxim LIGACHEV .. 73/54/69 | Rodney GRANT .... 71/63/67
Toni SAARINEN .. 55/72/69 | Alexej SORKIN ... 65/54/66 | Olli KIMMONEN ... 71/61/68
Alpo REKIARO ... 58/73/62 | Jiri FEJT ....... 55/46/62 | Nicholas YZERMAN. 61/48/64
Mikhail GOLOVIN. 53/52/56 | Boyd SAVAGE ..... 60/50/61 | Daniel DALUZ .... 56/45/59
Sven STRANGA ... 44/34/48 | Svatoslav CHVOJKA 48/31/49 | Nikolai KOVALENKO 44/37/52

Robert TAYLOR .. 62/73/72 | Phil TRIMMER..... 61/71/66
Jouni HOLLO .... 57/73/68 | Patrick BOULIANNE 43/78/69
Patrick PERRAULT 53/72/64 | Martin ESPOSITO.. 41/75/61
Ryan HABBERSTAD. 50/64/64 | Astrid WACHTER... 38/56/59

Rinat KUVALDIN . 71/70/70 | Gabriel ARTHUR .. 71/71/66

Lots of change on that farm team. 2 of my best d-men are gone since they turned 30. I brought in Boulianne & Perrault to replace them. Boulianne is costly but is on a two-way contract. My ahl all-star goalie also turned 30 so I'm looking at rookie Kuvaldin, who developped really fast, to take the reigns. I also have a more then capable backup in Arthur. I have high hopes in Trimmer that overdevelopped in defense and has high ceillings in offense. On the foward position, five of my best scorers left. Boyer to the pro and Nesejt, Penney, Chroust & Arsenault as RFA. Kimmonen had a fast developpement last season and Sorkin has high offensive ceillings that I hope can develop fast. Ligachev and Grant are the veterans on this young foward core and I think they can score a lot for me. Otherwise a lot of rookies in here.

[Vancouver Canucks]

VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2018/2019 OPENING NIGHT LINES

Jason Mason ...... 84/73/81 | Rick Nash ........ 87/85/86 | Robin Fernsworth . 90/74/84
Robbie Schremp ... 84/74/77 | Brad Shaindlin ... 82/64/75 | Teodor Turek ..... 82/66/73
Gilbert Brule .... 84/79/80 | Corey Perry ...... 84/76/79 | Mats Moring ...... 77/82/79
Miika Kekkonen ... 64/77/69 | Daryl Gendron .... 53/77/64 | Scottie Upshall .. 77/78/79

Jay Bouwmeester .. 82/79/82 | Oscar Slegr ...... 73/80/74
Lucas Vorel ...... 79/78/80 | D.J. Magid ....... 76/76/75
Braydon Coburn ... 75/85/77 | Herbert Brajndl .. 50/82/74

Cory Schneider ... 81/81/79 | Cam Ward ......... 80/80/79

After a very successfull 3/4 of a regular season, plus another first-round exit, the Canucks are back looking for some redemption. They've lost all of their normal GMs in their division besides Holger in EDM. Sources say they were all afraid of the new look powerhouse Canucks, and why wouldn't they be.

Jason Mason had a great first season on the Canucks, scoring 31 goals, and 73 points. Also was a +37. Mason returns to the top line with Robin Fernsworth, but Mason is now centered with all-star Rick Nash. Both Nash and the Canucks are hoping Nash can retire with the 1 thing he's missing - a cup ring. Brent Burns is the missing linemate between Mason and Fernsworth, but unfortunately, an injury has forced the hand of Canucks management, and Burns is no longer property of the Canucks.

Last season, Robbie Schremp went from top line to third line, scored 68 points in 73 games, and now has been promoted to the second line. He joins Brad Shaindlin, who has been a mainstay on the 2nd line for the past 5 seasons or so. Say what you want about him, but Shaindlin has scored atleast 20 goals, and atleast 60 points for 7 straight seasons. He's also been a plus player in 5 of those 7 seasons. Teodor Turek, scored 41 goals - 80 points in his first season as a Canuck. Scored 26 points in 23 games last year before being injured for the entire year. I'm very excited he's back, and although he doesn't have Hossa, hopefully he can regain his chemistry with Shaindlin.

The third line, is probably my favourite line. With no powerplay time last season, Mats Moring scored 21 goals, while adding 24 helpers, and a plus-9. Knowing that on some nights, this line will see some top lines, I've stocked it up with Corey Perry and Gilbert Brule. Perry was the second leading scorer for the Canucks a season ago, scoring 67 points in 71 games. Perry is back in his familiar 3rd line/2nd Unit PP role, and now has a legitimate winger to go along with Moring. Brule is great on offense, and defense, and I'm hoping the three of them can gain some chemistry and all put up around 50-55 points this year.

The fourth line......a crap shoot. I had a decent fourth line last year with Wheeler, Jelen, and Goldenkov, but they had to be sacrificed to make the top 3 lines better. In the end, Kekkonen and Gendron will probably be in the box most of the time so they won't even see their full 30 seconds.

Quite a few regulars from last year's defense are returning. Braydon Coburn (no surprise), Oskar Slegr, D.J. Magid, and Herbert Brajndl highlight the list of returnees. The first unit pairing is a near perfect one, Slegr's 80 playmaking, and Bouwmeester's offense and defense. The second line and unit is a bit weak on defense, so I wont hesitant to switch them up if they start allowing more goals than they are scoring. Right now, I love my shutdown D pairing of Coburn and Brajndl. Brajndl will be there the whole year, but may get a new partner if things need to be changed.

In between the pipes, in Schneider's last two full seasons, he's been nominated for the Vezina both times. Didn't have that great of a playoffs last year, but then again neither did the whole team and we were missing our #1 RW, #2 RW, and #3 LW. I've added the final piece to the team, which is Cam Ward to provide some insurance in case anything should happen to Schneider.

This is probably one last hurrah, so go team go.

[Flyers GM]

Flyers Opening Night Lines 2018/19

1st Line
Andrew Sankey - Nikita Perevolkin - Vaclav Bakora

This will be the line that does most of the damage. Perevolkin is one of the most dominant offensive players in the game. Both Bakora and Sankey compliment him well on the wings. Depending on how well the second line does, there is potential to move one of the wingers in order to provide more balance

2nd Line
David La - Mark Lucas - Dave Bolland

Lucas is a great setup man, and will be responsible for most of the playmaking on this line. La and Lucas aren't great defensivly, so Bolland will help out with things in his own end. The sucessw of this line will largely depend on how well La develops

3rd Line
Erik Loukainoff - Andre Kostitsen - Sergei Leschev
Leschev is the most recent Selke winner and the rock on this line. These guys will spend most of the time against the top lines in the league. Kostitsen will provide the offense on this line.

4th Line
Karel Broucek - Patrick Buck - Yan Bourgeois
The addition of the Bourgeois before the start of the season has helped solidify this line. Broucek and Bourgeois will spend most of their time smashing the opposition. These guys wont see a ton of ice time, however will providea good 4-5 minutes a game.

Dmen
Jon Broome - Thomas Faimon
One of the best line combinations in ITC. Norris Trophy winner Broome can play great at both ends of the ice. Faimon is a rock in his own end. The opposition will be in tough against these guys.

Nelson Korn - Riko Linna
Similar to the 1st pairing, Korn is a decent two way defender with some solid playmaking skills, while Linna is a hard hitting dman who will take care of things in his own end.

Guilliame Jutras - Igor Bereznev
Two guys who fill the 3rd pairing very well. Either could be swapped with #7 dman Nikitan at any time.

Some people may wonder where Evzen Grosek is. Although many feel that he is too small to play in the ITC, the team felt that he needed another year in the minors before he is ready for the big league. That being said, it is expected that if there are any injuries, he will jump right into the pro team

Goalies
Al Montoya - Frantisek Mayer
Montoya will see most of the workload whileMayer will fill in where required.

[Florida Panthers]

FLORIDA PANTHERS STARTING LINE-UP:

Rich Castellanos 90/77/74 | Ramon Little....... 89/73/81 | Kirk Slaney.. 86/77/82
Jon Hill........ 82/78/82 | Anders Bielvenstram 83/77/80 | Mats Melander 81/75/80
Tuukka Pirnes... 73/78/72 | Mike Richards...... 81/80/76 | Igor Nikishov 81/76/78
Brian Boyle..... 73/79/73 | Kari Pietilinen.... 75/77/70 | Roman Dashkov 85/75/79

From how my team looked at the beginning when I took over last year..to now, is a pretty big difference.
 There are only a few guys that I have kept, but I really like the look of my forwards. 
My top line should easily combine for 100 goals, and each player has the skill to hit 100 points,
 unlikely..but maybe. My second line is just what I want, 2 shooters on the wing, with a good playmaker
 down the middle. Melander at 23 is the oldest player on this line, hopefully the youth doesn't hurt them
 to much, and they play well. My third line is somewhat unset right now, If things go right ill keep them
 three together, but I want to get Dashkov back into the top two, so I'll see what happens there. 
My fourth line will do the job, hoping they end up around even at seasons end. 

Tomme Stevenson. 78/82/81 | Vladimir Molodtsov. 80/83/75
Vaclav Norkus... 74/82/81 | Ryan Whitney....... 80/85/76
Shea Weber...... 70/76/70 | Jeremy Bowen....... 61/83/73

I had to have one of the worst defensive teams last season, so I wanted to shore up for this upcoming
 season. I essentially acquired three top line defenceman in Stevson, Norkus, and Molodstov..This allowed
 me to move everyone else down a line. My top pairing should shut down most top lines from other teams, 
as well as put up 50 + points each. My second pairing is pretty close to as good as my first..a younger 
kid in Norkus and an older vet in Whitney should allow this pairing to shut down some teams, and just like
 the top pairing, they both have the chance to put up some points. My third pairing is nothing special, 
but it will definately do the trick.

Brian Armstrong. 78/78/78 | Kirril Makarov..... 76/76/76

Armstrong will obviously carry the load for the season. I am giving him the shot after I moved De Sousa to
 make the rest of my team better. Makarov will do a fine job when he comes in to play, I think this could 
be a great tandem this season for the Panthers.

Overall, I think my team is ready to compete at a pretty high level. Not as good as the ATLs, PITs, etc..
but I think I can give them both atleast a little bit of pressure this season. I love my forward group, 
its never a bad thing to have a problem with too many top six guys, and thats something that I have. All 
of my third line players can step in and play top minutes if needed, which is also a huge plus.

This post has been edited by Florida Panthers: 07 March 2010 - 07:13 PM