CHL 97-98 Preview - Baie-Comeau Drakkar
Oct 10, 2020 21:27:01 GMT -5
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Post by xx - Former Calgary Flames on Oct 10, 2020 21:27:01 GMT -5
Baie-Comeau Drakkar - Season Preview
Over the next few days, I will be scouring through the rosters of the CHL, trying to find strengths and weaknesses of the team, not only for my strategic advantage (which all of you know, I don't use strategy at all), and for anyone who doesn't know some schmoe from Europe. The goal is to have a team done per day, starting on October 10th.
The Team
Forwards
The forward core is going to be led and relied upon by Henrik Zetterberg. We all know who he is, and what offensive capabilities he has on a 200-foot sheet of ice. The real question with this core is who Zetterberg will line up with. Because, admittedly, there isn't any big or striking scoring talent on the team past the top three. Scotty Hartnell seems like a shoe-in to be on Zetterberg's left, but will it be Antoine Vermette on his right? Or maybe someone like Antti Miettinen?
However, they replace the lack of scoring on the front end with an absolute ton of grit and defensive help. Players like Travis Moen, Mike Rupp, Tim Connolly, and even Raffi Torres (given he stays away from suspensions) will establish a hard-hitting style with Baie-Comeau that will have other teams leaving with a few bumps and bruises. Don't expect any win or loss to be pretty with this team.
Defense
It's almost the same case in terms of one really good player, and a bunch of defensive weapons on the defensive side. The role of Henrik Zetterberg will be played by Brian Rafalski, who is a very capable two-way player, but can score just as well as anyone else. Once again, who will pair up with him? Anton Volchenkov is the prospective choice, but anyone of Nick Schultz or Francis Bullion could slide up with him, too. Another thing to acknowledge with the defense is their massive beef at the back end of the defense. Deryk Engelland, Andreas Lilja and Niclas Wallin are all big puck-stopping defenseman, all either 6'2" or 6'3", that can lay down a hit. If anyone wants an old-school team feel, Baie-Comeau is guaranteed to have that feel with them this season.
Goaltending
The tandem that we'll see in net this year for le Drakkar will be Ryan Miller and Dan Ellis, both more known for their American background (Despite Ellis being from Saskatoon, more people know him from his days at the University of Nebraska-Omaha). Miller is one of the few big names of goaltending that people will know that can perform. Ellis, very much a career journeyman, doesn't have that same kind of story, so the story of goaltending will be how much will Miller have to shoulder in the season? What kind of split will these two have?
The 'Real' Season of Baie-Comeau
Baie-Comeau was granted a team in 1997, so in real life, this would have been the inaugural season for the team. With that said, it can already be guessed that the team wasn't very good. To start, their leading scorer was a Ukranian mid-season acquisition from Rouyn-Noranda (more on them at a later time...) by the name of Oleg Timchenkov. He managed 63 points in 54 games, but that didn't help the eventual 18-47-5 Drakkar, who struggled to keep the puck out of their net (332 goals against in 70 games, 4.78 per game). And there wasn't much in terms of name value talent as well. The obscure name department might remember a capable early 2000s defenseman by the name of Bruno St. Jacques, as well as a young 16-year old rookie Marc-Andre Bergeron. But, with a new team, you never expect a marquee name with those teams.
What to expect with this Baie-Comeau Drakkar
You should expect a two-man offensive performance from Rafalski and Zetterberg, the latter of the two having to brunt most of the load. However, instead of the real life Drakkar's defensive woes, you shouldn't expect as much of a problem keeping the puck out. This team will be tough to play against, and there will be an absolute ton of hitting. Perhaps the same penalty troubles as them (Will they hit 2309 PIM?), but this team will be a defensive juggernaut. Don't be surprised at all if games involving Baie-Comeau are all low-scoring affairs.
The Ceiling
Baie-Comeau finds the perfect defensive gameplan, Ryan Miller posts the elite numbers he's known for, Zetterberg carries his linemates, and helps them in a way, and the Drakkar will find themselves raising the Memorial Cup.
The Floor
Zetterberg and Rafalski can't carry the rest of the team in the goal scoring, which despite having good defensive performances, can't score more than their opponents, and they end up being the lowest scoring team in NHL90's CHL History.
The Team
Forwards
The forward core is going to be led and relied upon by Henrik Zetterberg. We all know who he is, and what offensive capabilities he has on a 200-foot sheet of ice. The real question with this core is who Zetterberg will line up with. Because, admittedly, there isn't any big or striking scoring talent on the team past the top three. Scotty Hartnell seems like a shoe-in to be on Zetterberg's left, but will it be Antoine Vermette on his right? Or maybe someone like Antti Miettinen?
However, they replace the lack of scoring on the front end with an absolute ton of grit and defensive help. Players like Travis Moen, Mike Rupp, Tim Connolly, and even Raffi Torres (given he stays away from suspensions) will establish a hard-hitting style with Baie-Comeau that will have other teams leaving with a few bumps and bruises. Don't expect any win or loss to be pretty with this team.
Defense
It's almost the same case in terms of one really good player, and a bunch of defensive weapons on the defensive side. The role of Henrik Zetterberg will be played by Brian Rafalski, who is a very capable two-way player, but can score just as well as anyone else. Once again, who will pair up with him? Anton Volchenkov is the prospective choice, but anyone of Nick Schultz or Francis Bullion could slide up with him, too. Another thing to acknowledge with the defense is their massive beef at the back end of the defense. Deryk Engelland, Andreas Lilja and Niclas Wallin are all big puck-stopping defenseman, all either 6'2" or 6'3", that can lay down a hit. If anyone wants an old-school team feel, Baie-Comeau is guaranteed to have that feel with them this season.
Goaltending
The tandem that we'll see in net this year for le Drakkar will be Ryan Miller and Dan Ellis, both more known for their American background (Despite Ellis being from Saskatoon, more people know him from his days at the University of Nebraska-Omaha). Miller is one of the few big names of goaltending that people will know that can perform. Ellis, very much a career journeyman, doesn't have that same kind of story, so the story of goaltending will be how much will Miller have to shoulder in the season? What kind of split will these two have?
The 'Real' Season of Baie-Comeau
Baie-Comeau was granted a team in 1997, so in real life, this would have been the inaugural season for the team. With that said, it can already be guessed that the team wasn't very good. To start, their leading scorer was a Ukranian mid-season acquisition from Rouyn-Noranda (more on them at a later time...) by the name of Oleg Timchenkov. He managed 63 points in 54 games, but that didn't help the eventual 18-47-5 Drakkar, who struggled to keep the puck out of their net (332 goals against in 70 games, 4.78 per game). And there wasn't much in terms of name value talent as well. The obscure name department might remember a capable early 2000s defenseman by the name of Bruno St. Jacques, as well as a young 16-year old rookie Marc-Andre Bergeron. But, with a new team, you never expect a marquee name with those teams.
What to expect with this Baie-Comeau Drakkar
You should expect a two-man offensive performance from Rafalski and Zetterberg, the latter of the two having to brunt most of the load. However, instead of the real life Drakkar's defensive woes, you shouldn't expect as much of a problem keeping the puck out. This team will be tough to play against, and there will be an absolute ton of hitting. Perhaps the same penalty troubles as them (Will they hit 2309 PIM?), but this team will be a defensive juggernaut. Don't be surprised at all if games involving Baie-Comeau are all low-scoring affairs.
The Ceiling
Baie-Comeau finds the perfect defensive gameplan, Ryan Miller posts the elite numbers he's known for, Zetterberg carries his linemates, and helps them in a way, and the Drakkar will find themselves raising the Memorial Cup.
The Floor
Zetterberg and Rafalski can't carry the rest of the team in the goal scoring, which despite having good defensive performances, can't score more than their opponents, and they end up being the lowest scoring team in NHL90's CHL History.
