CHL 97-98 Preview - Kamloops Blazers
Oct 12, 2020 15:17:03 GMT -5
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Post by xx - Former Calgary Flames on Oct 12, 2020 15:17:03 GMT -5
Season Preview - Kamloops Blazers
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 for the Blazers will be led by the tall stature of Vinny Lecavalier, who was basically the guy that made Tampa Bay relevant for all these years... or was it Rob Zamuner and his 1998 Olympics selection? Anyways, Lecavalier's playmaking abilities will be on display in Kamloops alongside what is most likely to be Marian Gaborik, a powerful shot, and Martin Erat, the first of three stolen Saskatoon Blades players, but I digress on that subject. In what can be made as one of the more impressive top lines in the CHL, this line could dominate games at any given time, and we wouldn't really know who lead the charge. Any three of them can be a potent weapon, and given leader to a team.
Alongside those three are a solid group of grinding talent. Guys like Darcy Hordichuk (#2), Ales Kotalik, David Legwand, and others will help the defensive side of the puck, but hopefully they will bring their own firepower with them, and they don't overly rely on that amazing first line. History has shown how often that one-line teams are successful, so Kamloops is hoping they are more than just a one line team.
Defense
The defense for the Blazers is a little weaker than most, in some opinions, but have a chance to surprise some people. Most teams have a definitive top defenseman that they can look at and say 'Yep, that's our guy', but with Kamloops, there's not quite that one name that sticks out to the the #1. The two that could be the top pairing looks to be John-Michael Liles and Francois Beauchemin, both former Maple Leaf players, and both very capable of playing their style of hockey. With Liles, it's that two-way quarterbacking style, but not as potent as top puck movers, and for Beauchemin it's the puck stopping style, but never known to be top-pairing quality.
The Blazers also have capable defenders further down, With Barrett Jackman's sly-style of defending, and the sheer height and beef of Kurtis Foster and Garnet Exelby (#3). It'll be tough to determine whether or not this rag-tag group of defensemen will be deceivingly good, or expectedly sub-par.
Goaltending
Man, Roman Cechmanek. He was a cheat code on NHL 2002, probably something you've heard from me before. However, he was a real life cheat code in real life as well, with him being such a dominant goalie for the Flyers and Kings. Unfortunately, that was only a 4 year span, since he decided to stay in the Czech Republic after the lockout. In hindsight, this could be a very smart pick from Kamloops, because they know they have a dominant puck stopper, but it depends if he decides to bring on his prime self with him. We also have to remember the teams in front of Cechmanek were very good. Will he have that same look with Kamloops, looking ahead of his bushy unibrow?
Behind him in net will be the great Mikael Tellqvist, who I fell has one of the better Swedish last names on the planet. This backup will be less shaky than other backups on other teams, but there will be moments where we see more than our expected goals allowed. We also have to ask the question of what kind of start splitting we'll see in Kamloops. We know Cechmanek will get a lot of starts, but how many specifically?
The 'Real Season' of the Kamloops Blazers
This Kamloops Blazers team in 1997-98 was a very stout defensive team. The only issue with them is that they couldn't score. They were among the bottom 6 teams in the WHL in scoring, and it really shows when your leading scorer had under a point per game. Donnie Kinney had an impressive 89 point outing the year prior, but stayed undrafted, which might have hit his confidence. He followed up with only 62 points, and ended up only playing 16 career games in the ECHL whilst ending his playing career with the University of Regina. Otherwise, there actually isn't too many noteworthy names to look at, except for a young 17-year old Robyn Regehr (ha!), who had a decent season, but nothing noteworthy himself (4-10-14, 120 PIM).
The Blazers finished 37-32-3, good enough for fourth in the division, and a playoff spot, giving Prince George a run for their money, but ultimately losing in 7 games.
The Cieling
Lecavalier, Gaborik and Erat (The LEG Line?) prove me right, dominating the CHL scene themselves, each finding their way on the top of the points leaderboards. The Cechmanek bid pays off, and he posts career-low numbers. The defense surprise many, and give Cechmanek a lot of help, as the Blazers find their way to glory.
The Floor
The Blazers can't get any scoring past their LEG line, the defense is as advertised, and looks shaky all season, giving Cechmanek no help whatsoever. Speaking of Cechmanek, with him getting more starts than he's used to, he gets tired, and starts slipping, showing unorthodoxly high numbers, and the Blazers burn out quickly, wondering what happened?
The Team
Forwards
The forward core for the Blazers will be led by the tall stature of Vinny Lecavalier, who was basically the guy that made Tampa Bay relevant for all these years... or was it Rob Zamuner and his 1998 Olympics selection? Anyways, Lecavalier's playmaking abilities will be on display in Kamloops alongside what is most likely to be Marian Gaborik, a powerful shot, and Martin Erat, the first of three stolen Saskatoon Blades players, but I digress on that subject. In what can be made as one of the more impressive top lines in the CHL, this line could dominate games at any given time, and we wouldn't really know who lead the charge. Any three of them can be a potent weapon, and given leader to a team.
Alongside those three are a solid group of grinding talent. Guys like Darcy Hordichuk (#2), Ales Kotalik, David Legwand, and others will help the defensive side of the puck, but hopefully they will bring their own firepower with them, and they don't overly rely on that amazing first line. History has shown how often that one-line teams are successful, so Kamloops is hoping they are more than just a one line team.
Defense
The defense for the Blazers is a little weaker than most, in some opinions, but have a chance to surprise some people. Most teams have a definitive top defenseman that they can look at and say 'Yep, that's our guy', but with Kamloops, there's not quite that one name that sticks out to the the #1. The two that could be the top pairing looks to be John-Michael Liles and Francois Beauchemin, both former Maple Leaf players, and both very capable of playing their style of hockey. With Liles, it's that two-way quarterbacking style, but not as potent as top puck movers, and for Beauchemin it's the puck stopping style, but never known to be top-pairing quality.
The Blazers also have capable defenders further down, With Barrett Jackman's sly-style of defending, and the sheer height and beef of Kurtis Foster and Garnet Exelby (#3). It'll be tough to determine whether or not this rag-tag group of defensemen will be deceivingly good, or expectedly sub-par.
Goaltending
Man, Roman Cechmanek. He was a cheat code on NHL 2002, probably something you've heard from me before. However, he was a real life cheat code in real life as well, with him being such a dominant goalie for the Flyers and Kings. Unfortunately, that was only a 4 year span, since he decided to stay in the Czech Republic after the lockout. In hindsight, this could be a very smart pick from Kamloops, because they know they have a dominant puck stopper, but it depends if he decides to bring on his prime self with him. We also have to remember the teams in front of Cechmanek were very good. Will he have that same look with Kamloops, looking ahead of his bushy unibrow?
Behind him in net will be the great Mikael Tellqvist, who I fell has one of the better Swedish last names on the planet. This backup will be less shaky than other backups on other teams, but there will be moments where we see more than our expected goals allowed. We also have to ask the question of what kind of start splitting we'll see in Kamloops. We know Cechmanek will get a lot of starts, but how many specifically?
The 'Real Season' of the Kamloops Blazers
This Kamloops Blazers team in 1997-98 was a very stout defensive team. The only issue with them is that they couldn't score. They were among the bottom 6 teams in the WHL in scoring, and it really shows when your leading scorer had under a point per game. Donnie Kinney had an impressive 89 point outing the year prior, but stayed undrafted, which might have hit his confidence. He followed up with only 62 points, and ended up only playing 16 career games in the ECHL whilst ending his playing career with the University of Regina. Otherwise, there actually isn't too many noteworthy names to look at, except for a young 17-year old Robyn Regehr (ha!), who had a decent season, but nothing noteworthy himself (4-10-14, 120 PIM).
The Blazers finished 37-32-3, good enough for fourth in the division, and a playoff spot, giving Prince George a run for their money, but ultimately losing in 7 games.
The Cieling
Lecavalier, Gaborik and Erat (The LEG Line?) prove me right, dominating the CHL scene themselves, each finding their way on the top of the points leaderboards. The Cechmanek bid pays off, and he posts career-low numbers. The defense surprise many, and give Cechmanek a lot of help, as the Blazers find their way to glory.
The Floor
The Blazers can't get any scoring past their LEG line, the defense is as advertised, and looks shaky all season, giving Cechmanek no help whatsoever. Speaking of Cechmanek, with him getting more starts than he's used to, he gets tired, and starts slipping, showing unorthodoxly high numbers, and the Blazers burn out quickly, wondering what happened?
