Portland Bluebacks
Don’t mess with a good thing. Given the way that the Bluebacks dominated the regular season and rolled to an easy division win, it’s no surprise that GM Taylor Teichman largely decided to run it back for 2021. Only two players from the 2020 roster, neither a major contributor, will not return this season. Third-line C Cliff Derringer is gone, replaced by rookie Nikolai Valkov. On the blue line, Portland let veteran Hans Mortensen walk, replacing him with Valeri Nistrumov. With all the familiar faces, the Bluebacks should expect similar results. Their unstoppable offense, which produced the second-most goals in the SHL last season, should be just as potent this year. Their respectable defense should be backstopped capably by the reliable goaltending tandem of Jesse Clarkson and Sonny Kashiuk, both of whom had career seasons in 2020. Even given the rising level of competition in the West, Portland has an excellent shot to return to the postseason. The key question is whether the Bluebacks can get over the hump and win the Vandy. The last two seasons in a row, their season came to a swift end at the hands of Anchorage. Is the third time the charm for the boys from the Pacific Northwest? And if it isn’t, will coach Harold Engellund wind up paying with his job? Teichman and the front office may have some tough questions to answer next offseason, but they’re well positioned to have fun this season.
Anchorage Igloos
Fans coming to Arctic Circle Arena this season will notice a number of changes. The biggest and most obvious change is the Igloos’ new-look logo and uniforms, but there will be a number of new faces in those unis as well. Anchorage turned over half of its defensive corps, largely for salary cap-related reasons. They made the tough decision to let captain Ted Keefe walk, in addition to parting with Olaf Martinsson and “Chilly Willy” Calligan. Taking their place are a trio of rookies: Laszlo Cierny, Brian Coldivar, and Thor Dalmgaard. All three had strong seasons in the minors last year, but that’s a lot of change; expect the Igloos’ normally stout defense to take a step back, at least initially. Offensively, there will be changes as well. The Igloos are wagering that C Tom Hoffman‘s breakout season was the real deal, inking him to a four-year, $10 million extension. Extending Hoffman meant that they couldn’t keep RW Waldo Miranda or LW Tadeusz Adamczyk. They make an excellent move to replace Adamczyk, landing highly sought-after prospect Veikko Sikanen. To fill Miranda’s spot on the second, Anchorage turned to journeyman Trevor Green. They also chose not to resign backup goalie Wendall Cantillon, although he lost his job to Curt Freeze midway through last season. What do all these changes add up to? Anchorage should still be a strong contender, as their brightest stars (LW Jerry Koons, C Jake Frost, starting goalie Ty Worthington) remain intact. Assuming that Hoffman doesn’t regress and the rookie defensemen prove up to the task, they have a good shot at winning another Vandy. If the young blueliners aren’t ready or if Hoffman and Green stumble, however, they might miss the postseason altogether. For a fan base that’s come to treat the Finals as a birthright, that might be a tough pill to swallow.
Saskatchewan Shockers
Have the Shockers already missed their window? For the last several years, Saskatchewan has been considered a team on the rise. Coach Morris Thompson has instilled a strong defensive identity, and owner Heinz Doofenshmirtz has spent freely to improve; believe it or not, the small-market Shockers have the SHL’s highest payroll this season. But it’s not clear whether they spent their money wisely, and whether the additions have made the team better. They outbid several teams for backup netminder Wendall Cantillon, who is regarded as promising but is coming off a down year in which he posted worse stats than last year’s backup, Shawn Stickel. They signed RW Nori Takoyaki to plug a hole on the second line, but he too is coming off of a disappointing season and is arguably no better than Brad Stevens, the player he replaced. They had a pair of open defensive slots, but rather than promote one of their minor leaguers, like Pierre Chappelle or Graham Bellinger, they acquired Buster Kratz from Washington and reunited with Timothy “Cyclone” Winston, one of their original players. In short, although they’ve spent a significant amount of money, it’s not clear how much they’ve improved a team that missed the playoffs by 12 points last season. The good news is that they’re probably due for some better luck. particularly on offense. Last season, the Shockers outshot their opponents significantly (averaging 34.4 shots per game vs. 32 allowed), but they were slightly outscored for the season due to a flukishly low shooting percentage. They also struggled on special teams; their power play was dead last at 14.5%, while their 79.9% penalty kill percentage was ninth. If more of their shots find the back of the net this year and the PP and PK improve, that might be enough to get Saskatchewan their long-sought playoff berth. But all the teams that finished below them last season made significant moves to improve, so it’s possible that the Shockers may find themselves a capped-out team with a ceiling of “pretty good,” which is a bad place to be.
Kansas City Smoke
Last season, with Rookie of the Year Bengt Frederiksson leading the way, the Smoke made a huge step forward, finishing out of the cellar for the first time. GM Garth Melvin didn’t shy away from using their ample salary-cap space to make some big moves, trading for LW “Flyin’ Ryan” Airston to add some more scoring punch, and shoring up their suspect defense with a pair of ex-Dakota blueliners, Alex Angelos and Rodney Black (with top prospect Lowell Sharkey waiting in the wings). Kansas City should have a strong offense next season, with perhaps one of the league’s best top lines, and a defense that’s at least decent if not spectacular. Not all of the money that Melvin spent was necessarily wise, however. The Smoke had a gaping hole on the left wing, so they traded for a pair of veterans, Stellan Fisker and Charlie Brooks. Fisker has been in sharp decline over the last two injury-plagues seasons, and Brooks is a likeable clubhouse presence but only marginally productive. In acquiring both, Melvin sacrificed a pair of promising young players – C Owen Griffin and RW Rene Courcel – and blocked the progress of prospect Aaron Knorr, who might be better than either Fisker or Brooks at this stage of their careers. It’s also strange that none of Melvin’s spending went toward upgrading the team’s abysmal goaltending, in spite of the fact that the Smoke finished with a league-worst .898 save percentage last season, they plan to trot out the same tandem of Rocky Goldmire and Dennis Wampler that were chiefly responsible for that embarrassment. If Goldmire can rediscover the form he showed back in Seattle two seasons ago, maybe KC can lean on their explosive top line and eke out enough 5-4 wins to sneak into contention. More likely, though, their dynamic offense will be undermined be weak goaltending and a lack of scoring depth, and the Smoke will find their way back to the basement.
Michigan Gray Wolves
2020 was a season to forget for the Wolves. They’d hoped that the end-of-season skid that cost them a playoff berth in 2019 was just a fluke. Instead, they staggered out of the gate and never found their stride, coach Ron Wright resigned in midseason, and Michigan wound up in a shocking tie for last in the West. SHL fans are used to the idea of the Wolves as perennial contender, but the hard truth is that the team has an aging roster and has gone 31-48-11 in their last 90 games. GM Tim Carrier saw the need for change, and made a number of savvy moves to revamp the roster and try to keep the team’s window open. He traded for C Cyril Perignon from Saskatchewan and RW Remi Montrechere from Hershey, overhauling the second line. He strengthened their already-strong defense by signing Olaf Martinsson and Willy Calligan away from their longtime rivals in Anchorage. Is it enough, though? In spite of the upgrades, the Wolves are still likely to have the league’s worst offense (although Quebec and Washington will also contend for that dubious honor). That means that the Wolves’ fate is likely to rest, as usual, in the hands of goalie Dirk “The Bear” Lundquist. It’s impossible to count out any team with Lundquist in the crease. But he is turning 31, and last season’s numbers (14-26-8, 2.46 GAA, .924 save percentage) were by far the worst of his career. If Lundquist is able to return to his usual world-beating form next season, Michigan may well be in position to contend. But if last season turns out to be the beginning of his decline, the Wolves’ feeble offense may doom them to another disappointing season.
Milwaukee Growlers
Before the Growlers even take the ice this season, they’ve already scored an important victory for the league, as the sad seasons-long saga of the Dakota Jackalopes has finally come to an end. The perpetually cash-strapped franchise reached the breaking point last season, when the league stepped in to veto a pair of salary-dumping trades and assume control of the team. They wound up selling the team to former Igloos co-owner Colin Mills, who relocated them to the Cream City. So even if the Growlers finish in the cellar, the SHL will be grateful to be done with the Dakota headache at last. But Mills wasn’t content to stop there. He empowered new GM Ken Lindstrom to spend freely and strengthen the roster, which Lindstrom promptly did. Milwaukee’s splashiest signing was veteran C Rod Remington, who will turbocharge the Growlers’ second line. But Lindstrom also improved the team in other areas as well. He added LW Zachary Merula to rebalance and reconfigure the top line. He swung a trade for LW Pascal Royal, who will add some offensive punch on the third line skating opposite first-round pick Quincy Mondile. He added Cedric Meloche and Terry “T-Rex” Hendricks to an underrated blueline group. Perhaps the Growlers’ biggest addition, though, was behind the bench, where Rodney Reagle – who managed a pair of SHL Finals appearances in Washington – provides instant credibility along with plenty of laughs. Is all that enough to lead the franchise to its first-ever postseason appearance? It’s certainly possible, as Milwaukee should be strong on both sides of the puck. They should have the offense to go toe-to-toe with Anchorage and Portland, while their defense may be the second-best in the division behind Michigan. The key question may be whether second-year netminder Lorne Mollenkamp and rookie Kelvin White are up to the task of backstopping a contender. If they excel and the rest of the roster works as well on the ice as they look on paper, this team could be genuinely dangerous. The best bet, though, is that the Growlers still need a year to ferment.
Projected Finish:
1. Portland
2. Anchorage
3. Milwaukee
4. Saskatchewan
5. Michigan
6. Kansas City
SHL Hockey 