SPNHL, Season 37: Season Preview – “It’s Good To Be Back!”
By: Dirty-Dietrich.
It’s a cloudy afternoon in Mississauga, Ontario. The birds are chirping outside my window and are barely audible over the sound of my unnecessarily large fan. It’s quite cloudy outside, looking like it’s going to rain, and a small lamp illuminates my (basement) apartment. It feels very much like a day in autumn, albeit in the middle of summer, and one element is key to this experience: HOCKEY IS BACK!
In a bubble world, the NHL has commenced their Stanley Cup qualifiers as they continue the season after an almost five-month hiatus. While it hasn’t been as long of a break for those of us in the SPNHL, the excitement of the return of both leagues is overwhelming: some of the best players in the world are playing in my backyard, and some of the biggest scrubs in the community are ready to take to the virtual ice.
After an incredibly competitive 36th season, the Sony Playstation Hockey League has returned for it’s 37th installment! Going 9 years strong, we here in the SPNHL were anticipating 36 being the last season before the move to NHL 21, but due to the unique circumstances that developers have found themselves subject to, we have another summer season in the SPNHL. Contrary to the usual 5 week season, this 6 week marathon will carry into September and will crown our Stanley Cup champions in the beginning of October.
Season 36 was one of the largest seasons we had seen in quite some time, reaching 14 teams for the first time in a couple of years after falling below double digits near the end of last year. Season 37 continues the trend from last season, with 7 teams in each conference vying for one of the 4 playoff spots in each conference. There’s no byes, there’s no qualifiers, you just have to play your best hockey for six weeks amidst a race against 13 other challenging teams.
You’ve got a good mix of new, returning, and experienced GMs at the helm for teams that have drafted some fairly competent squads. Bufford80, Diirty_triix_13, and Wheelchairdevon8 are looking to rebound from last season’s disappointments, while Reapz2313, TrueLegend07, and Xx_Kapanen_Xx look to continue their success in the league. IceyAsylum23, Imperial_Blaze94, and tripZ504 are looking to make names for themselves as new owners in the league, while Cookie_man_412, Dirty-Dietrich, ProdigyToLegend, sportsgeek5, and XYuhMarvDuhManX are looking to remind people of how good they are at captaining teams in this league.
Speaking of those GMs, let’s see who they drafted, their probable starting line, their strengths and weaknesses, and all that jazz! We’ll start with the eastern conference.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit Red Wings
GM: Reapz2313.
Starting 6
LW: Reapz2313.
C: KIDMON3Y.
RW: LeCupidon.
LD: Faaa_Kueue.
RD: curtisx18x.
G: Eddie2708_.
X-Factor: LeCupidon.
Strength: chemistry. This forward trio seems inseparable, and it’s remarkable that no other GMs try to take KID or Cupidon away from Reapz. These three know each other inside and out, and with a good puck moving defender like FK, they’ll be more potent than ever.
Weakness: defense. It’s not a glaring weakness by any means, but I had to find something. Curtis has had success in other leagues, while matrik and dedstarks have toiled in the lower levels of other leagues. Joe is a viable backup option at D, but expect to see him play more forward.
Overall: once again, Reapz has put together a competent team that has a chance of making the playoffs. Their offense is established, their defense has potential, and Eddie and Clark compose a talented duo that will backstop this team to victory. These balanced Red Wings will be a challenge for any team in a talented eastern conference.
Projected finish: 3rd in the east.
New Jersey Devils
GM: TrueLegend07.
Starting 6
LW: TrueLegend07.
C: bstieboydp.
RW: toslick.
LD: AAli-21.
RD: DJ_DeaThSlapz85.
G: dreamteamm66.
X-Factor: bstieboydp.
Strength: offense. This entire top line broke the 100 point threshold last season, with toslick leading the way with 145 points. A feat rarely achieved, but those performances are likely to be duplicated with AAli back there moving the puck up to these guys. Don’t be surprised if AAli joins them in the century club.
Weakness: depth. With a $35 million salary cap, the Devils have $28 million tied up in 4 players. While they have value players that are established in other league like DJ and dreamteam, they may face some adversity if they’re forced to play their backups consistently.
Overall: this team will light teams up. True and bstie have chemistry that will be complemented by the finishing abilities of toslick, while AAli and and DJ will shut down counter offenses and will make dreamteam’s life as easy as possible.
Projected finish: 1st in the east.
Ottawa Senators
GM: Wheelchairdevon8.
Starting 6
LW: Bunzy-62.
C: Lo-Maximus .
RW: Randymarsh2012.
LD: SA_Pliskin.
RD: malf922.
G: Wheelchairdevon8.
X-Factor: Bunzy-62.
Strength: chemistry. As Plisk mentioned, getting Randy was completing their little circle. Malf and Plisk have plaed defense together before, while Lomax and Randy have had success playing together that will be complemented by Bunzy.
Weakness: top-tier talent. Bunzy and Lomax are good players, but not that elite player that most other teams seem to have that will drive their offense. This team will rely on their depth a lot, but when it comes to those big games, they don’t have the player that can step up and change the game.
Overall: the Senators look like they’ll have a lot of fun playing games. They have a good group of guys that are serviceable, but in a stacked eastern conference, that’s not gonna cut it. If they find a way to upgrade their defense, and maybe goaltending, then they’ll achieve more success in the east. Otherwise, I don’t think they’ll be a contender.
Projected finish: 6th in the east.
Philadelphia Flyers
GM: XYuhMarvDuhManX.
Starting 6
LW: GrammyHands.
C: Pfarrcyde23.
RW: Servnspike.
LD: Eggman–1.
RD: M1keal.
G: XYuhMarvDuhManX.
X-Factor: GrammyHands.
Strength: depth. For drafting late in rounds, Marv put together an incredibly solid team with a lot of depth at each position. They’re set offensively with backup options in Shockers and Ernie, and Carbeen and Beaster will fortify their back end quite effectively.
Weakness: the right side. Serv can make an effective RW if needed, but he is better suited down the middle. Grammy is not a natural RW but can play it, while the only natural right defender on their roster is signed up at RW and may want to play there more.
Overall: albeit they may have some trouble on their right side, this team will more than make up for it with the even spread of talent at all positions. With talented offense and a solid defensive core, expect the Flyers to be very competitive in a tough alignment of teams.
Projected finish: 4th in the east.
Pittsburgh Penguins
GM: Cookie_man_412.
Starting 6
LW: vxWoytkiw8xv.
C: ACK-stonerboy.
RW: MAGIC_MIKEY1.
LD: Cookie_man_412.
RD: Bostonbruins_4_.
G: wade-belak .
X-Factor: vxWoytkiw8xv.
Strength: offense. Woy and Stoner together? That’s absurd. Stoner is a former first overall pick in this league and one of the best two way forwards in the league, while Woy is one of the most offensively dynamic players in SP history. What more could you ask for?
Weakness: defense. I think Sleez has the ability to surprise some people and take over the starting job from Cookie, but otherwise, this team may run into some problems at the position. Bruins and Cookie are a serviceable defensive pairing, but don’t compare against other teams.
Overall: Woy and Stoner will have to carry this team. They have some decent depth options, but if this team has any chance of competing, they’re going to have to rely heavily on that duo. I see the Penguins in a similar position to last season: a bubble playoff team, just missing it.
Tampa Bay Lightning
GM: Bufford80.
Starting 6
LW: bluedevil631.
C: i9i-stamkos-i1ic.
RW: hypey-.
LD: PistolPete7788_.
RD: DodgesBlueShells.
G: Bufford80.
X-Factor: hypey-.
Strength: offense. Bufford had a much better draft than last season, taking Stamkos with the first pick, then two solid puck moving defenders in DBS and Pete, and filling out their top 6 with Bluedevil. When it comes to pure offense, there may be no better team than Tampa Bay.
Weakness: goaltending. Bufford is not a starting caliber goaltender, at least according to his previous performances. Duhaime and Steele as backup goaltenders are serviceable, but this team will need a better netminder if they want to be a favourite to win it all.
Overall: while I wouldn’t list them as a favourite to win it all yet, I would definitely list them as a contender and one of the better teams in the east. If they trade an offensive asset for a goaltender (hey Buff, let’s chat!), then they may cross that threshold into a favourite.
Projected finish: 2nd in the east.
Toronto Maple Leafs
GM: Imperial_Blaze94.
Starting 6
LW: xSalda.
C: Imperial_Blaze94.
RW: Yesc__.
LD: GaMeRzBrOknThMbZ.
RD: Dynasty1989.
G: SgtVandoos.
X-Factor: Yesc__.
Strength: defense. Dynasty and Gamer could be one of the most underrated defensive duos in the league, and if Yesc and Patrick play together up front, you have two talented forwards who will back check and contribute to this team’s defensive performance.
Weakness: goaltending. Vandoos has rebounded in recent seasons, but I don’t think he’s gonna thrive as the only goaltender on this roster. The defense in front of him will be fine, but unless Imperial helps out Vandoos in the pipes by either acquiring another netminder or putting in some time himself, the Leafs will be weak in net.
Overall: the Leafs have solid offensive and defensive depth, but there are too many question marks on this roster. Salda is a great player, but will he mesh with this locker room? Will Yesc play D or F? The uncertainty of this team makes me question their chance at success.
Projected finish: 7th in the east.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Anaheim Ducks
GM: Diirty_triix_13.
Starting 6
LW: PXSTRNAK-_-.
C: Diirty_triix_13.
RW: henny_16.
LD: DudNastyy.
RD: IsaacRixon.
G: Defaults-Potato.
X-Factor: DudNastyy.
Strength: back end. Starting off with the Dud on defense, the Ducks already had one of the best defenders in the league. They rounded out their core by adding last season’s Norris winner ExE, while adding Rixon and Silky as depth options. Those four defenders will be playing in front of Potato/Starfox and Beast, one of the better goaltending duos in the league.
Weakness: combustible elements. Jclaus once called Dud one of the most toxic players he has ever had to play with, ExE and Dud are not the best of friends, Silky has been traded twice before the season has even started, and I don’t think Triix is going to be in the mood to deal with any BS after a frustrating campaign last season.
Overall: I see this team having no problem co-existing, as their natural talent will force everybody to get along for the greater good. Their team is well rounded with excellent depth and will definitely be a team to watch for in the west. If Henny and Triix can mesh well together, these guys could be a favourite to win the whole thing.
Projected finish: 3rd in the west.
Edmonton Oilers
GM: Dirty-Dietrich.
Starting 6
LW: XIPASSUSCOREX.
C: DeathClxwn.
RW: Dirty-Dietrich.
LD: l9lTKJOSl8l.
RD: rharmer3.
G: ciulla19.
X-Factor: DeathClxwn.
Strength: back end. Much like the Ducks, the Oilers prioritized defense and goaltending in this draft. TK and rharmer are established defenders that have achieved success in other leagues, while Duper and Trout add depth to a talented defensive core. With ciulla in net, and mallia as their backup, Edmonton will not have to worry about a poor performance between the pipes.
Weakness: availability. Looking at Edmonton’s lines for the week, and players are all over the place. With the playoffs underway in multiple leagues, it may be a rarity to see the Oilers’ top line playing together consistently for the first few weeks. Without a consistent lineup for the majority of their first three nights, will the Oilers falter out of the gate?
Overall: in my honest and totally unbiased opinion, the Oilers have too much talent and experience on their roster to let some mixed lineups negatively affect their performance and attitudes. They have talent and depth at each position and will have no problems winning games no matter who they put out on the ice.
Projected finish: 4th in the West.
Minnesota Wild
GM: sportsgeek5.
Starting 6
LW: Papadamou_l88l.
C: BarDownskii_90.
RW: shepard-88-.
LD: SNAKE_-_PLISSKIN.
RD: sportsgeek5.
G: chadkillz134.
X-Factor: chadkillz134.
Strength: back end. This is becoming a recurring theme in the western conference, isn’t it? Sportsgeek drafted two defenders and a goalie in the first three rounds of the draft, an interesting decision when he himself plays D and G. However, he got one of the best goalies in SP in Chad and two of the best defenders in Snake and Shepard. They’ll be more than fine back there.
Weakness: offense. What you gain in defense and goaltending, you must sacrifice in offense. Beantwn may not have been the best forward to resign out of what he had available, and I don’t expect to see BarDownskii make it a full season on this roster. LW is solid with Papadamou, CSM, and EzPz as options, but they lack talent down the middle and right side.
Overall: Minnesota did the same thing last season and prioritized defense and goaltending. While this is a new core of players, it looks like the identity stays the same, and the Wild’s success this season will depend on how well they fare in their own zone. I doubted them before, and they excelled last season, but I don’t see them replicating that success.
Projected finish: 5th in the west.
San Jose Sharks
GM: Xx_Kapanen_Xx.
Starting 6
LW: Xxdiistortedxx.
C: Xx_Kapanen_Xx.
RW: Duchesne_x_10.
LD: Visibility12.
RD: NowYoDead.
G: Spencer_Knight30.
X-Factor: Spencer_Knight30.
Strength: offense. Kapanen is a good two-way C who could have won the Selke a few seasons ago (not last season, jackass), and has a good core of wingers around him in Duchesne (a top scorer in other leagues), diistorted, neeposh, and breckzy. San Jose has the offensive depth to be a problem for many teams in this league.
Weakness: defense. The Sharks made a very questionable decision by drafting Visibility in the second round when names like Cuban, Shepard, and Eggman were on the board. Teamrun could have a rebound season, and if NYD focuses more on D this season, this team could thrive. I don’t see either of those scenarios happening, unfortunately.
Overall: unlike the other teams covered in this conference thus far, this team focused on offense first. It may come to bite them in the backside, as I don’t believe they have the defensive ability to shut down some of the stronger teams in the league. Spencer will have to play even better than last season if San Jose wants to make it into the playoffs.
Projected finish: 6th in the west (will Duchesne be this season’s whitetees?)
Vancouver Canucks
GM: tripZ504.
Starting 6
LW: C-McAvoy73.
C: zzzRy0.
RW: Heroic_veil2.
LD: Cuban1616.
RD: steelersfan26.
G: Fivestarcoock.
X-Factor: zzzRy0.
Strength: defense. The trend in the west continues, as Vancouver started out with two defenders in tripz and steelers. While some may have questioned this pick in the resign draft, they drafted zzzRy0 and Cuban in the first two rounds. A former defender turned C in Ry0, he’ll be able to support the defense when called upon as an elite two-way player.
Weakness: while they have a great C in Ry0, they don’t have much around him. Heroic (aka Steel) is a decent RW but not the top line talent you would want to compliment this C. With no natural LW on their roster, McAvoy will have to step up, and their depth options in Mayfield, Cors, and Rambo may not hold up in comparison to other teams.
Overall: we played these guys last week and the result was not pretty. It may be an exhibition game (against an incomplete lineup, to be fair), but if that game is any telling of how their season is going to go, it’s going to be a long one. Outside of Cuban, zzzRy0, and maybe fivestar, Vancouver doesn’t have that high-level talent that is needed to succeed in this league.
Projected finish: 7th in the west.
Vegas Golden Knights
GM: IceyAsylum23.
Starting 6
LW: mjvoell4.
C: JonFromEarth.
RW: Vanisk-.
LD: Fluri37.
RD: CaptCanada_.
G: IceyAsylum23.
X-Factor: mjvoell4.
Strength: offense. Vegas made good use of their two first round picks and snatched up mjvoell and Jon, one of the most talented top line duos in this league. Vanisk will learn a lot on a line with them, and with Fluri playing his first full season in quite some time at LD, the Knights are going to be putting up high goal totals all season.
Weakness: depth. I was gonna go goaltending on this one but I feel like I should stop giving Icey so much hell. Imcensored and kingtom have experience in other leagues without much success, while Budz and spank don’t have the same caliber of talent as their starters in Fluri and Icey. Vegas needs their full top line out there for at least 4 or 5 games per week.
Overall: in his first season as a GM, and with some help from Fluri, Icey drafted a very good team that, in my opinion, will be a contender for the cup, or maybe even a favourite. They have a great top line, and solid defensive duo (hi Capt), and a goalie looking to make a statement. Watch out for Vegas this season.
Projected finish: 2nd in the west.
Winnipeg Jets
GM: ProdigyToLegend.
Starting 6
LW: i_Zinczy_i_TV.
C: PBM_TroyJ.
RW: Glachs.
LD: ProdigyToLegend.
RD: ttommyboiii.
G: dophares2000.
X-Factor: PBM_TroyJ.
Strength: offense. You have two of the best puck moving defenders in the game at your blueline in ttommy and Prodigy. You have two of the most dynamic scorers in the game in zinczy and Troy. With depth options in Bart, Gallagher, and Brann, the Jets will be flying high on the scoresheets all season long.
Weakness: this one is a hard one. I’m going to get super specific here and say defensive depth. Noto and Broken are both big question marks: Broken played very inconsistently in Calgary’s cup run last season, and Noto can be a great defender or a garbage defender. There’s no middle ground for him.
Overall: I think this team has the best chance out of the gate at winning the Stanley Cup this season. That might be a bold statement, but as an amateur eSports journalist, that’s how you build a career. They have the best top 6 in the league right now, and out of the top 4 teams in the league, I think they have the edge when it comes down to big games.
Projected finish: 1st in the West.
Let’s review our pre-season power rankings.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
- New Jersey Devils.
- Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Detroit Red Wings.
- Philadelphia Flyers.
- Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Ottawa Senators.
- Toronto Maple Leafs.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
- Winnipeg Jets.
- Vegas Golden Knights.
- Anaheim Ducks.
- Edmonton Oilers.
- Minnesota Wild.
- San Jose Sharks.
- Vancouver Canucks.
As we begin our 37th season, I would like to share a few tidbits of advice I have gathered from being in this league for 10 seasons.
1.) Don’t be a dick to your teammates. This will do nothing at all. Give them advice or coach them if they’re playing sub-par. I’ve been fortunate enough to play with some great players and learn a lot from them.
2.) Have fun out there. At the end of it all, it’s a video game at a competitive level. It’s not life or death, so don’t let a few goals or a few losses discourage you.
3.) Respect the boss. Whether you’re a player or a GM, show a bit of respect to your superior. It will go a long way in making your career or season a bit easier or more successful.
As always, we’ll be reviewing the week of action on SPNHL: Off the Ice! Join us at https://twitch.tv/thespnhl_media where Pliskin, Fluri, an assortment of guests, and myself will be discussing all of what happened in the league in the past 7 days. From big trades to blowouts, from great games to gripes, and everything in between, we’ll be covering it on saturday nights around the 9 pm mark. Follow and turn on notifications to see when we go live, we try to schedule it for saturday nights but life gets in the way sometimes.
Good luck to everybody this season, we’ll see you on the ice!
- DD.