The Big Time Hockey League

Kelowna Storm:

Offence: B+

\"No. We repeat: This is not a BTHL Cup hangover. We are only experiencing momentary difficulties. Please stand by.\" A true test in every sense for this club is the tempest they\'re facing in the scope of injuries to key players. Marian Gaborik is the lifeblood of this club, and his loss to an undisclosed chest injury for 4-6 weeks is a huge one. Right now, he accounts for more than 20 percent of the teams goals, and also leads the team in points. When he returns, he\'ll pick back up on a 3 game scoring streak, and will likely bring a smile to Andrew Brunette\'s face, Gab\'s benefactor, who will surely struggle during his absence. Picking up Keith Tkachuk to help carry part of the load is looking even larger now, with Brian Gionta gone up to a month with a scratched cornea. Does Frolov have the stuff to step it up during this time of need?

Defence: B

Niklas Kronwall is continuing to reward trig GM Ryan Archer, who refused several other managers a trade involving the young, talented defender. His +13 rating is second on the corps only to Chris Phillips (+20), who has really stepped into a leadership mold for the blueline. Mike Commodore\'s 137 hits places him in company with Zdeno Chara and Brendan Witt, two annual leaders in that category. Other than his 2 game winning goals, Filip Kuba has disappointed slightly, and is not playing to his potential, and is a -13 after 44 games played.

Goaltending: B+

The defending cup champs have it where it counts, and that\'s between the pipes. Their stength is the ability to put either Roloson or Raycroft in net, with the chance to compete and come out with a \"W\" every game. Roloson has stepped to the plate and improved his save percentage to .903, while Raycroft has already had some memorable games this season, nailing down important inter-divisional games. Most importantly, they have proved their effectiveness in the post season, and really, what more can a General Manager ask of his keepers?

Intangibles: A-

This rating would be a flat-out \"A\"... if their PK weren\'t ailing them so. Ranked at 20th in the League with an 84.1% efficiency won\'t return them to the grandeur they enjoyed last season. But, not to overstate the obvious, but a team that can win 16 post season games before anyone else MUST be doing something right.

Utopia Decepticons:

Offence: A+

It is no secret that Dan O\'Flaherty posesses the most gifted and enviable line-up of Forwards in the League. Most teams, given a Rick Nash or an Anze Kopitar, would have them playing 1st line time, and probably work them over on at least the powerplay. As it stands, Rick Nash plays 4th line time, and Anze Kopitar doesn\'t even have a spot to play in. Lecavalier, Heatley, Alfredsson, Crosby and Ovechkin all have 40 points or better. \'Nuff said.

Defence: A

One might get a notion they could perhaps squeak out a win or two in a playoff series versus this club, were it they were built on offensive prowess alone. Not the case here. Nicklas Lidstrom is the anchor that Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Wade Redden and Lubomir Visnovsky cling to, and it holds this ship very firmly in BTHL waters. The team\'s 6th ranked team defense is quite formidable, and their penalty kill ranks 10th in the League. Look for Liddy to get the nod as a finalist for the Norris trophy.

Goaltending: A

A small ripple of rumours runs through the League about this topic: How long will Miikka Kiprusoff be the starting goaltender in Utopia? Both Kari Lehtonen and Pascal Leclaire are chomping at the bit to become heir apparent, but the Kipper was brought in with one mission in mind - Rings. Cup Rings. He\'s already made good on that arrangement, and figures to add more before he\'s succeeded. He\'s come a long way since Chicago, but similar to Patrick Roy in that he just wants to own more records than anyone else, and he\'s making a serious stab this year, to.

Intangibles: A-

It\'s hard not to admire a statistic like 3.70 goals for a game. It\'s just as difficult not to recognize how many weapons this team has in it\'s arsenal, and the last piece of the equation is how well they blend it all together and make it work. Specials teams are doing great, and are not far off from recording exceptional numbers; make no mistake about it, this club has been built like a brick privy: Immovable, built to last, and you leave feeling like you\'ve had the crap knocked outta ya. Interestingly, the club is currently 4.5 million over the League cap, leaving speculation there might need to be some housecleaning of talent before too long.

Quebec Mustangs:

Offence: C+

The Mustangs made a couple of offseason moves that are paying quite high dividends right now, namely the acquisition of Doug Weight and Bill Guerin, numbers 1 and 4 in team scoring, respectively. JP Dumont looks poised to have a great season, and should continue to flourish under present managements direction, especially if given the proper guidance and pairing with supporting players. Their 15th ranked power play could use some help, though, and are scoring 2.39 goals per game, which is good enough for 20th in the League.

Defence: C+

Given another season or two, this ranking would surely be higher, given the emergence of Luc Bourdon, Marc Staal and Kris Letang (Letang having a good start in his rookie campaign) on the backend. But this is a \'now\' viewpoint, and Greg de Vries may lead blueliners in points (17), but a -16 rating in 43 games played. Garnet Exelby has been holding up his end of the bargain, with a respectable 12 points, +5 rating, and is bangin\' away with 103 hits under his belt. Good outlook for this group.

Goaltending: B+

This should be the \'Stangity Stangs bread and butter for many, many meals to come. MA Fleury has played a tonne of minutes, has a 2.77 average and .901 save percentage, and sits 4th on the Star Points ac*****ulation. To be frank, if they make the playoffs, which is not out of the question, I would consider Fleury to be a candidate for MVP proceedings. He\'s playing that well.

Intangibles: C+

At this point and time, one has to consider this a club in the midst of a rebuild. The good news for them is that they\'ve got the elements to successfully come out from under the shadow they\'ve played under for the last 3 seasons. Again, the strength of the BTHL goaltender for a team continues to be more and more evident, and Fleury is a good franchaise player for just such a position. The Bourdons, Staals and Letangs help make this a very bright up and coming group, and perhaps with more help from Free Agency, the Mustangs will again be a contender.

Edinburgh Synthesis:

Offense: A+

The only team in the League with six 40+ point men, this club is an offensive juggernaut with only one rival for goalscoring supremecy this year. Martin Havlat (he of 7 game-winning goals), Marian Hossa and Olli Jokinen have been tearing most teams in the League a new orifice so far, and show no signs of repentance. Erik Staal and Patrik Elias also provide intense 2nd line production, and even Erik Cole is getting in on the bonanza of goals this club feasts upon.

Defence: A+

Ranking 2nd in team defence with only 2.27 goals against per game, and the first ranked penalty kill, this is an area of dominance for the Castle dwellers. Obtaining Sergei Fedorov from the IceHawks continues to be a clutch move, moving him to defence as is their wont. His 17 points come in handy, but his +21 rating has GM Neil Hayes beaming with pride. Youngsters Allen and Morrisonn are having good years, and of course, Sergei Gonchar is in the middle of a career season at a point a game and a +34 rating.

Goaltending: A

Tomas Vokoun continues to swoon fans in Edinburgh with his uncanny consistency and night after night compelling performances inbetween the 4 x 6 foot cage. He sports a 17-8-2 record, 1.95 goals against average (only uber-Rager JS Giguere has a better one), and a .919 save percentage (2nd in League). The beauty of the situation is that Hayes can deploy Curtis Joseph at a moments notice, usually with a winning result (he\'s 11-5-0). Tale of the tape: If you score 3 goals in a game vs the Syn, you\'re doing something.

Intangibles: A-

Unfortunately or not, this season will undoubtedly be held in the balance again if the Synthesis play the Decepticons in the Conference final. The Synthesis, while not being measured solely against that yardstick, are a team built for right now, for success this season and a couple to come. Everything jives right now, the team has stayed quite healthy, and have the roster and ingredients necessary for a long cup run. And hell, being only about 700k over the Cap means Hayes could also beef up heading into the trade deadline, with loads of $ still in the bank.

Halifax Celtics:

Offence: B+

What more needs to be said than \"Big Zee\"? Henrik Zetterberg is a bonafide superstar in this League, with the numbers to prove it. With 25 goals (10 on PP), 26 assists in 44 games, in a 4-way tie for most tallies, my question is: Which GM wouldn\'t pay him $549,000 a season for the next 4 years? Of note, Martin Erat seems to be overachieving, sitting 2nd in team scoring (with Datsyuk in behind closely in 3rd) and Brian Campbell is doing exactly what ex-GM Darren Beseigel brought him in for: To break out and feed his teammates the vulcanized rubber black disc.

Defence: C

Oh, the woes on the blueline that leave John O\'Sullivan scratching his temple. He surely doesn\'t need to be reminded that his team is 20th in the League in team defense, coupled with the fact that his penalty kill ranks 2nd to last at 81.2% efficiency. It\'s not that as a whole they\'re performing poorly, as Nick Schulz is a very respectable +9 in 44 games, and MA Bergeron and Jim Vandermeer are the others with a positive rating, but Babchuk, Campbell, Tanabe and especially Dick Tarnstrom are all in the red, and that needs to change in order for the team to have more success.

Goaltending: C

At one point in time, I recall Robert Esche having a 77 OV rating, but that was a long time ago. Now, the netminder sports an .890 save percentage, allows 3.17 goals against on average. His counterpart, David Leneveu is coming along, but is not quite ready to become a true backup goaltender in this League. Sources close to the Insider say that O\'Sullivan was presented with a number of proposals to change his \'tending situation when he first took over the team, but they note that he was unwilling to move any players on the starting lineup. Therefore, you can add O\'Sullivan\'s name to the list including Todd Semonik\'s name of GM\'s looking for a better keeper. Hard to say how long fans in Halifax can be patient awaiting a move in this regard. Intangibles: C+

What it boils down to is this team is more than adept at putting the puck in the net. They\'ve got a goodly number of young rising stars that, given some help and direction, could make this team quite competitive in the future. Special teams are an extension of a clubs\' best players, and simply, it\'s hard to have a good penalty kill with a mediocre goaltender. Perhaps in the future, O\'Sullivan will augment the club with a goaltender, which surely could mean the difference between making the post-season, and not. But kudos to the General Manager that can stand patiently and wait for his club to improve from within, -I can think of a few teams that will be looking nervously over their shoulders as this club matures over the next couple of years.

Lemieux Division Vegreville Sting: With a solid record within their Conference, the (under new management) Sting are vying for top spot. Currently, they hold a slight margin over division rivals, the Blizzard. Perhaps even more than last season, they\'re playing like a real unified unit with purpose, and should be a handful all season.

Offense: B

Brendan Morrow started out posessed, but has tapered slightly. In his stead, Steve Sullivan is quietly having a career season at well over a point a game, and Chris Pronger continues to pile \'em up from the back end.

Defence: A

Matthieu Schneider continues to be one of the best defensive additions in recent memories, and forms the backbone of the Sting reargaurd with Pronger; Lydman and Hainsey are nice touches on an already formidable top six.

Goaltending: A

It\'s quite a flattering indication of depth when Niklas Backstrom only has had 16 minutes of work with nearly 30 games in the books. King Henry (Lundqvist) is the man in Vegreville, and his sparkling .906 Sv pct is giving Eastern opponents fits. Possible Vezina candidate.

Intangibles: B

Once the bread and butter for Sting offence, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will have to lessen the scoring load placed on Sullivan; but as has been recently pointed out by the new General Manager, the team is especially blessed up the middle, so production isn\'t squarely focused on 2 sets of shoulders.

Winnipeg Blizzard: The Blizz are having a fine season, and are making their intra-conference games count. Their struggle with the Mercenaries will be a titanic one, and could possibly decide the division with a stretch of important tilts with Jeff Pietrobon\'s Mercenaries in the last 15 regular season games.

Offense: B+

Speedster Justin Williams is making every effort to lead this team in a number of ways, but particularly Special Teams. He has 4 PP goals already, and scores more than once every 5 shots. Ryan Smyth and Simon Gagne are playing decently, but it\'s Milan Michalek who\'s getting a lot of press in Winnipeg lately.

Defence: B

Grade would be higher if not for Robyn Regehr\'s slower start, but Timonen is GM Semonik\'s saving grace thus far; Bryan McCabe is also having a good campaign, but will need to make more of a difference with the man advantage than he is at the moment.

Goaltending: B-

If the Blizzard have an achilles tendon, this is the area. Not that Olaf has played poorly, because his record would indicate otherwise, but I remember him \'stealing the show\' for a couple of seasons when he played for the Bandits, so the League knows what he\'s capable of. Biron might be out of work soon...

Intangibles: C+

Ales Hemsky is the real temple-scratching quandry in my opinion. Shyte-loads of talent, but having a hard time staying healthy, missing nearly half their games to present; Sergei Zubov is another defenceman that would benefit from increased PP production; - he\'s always got it done in the past.

Treviso Mercenaries: Giving the Sting and Blizzard lots to look at (up close and personal like) in their rearview mirrors. Mired in a slight slump, the Headhunters from Treviso are annual threats to take this Division, and should have more to say about it as the season sheds pages of the calendar.

Offense: B

What a difference a year has made for the stats sheet up front with the top six. Mike Cammalleri and Alex Tanguay are battling it out for bragging rights atop the teams\' scoring chart, but it\'s the absence of Ilya Kovalchuk from that race (thus far) that is the most perplexing. Defence: B-

When a team has a Scott Neidermayer, it\'s easy to overlook little gems like Dan Hamhuis and Jay Boumeester, so we won\'t. Were it not for their contributions, the Mercenarie blueline might have more perforations than it does currently. Brett Clark has been steady and reliable, and every team needs a Kevin Bieksa. Goaltending: B

Ray Emery is performing very, very well, and will have lots of opportunity to prove his worth as the season wears on. Playing heavy minutes, this category would be rated a \"B+\" if Antero Shittymaki could pull up his socks and his 5.45 GAA. The Big Question Mark: Can Emery do it this year in the post-season?

Intangibles: B-

Remember when Marek Svatos was tearing up the BTHL with his torrid goalscoring pace? I do to, and Pietrobon is hoping for some total recall soon from the ex-sniper. Not to harp on Kovalchuk, but he\'s a difference maker and BTHL scoring champion; so it\'s hard to evade the spotlight he\'s created for himself.

Arizona Phantoms: Like a tumbleweed on the desert floor at the beginning of a sandstorm, this team is gaining momentum. Production in a number of areas are at least on pace, if not improved, and have served notice they\'re no longer the Eastern whipping boys they once were portrayed as. Offense: A-

Tied for 4th in team scoring with the Sting, there\'s a new trend in Arizona, and it\'s fans jumping up from their seats and cheering, and not because GM Joe Scanlon is giving fans the Full Monty up on the Jumbotron. Bertuzzi, Zubrus and Matt Cullen are scoring, and Dustin Brown is finding his new groove.

Defence: B

Snug and secure in the top half of the League, team defence is really at an all-time high in the desert. Ryan Whitney has been a delightful find, and like Lindsay Lohan\'s social adventures, has been giving observers lots to talk about around the water cooler; Glen Wesley should receive Unsung hero award.

Goaltending: B

Dom is very much the tale of the tape for this club; as he sails, so do the Ghostly Ones. Personally, I thought for sure he was lost to \'Zona when he hit the FA market, but Scanzz has been very mindful of his pocketbook, and saved some cheese for arguably the most sought after agent in the offseason.

Intangibles: B-

Although his fastest days are a recent memory, everybody still wants to be like Mike. At the cool 2 million he\'s commanding, Modano is putting up points, but should have a more profound effect. But with what he brings to the locker-room, it really doesn\'t matter, as long as the club is winning, which it is.

New York Comets: Perhaps akin to Haley\'s Comet, found lighting up the sky every so often with brilliance, yet also being noticibly absent at times, the Comets have been streaky over the past few seasons, and this season is no different. Definitely victims of an increasingly tough division and Conference.

Offence: C+

Although being ranked 20th in the League in GF/G, there are (ahem) some bright spots lining those stats. Rolston, Boyes and Vyborny are once again having good years, and Boyes will only continue to improve upon current point totals. Forsberg\'s shooting percentage improving will help the team significantly.

Defence: A-

Just a shade inferior to the Sting\'s defensive set-up, the Comets pride themselves on good, tight team defense. They have the 7th ranked PK in the League, and Sean Hill and Roman Hamrlik are both having fine seasons, especially in the +/- dep\'t, which has New York brass beaming about their back end.

Goaltending: A

This is where things look good for the club, both now and in the foreseeable future. Rick DiPietro could be a BTHL Cup ring bearer before too long, whether with the Comets or not. Time should help this goaltender mature into the elite class of goaltenders, and he\'s well on his way. Intangibles: B-

The value of the BTHL netminder continues to climb in the minds of several managers League-wide, and the Comets could very well have theirs pay dividends for seasons to come. They also have a well rounded group of veterans working with their up-and-comers, which should buoy faith in the franchaise and brand.

Missisauga Wildcats: This is what a team in rebuild looks like. There are a hundred cliches that could apply to the Wildcats as far as looking towards what the future holds, and all would be applicable right now. Make no mistake, though, they\'re wild, and they still fight for every little scrap they get. Offence: B-

Ultimately, hockey comes down to being able to put the puck in the net, and GM O\'Byrne\'s club has been doing that. Tim Connolly leads the team, and has been very consistent. Of note is that Peter Prucha has 6 PP tallies for his club, which is tops in the League, and has them nicely in 6th spot for PP conversion pct.

Defence: C-

This is where it gets dicey for the team. They need to be more effective on the PK, and though they score on average 2.62 goals a game, they are allowing 3.19 per, which is causing some concern in Wildcat country. But the team works hard at keeping penalities down, which is a strong sign. Goaltending: C

Brent Johnson is doing everything in his power to hold the ship together, and somehow, someway Michael Garnett is stopping well over 9 out of every 10 shots against him. But the writing is on the wall; there will need to be a new heir to Pride Rock inbetween the pipes. Intangibles: C+

It comes to mind that not so far in the distant past, the team, whether \'overachieving\' or not, made the playoffs, and then surprised everyone by beating the Mercenaries with Dan Cloutier leading the way. It\'s possible this team has more surprises in store; begging the question: Will it come soon?


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