Offense: The Mercs can ice two very good offensive lines. The centers are a bit passing poor, but the wingers are most definitely goal rich. It shouldn't surprise anyone if the foursome of Ilya Kovalchuk, Mike Cammalleri, Jeff Carter and off-season acquisition Dany Heatley surpass 160 goals collectively this season. Kevin Bieksa is the big passer on the point, while both Jay Bouwmeester and Scott Neidermeyer can put the pea in the net.

Defense: Up front, Mike Fisher and PJ Axelsson will in all likelihood be the first pair over the boards on the PK and Jason Arnott and Carter make a decent second unit. On the blueline, the club owns a positionally sound top four in Bouwmeester, Neidermeyer, Dan Hamhuis and Brett Clark. Even the bottom pair of Bieksa and Braydon Coburn are decent defensively. Bieksa and Hamhuis are the resident tough guys which is ironic given they are two of the smaller players on this unit.

Goaltending: For years the Achilles Heel of this franchise, GM Jeff Pietrobon made a bold move this off-season and dealt away bluechip goaltending prospect Jonathon Bernier to acquire the new starter Tomas Vokoun. He's not the best guy out there, but with this offense, he doesn't have to be. Ray Emery is the back-up.

X-Factor: Treviso knows what most of the team can do already. The two guys they don't know, Vokoun and Heatley are going to be on the spot. Heatley especially, as he has been to the promise land with the Decepticons. But at 26, is he too young to teach the rest how to get there?

Offense: This is a club with an embarrassment of riches in the middle. With Matt Sundin, Henrik Sedin and Paul Stastny holding down the top three spots, it is conceivable that one or both of Rod Brind'Amour and/or Matt Stajan will move to the left side prompting one of Johan Franzen or Andrei Kostitsyn to move over to the right side to supplement poor depth there after Milan Hejduk. However it works out that group coupled with blueline snipers Pavel Kubina, Brent Burns and Matthias Ohlund should provide above average offensive numbers.

Defense: Stastny is a good first option in the middle and wherever Brind'Amour and Stajan line up they too will be pluses. If it's on the wing, then Sundin could be pressed into service on the PK. If one stays in the middle then Franzen becomes the second wing option. The blueline has it's share of defensive studs, lead by Mike Komisarek and supported by the aforementioned Ohlund and Kubina  with Burns and Francois Beauchemin being above average in that regard. However with Dimitri Kalinin in the sixth spot and no one behind him, depth is a  big problem.

Goaltending: Strong goaltending has been a tradition in Moscow for years and this season is no different. Either Ryan Miller or hometown hero Ilya Bryzgalov, a Vezina finalist last season, could start 60 games without blinking. Karri Raimo gets to open the players bench door and say 'Attago'.

X-Factor: This is a club whose window of opportunity is slowly closing. What's worse, it could start closing a lot faster if Sundin and Brind'Amour start playing like the old men that they are. If their contributions go downhill, this club is suddenly vulnerable.

Offense: Non-withstanding the other talents on this team, as long as he is property of the Vegreville Sting, center Joe Thornton is the straw that stirs the drink. That is not to say he has no support. Sophomore Evgeni Malkin has already proven himself a future superstar. Add in vets like Marian Hossa, formerly of the Synthesis, gritty winger Brenden Morrow and second line pivot Mike Ribeiro, not to mention the blueline trio of Chris Pronger, Sergei Gonchar and hotshot rookie Ryan Suter and the team can put up points.

Defense: Maxime Talbot, Jamal Mayers and Mikko Koivu provide a troika of accomplished defensive pivots. Mike Grier and Dan Cleary do the same for either wing. On the blueline Pronger and Brendan Witt anchor a defense that for the most part is more go-go than stop-stop. Gonchar and Craig Rivet will probably have their work cut out for them as the second PK pairing this season. Jaroslav Spacek will no doubt be counted on to baby-sit the kid Suter.

Goaltending: 'King' Henrik Lundqvist is the last line of defense in Vegreville and he is one of the games elite netminders, capable of stealing a game for the club. However, after an off-season deal that saw Niklas Backstrom dispatched to the Aces, Curtis Joseph is now the back-up. In other words, if Lundqvist goes down, it's a problem.

X-Factor: This is a club that can bludgeon an opponent to death with it's offense and has a goalie that can stop the puck in Lundqvist. Which is a good thing, because if anyone ever figures out a way to stop the scoring, 'King Henrik' won't be able to count on much help from his blueline.

Offense: The Vegas attack this season will revolve around wingers Shane Doan and J.P. Dumont. Whoever they stick between the pair should have a decent season. The potential second set of wingers Kristian Huselius and Jiri Hudler could provide some decent support scoring but they would benefit from an offensively skilled pivot. Unfortunately, such things are in short supply on the Aces roster. Fortunately for the club, the blueline provides some decent offense of it's own in veterans Ed Jovanovski and Matthieu Schneider.

Defense: What they lack in offense, the centers as a group make up for in defense with Matthew Lombardi, Marty Reasoner and Jochen Hecht all capable of killing penalties effectively. The wingers are a different lot with only Doan and Scott Walker in the mix and the last just barely. The blueline runs 11 deep and features a well-rounded mix of veterans. There is no defensive stud among Jason Smith, Keith Ballard, Greg DeVries or Derek Morris, but neither are there any soft spots.

Goaltending: Over the past few months GM Rob Rutkowski has made can effort to improve his netminding. As a result  he now boasts a troika of Niklas Backstrom, Craig Anderson and rookie Pekka Rinne, giving the Aces now have an abundance of wealth between the pipes.

X-Factor: A hallmark of all championship teams is a strong contingent of centers. In this area, the Aces fall woefully short. If Rutkowski can cook up the magic he used to get his goalies and find some offense for the middle, this team has a chance. If not, the offense could go wanting. 

Offense: Another club with enviable depth down the middle in Nicklas Backstrom, Stephen Weiss, rookie Andrew Ebbett and veteran Mike Modano, they need their wingers to catch up. Alexander Semin on the left side is one of the most electrifying players in the game today and Mike Knuble is a trustworthy vet playing behind him. The problems start with the club relying on the inconsistent efforts of Dustin Brown and Marek Svatos on the right wing. On the blueline Vet Sergei Zubov was brought in specifically to anchor the powerplay and jumpstart Ryan Whitney.

Defense:  Seven of the teams top 12 forwards are candidates to play on the PK, which will go a long way to helping out the blueline that has the potential to be a decent although not outstanding unit (yet). The rearguards have a nice mix of veterans and youth. Willie Mitchell and Mark Eaton provide good example of positional play with which to tutor robust youngsters Brent Seabrook and Dan Girardi.

Goaltending: Like the Mercenaries, the Phantoms made it a priority this off-season to get better between the pipes and to that end mortgaged some of their future to land young stud Marc-Andre Fleury. Still developing, he could split time this season with the dependable Manny Fernandez.

X-Factor: This is a club that if everything goes right is a threat, but that's a big if or a series of little ones if you prefer. Several key players have had injury problems in the immediate past including both goalies and the clubs only credible offensive threat from the blueline. The Phantoms are headed in the right direction. Still, this is a side whose time is 'almost' now.

Offense: New England can trot out a decent, though undersized corps of pivots, lead by rookie David Krejci and Daniel Briere. On left wing the club has four pass firsters in Paul Kariya, Jason Blake, Cory Stillman and Alex Tanguay. What finish there is up front will be supplied by all-everything right winger Jarome Iginla and his running mate on the same side Corey Perry. Only Andre Markov provides any kind of threat from the point.

Defense: Tomas Plekanec and Josef Vasicek are passable, but not outstanding PK centers. On the wings Tanguay, Iginla and grinder Steve Begin are the best candidates when a man short. What the rearguards lack in offense they make up for in their own zone. Hal Gill leads a formidable bunch of blueliners that include Rostislav Klesla, Aaron Ward and Colin White that are ornery on their good days. Steve Staios is a steady but not so aggressive vet that rounds out the unit.

Goaltending: As it has been for years for Arsenal, Marty Turco is the starting goalie. He doesn't steal games as often as he used to, but still can on occasion. Peter Budaj is the back-up.

X-Factor: Although they added more offense on the wings this off-season in Stillman and Blake, this is still the Jarome Iginla show. That said, there will be considerable pressure on David Krejci to grow up fast and produce like a first line center needs to if a team is going to compete.

Offense: Down the middle the Blizzard sport a fading Scott Gomez and emerging Jonathon Toews and an enigmatic Jordan Staal. What may save the day here, is the rumoured move of Patrik Elias from the left side to help out the pivots. If that happens though that only leaves Simon Gagne as a gamebreaker on the left as after him things get decidedly average. The right side is better stocked with Ales Hemsky and rookie Phil Kessel being the top two. Kimmo Timonen, Duncan Keith and Bryan McCabe provide a myriad of offensive options from the blueline.

Defense: Jordan Staal is a standout penalty killer and one of Elias (if he moves over) or Toews will likely anchor the second PK unit. Among wingers the best options are Justin Williams, Simon Gagne and Patrice Bergeron. The rearguards suffer from a bit of split personality when it comes to defending. Outside of Robyn Regehr, the mean guys are only average positionally and the positionally sound guys aren't that mean, which could make for some devastating hits and some devastating misses.

Goaltending: Martin Biron is the man of the hour between the pipes and while he is not seen as a premier stopper, he has lead the team to glory in the past. That said, he had better be the man because his back-up is Hannu Toivonen.

X-Factor: This is a team in transition and things could get worse before they get better. However, now that Sergei Zubov has moved on, Patrik Elias, wherever he plays, is the key guy in the room. Where he leads, this team will follow.

Offense: The Bandits center corps at this point is fairly non-descript lead by an inconsistent Matt Cullen and going downhill from there. 
Wojtek Wolski and Niklas Hagman look to be the top two left wingers by default. The right side though is more promising. Off-season signing Alexei Kovalev, though not as dangerous as he once was, still has enough game left to make defensemen blink. Behind him is hotshot rookie Bryan Little. Carlo Coliaicovo and John-Michael Liles provide what limited offense there is from the blueline.

Defense: It's anyone's guess who lines up in the middle on the PK, although veteran Derek Armstrong seems to be the best of a bad lot. In Jay Pandolfo and Rob Neidermeyer though, the Bandits have a pair of short-handed rock stars for the wings. The blueline defensively is also a weakness with only Scott Hannan providing any shutdown ability and only Andrew Alberts providing any muscle. Veterans Bret Hedican and Karlis Skrastins are a below average second PK unit.

Goaltending: With all the construction going on up front, it's nice to know that at least in goal, Boavista has a finished product in Miikka Kiprusoff. While he is getting a bit long in the tooth, he is still a quality tender who can keep his team in a game. Jason LaBarbera is the back-up.

X-Factor: The Bandits will on most nights be out-talented by better clubs. As noted, Kipper is not getting any younger. However with this club, in this season, having a veteran in the cage that can calm a team down and remain grounded himself no matter what happens is a good thing.

Offense: The Comets centers are in bad need of some skill. A badly fading Michael Nylander leads a cast of pluggers and role-players. The portside can boast a resurgent Michael Ryder, but of the rest none can at this time be described as an adequate second liners. The right side has a bit more hope as it is anchored by a just hitting his prime Brad Boyes and rookie Devin Setogouchi, who has speed to burn and tons of potential as a sniper. Newly signed Brian Rafalski is the big offensive wheel on the point and rookie Marc-Edouard Vlasic could be Rafalski-lite.

Defense: One thing that can be said for pluggers and role-players is they know how to defend. Case in point the aforementioned Comets pivots. In Antoine Vermette and Samuel Pahlsson they have two excellent PK centers. Vern Fiddler, who can play anywhere up front, is a lesser third option. The wingers though, not so much. Only Brian Rolston is suitable for shorthanded play. The blueline is nine deep and is defensively steeped in mediocrity. Fedor Tyutin is the only full-timer with any muscle and Kim Johnsson is the best of a bad bunch positionally.

Goaltending: With a below standard  blueline it's a good thing that the Comets have Rick Dipietro manning the pipes, though given his injury history no one really knows how long that will be the case. New York is hoping for the best though because the back-up is J.S. Aubin.

X-Factor: An offense that will struggle to put up three goals a game and a blueline that has all defensive a*****en of a row of pylons are not good things to have in front of you while in goal. Ergo, when the Comets win games, it will be on the back of Dipietro. Here's hoping his holds up.

Offense: There is no doubt that the Colts are in the middle of a massive re-build and have been hording picks and drafting players for years. The results are starting to appear on the Calgary roster. They have a pair of burgeoning stars in the middle in Patrik Berglund and Sam Gagner. On the wings David Booth and Patrick Kane lead the way offensively with veterans Glen Murray and Fernando Pisani supplying passable secondary scoring. Within the rearguards what offense there is comes courtesy of Paul Ranger and Kurtis Foster.

Defense: Brooks Laich is a solid option in the middle while shorthanded and Kamil Kreps is a passable second one. Of the wingers, Boyd Gordon is a standout defensive presence while either of Pisani or Steve Ott could play with Kreps. The aforementioned Ranger is also the defensive stud in the unit providing both toughness and solid positional play. Rookie Drew Doughty will get a long look as his partner. Behind those two though there isn't much. Marek Malik and Andy Sutton is about the best options but the rest either lack talent or experience.

Goaltending: Talk about being thrown to the wolves. Rookie Steve Mason is an upcoming talent but I doubt he'd wish playing behind this defense on his worst enemy. And he better be durable because has been Marc Denis is his understudy.

X-Factor: It's going to be a long season in Calgary and the kids are going to have to learn on the fly. Still those selfsame kids provide a glimmer of hope for the future. In the meantime though Booth, Kane, Ranger and Mason, ready or not, are going to have to carry this club.

Offense: As currently configured, the centers on this club are woefully inadequate. However it is possible that the oft-injured Tim Connolly could move over from left wing to lend some semblance of respectability to at least the first unit. Should Connolly make the move then the portside would boast three very robust players with developing offensive skills in Ryane Clowe, Andrew Ladd and Marcel Hossa. On the right side reside two aging vets in Jaromir Jagr and Mark Recchi. Michael Roszival and Johnny Oduya are the best of a weak offensive blueline.

Defense: While lacking offensive skills, Ian Laperriere and Richard Park offer the Rage two very good PK options in the middle. Hossa and Mike Johnson are two lesser options on the wings. Jassen Cullimore is the resident shutdown guy among the rearguards, but he is mediocre at best. Roszival, Oduya and Andreas Lilja are the slightly less positionally sound backing crew with Lilja the only true banger of the bunch. Paul Mara and Jeff Finger will probably make up the third pairing with Finger also on the ornery side.

Goaltending:  There are worse defenses out there, which is good because there aren't many worse starting goalies than Mathieu Garon. Rookie Jonathon Quick is Garon's likely second and could see more than a back-ups share of the action.

X-Factor: This is not a team without talent, it just doesn't have a lot of it. They won't be able to count on their goalie to steal games for them, therefore they are going to have to get it done by having Ladd, Clowe and Hossa soften the opposition up for Jagr, Recchi and Connolly.

Offense: This is a team that is utterly devoid of offense up front. Most are players who are over the hill, having lost whatever skill they once had, although there is a troika of younger ones in Alexander Steen, Petr Prucha and Clarke MacArthur for whom the clock hasn't run out on yet. Outside of those three, probably the best of a bad bunch is Ruslan Fedotenko. On the blueline aged veteran Teppo Numminen and part-timer Daniel Tjarnqvist are the only ones with any modi***** of puck ability.

Defense: Bobby Holik and Chad Kilger are high motor pivots and Jay McClement is a not so high motor pivot. All have barely adequate PK skills. On the outside Steen is a decent hand when a man down and Jozef Stumpel's shorthanded skills are on par with the three aforementioned centers. Within the rearguards Barrett Jackman is an under-rated defender and Denis Gauthier is one with questionable on-ice ethics. Both have a high nasty quotient. Behind them are Numminen and Tjarnqvist. Filling out the rotation are Jaroslav Modry and youngster Jeff Schultz.

Goaltending: Those two rocking chairs in the Wildcats dressing room are reserved for starting goalie Chris Osgood and his back-up Olaf Kolzig. Kolzig has lost most of what skill he had and Osgood could start at any time, so this is not an area of strength for the team.

X-Factor: It will be all the coaching staff can do to prevent half of the team from wandering off directionless with early onset Alzheimer's this season in Mississauga. When your best player is a stay at home defenseman, you know that you've got a problem.

HAMILTON SPECTATOR

Offense: Alex Ovechkin, and Daniel Alfredsson should provide much of the scoring, while Sydney Crosby and Martin St. Louis will get the puck to them. If that’s not enough, Niklas Lidstrom and Dan Boyle will provide the much needed puck support from the backend. There is no way to plan for this offense. You stop the above mentioned and then Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Sakic, Zdeno Chara, and Rick Nash are granted opportunities. How do you stop them? A hot goalie, a sound defensive system, close your eyes, and hope for the best.

Defense: Lidstrom, Chara, and Chris Phillips are all defensively responsible in their own zone, and one can bet at least one of them will be on the ice during a game. Up front, the recent acquisition of Chris Kelly provides the Decepticons with a much needed checking presence, and Daniel Alfredsson will also be looked upon in penalty killing situations. All of the Decepticons’ forwards are capable of playing a two way game with the exception of Nathan Horton and Anze Kopitar who should see much of the season in the press box.  

Goaltending: Hands down, the Decepticons spot the best three goalie combo in the league. They have outstanding youth in Pascal Leclaire, Kari Lehtonen and don’t forget about prospect Tuukka Rask. Rask, however, is not a part of the three headed monster in net, as that honour is shouldered by Evgeni Nabokov who is a top five goalie, and arguably a top three goalie in the league.  

Offense: This season, the Hammers are all about their blueline. GM Stephen J. Holodinsky was quoted two years ago by saying “In a few seasons, I think our blueline will rival the Decepticons”. ‘Rival’ definitely fits the bill this season. Shea Weber and Dion Phaneuf will be huge parts of the Hammers offense this season and will log a ton of minutes. The Hammers aren’t a push over at forward though. Would the likes of Zach Parise, Tomas Vanek, Patrick Sharp, and oh... Ryan Getzlaf be an issue for other teams? You betcha.

Defense: While Weber and Phaneuf will garner a ton of attention, Holodinsky doesn’t need to grind them down over the season with massive minutes. The Hammers have the luxury to use veterans Rob Blake, Toni Lydman, and Derian Hatcher to use the shutdown minutes during the game and all three players just mentioned can do just that. Up front, Todd Marchant will be granted the obvious task of the shutdown forward.

Goaltending: Is Tim Thomas the guy to lead the Hammers to their first BTHL cup? Previous season performance would suggest yes, but playoff performance would suggest no. The Hammers were left disappointed again last year and Tim Thomas has a lot to prove this season. With the defense in front of him though, Thomas should have a Vezina like season.

Offense: Oh, how things can change quickly. The Jackals fall under this statement as a few of their players are expecting big seasons. Mike Richards, Bobby Ryan, and Derek Roy are three players that will be expected to handle the bulk of scoring from the forwards, while Keith Tkachuk and Peter Sykora provide secondary scoring. The biggest expectation this season though comes on the blueline as Mike Green is expected to compete for the Norris and will attempt to break Sergei Gonchar’s (Season 9, Legend) BTHL goal scoring record of 23.

Defense: Roman Hamrlik and Eric Brewer are the Jackals top shutdown defensemen and Mike Peca and Mike Richards will be the team’s top penalty killing forwards. The real concern is on defense as the Jackals could be a defensive defenseman away from threatening the Hammers and Decepticons.

Goaltending: Is there really any better goaltender to have right now then Roberto Luongo? We know he can steal playoff series in the BTHL and he can play 70 games with ease as well. The real issue is the 12 games the Jackals will have to go without him, as Dan Cloutier is a solid number three, but a questionable backup at best.

Offense: Scoring could be an issue for Quabbin this season as Jason Spezza will garner most of the opposition’s defensive resources. Secondary scoring will need to be a must this season as Joffrey Lupul and Marco Strum will have tremendous pressure to produce. The Legend blueline to the rescue? Sheldon Souray, Mark Streit, Tomas Kaberle, and Tom Gilbert are all capable of contributing offensively, and will be called upon this season big time.

Defense: The Legend essentially have a special defense task unit that will have a primary function of keeping the opposition’s scorers off the scoresheet. Mike Sillinger and Fredrick Modin will be in charge of handling the checking duties up front and, on the blueline, Radek Martinek and Brent Sopel are the team’s defensemen shutdown pair. These four players won’t be expected to do much else this season then play defense.

Goaltending: Arguably the best goalie in the BTHL, though his inability to lead the Legend to a BTHL cup, let a lone a finals appearance, still eludes the 37 year old Martin Brodeur. If the Legend find their way into the BTHL finals this year, Broduer will need to be the reason why.

Offense: Holy Toledo, this team is going to stir all kinds of trouble in the West. Forsberg, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Pominville, Selanne, give the Celtics two lines from scoring hell. Add defensemen Brian Campbell and Marek Zidlicky to the mix and you have one heck of first powerplay unit. Celtics without a doubt post some of the most intimidating top five forward units in the BTHL. Goal scoring will certainly not be the problem.

Defense: Nick Shultz and Kyle McLaren are the top shutdown defensemen on the team and Pominville, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Dave Bolland are all responsible two way players and some of the best in the game for that matter. Expect big minutes out of Datsyuk and Zetterberg as they should play in every situation for the Celtics this season. Should not be a problem keeping the shots down this year.

Goaltending: Ok, so are the Celtics really 5th because of their goaltending? Martin Gerber as the starter and below average 3rd stringer Scott Clemmensen as the backup. If Gerber is able to just be good or even better the Celtics replace him, the Celtics can remove their anger of being predicted as 5th and give them  3rd in the conference.

Offense: Last season, Storm GM Ryan Archer was quoted saying “The Storm are officially rebuilding”. The team then proceeded onto a massive double digit winning streak and made all kinds of noise in last year’s playoffs. The Storm again will have their Season 17 version of the dynamic duo of Patrick Marleau and Marian Gaborik which will be in charge of the goal scoring. On the blueline, Sami Salo and Niklas Kronwall will need to contribute if the Storm hope to make another run.

Defense: Mike Commodore will once again anchor a very stable unit that can also use Filip Kuba, Salo, and Kronwall in defensive situations. At forward, the Storm have Pavol Demitra and Jason Chimera who will be called upon for different situations. Demitra will most probably play on the top line that should give Gaborik and Marleau all the reason to attack while Demitra sits back. Chimera will be the team’s top checker.

Goaltending: The Storm’s forte is defense, but the past has also shown us that remarkable, and underrated goaltending is what drives the Strom’s defense ship. Carey Price re-takes the driver’s seat in net and while Dwayne Roloson was very good last year in the back role, more importantly, it gives GM Archer a great option in case Price slumps.

Offense: Roland Sakowski has all the reason to be very excited this season. David Backes has had an outstanding training camp and seemed to develop some great chemistry on a line with Milan Lucic and Chris Drury. Shawn Horcoff, John Madden, and Steve Sullivan are expected as the first line. Both lines should be very productive in scoring. Coming over from Utopia, Lubomir Visnovsky will be asked to be the team’s power play quarterback.  

Defense: The interesting point about the Crushers, and something to follow during the season is the amount of quality two way players the Crushers have. Madden, Horcoff  and Drury spread throughout the top two lines is scary for the opposition and  signing Adam Foote in the off-season also gives them the defensive anchor the have dearly missed in the past. Sakowski has done an excellent job of maintaining youth, while building a very competitive team.

Goaltending: The acquisition of J.S Giguere gives the Crushers one of the top goalies in the league going into the season and with Dan Ellis as the back-up, there are no issues in net. Giguere should be a difference maker in the playoffs as well, and for the first time in a long time the Crushers should have a chance at round two this year.

X-Factor: In the West this season, 3rd-7th should be very close. The key for the Crushers is can Lubomir Visnovsky give the Crushers that offensive d-man that is so essential in big games. If Visnovsky explodes in this system, forget 7th, give the Crushers 3rd.

Offense: The Knights are granted the 8th spot or the so called (Not really in the playoffs spot because you will lose to the Decepticons). The Knights; however, would be one of the better 8th seeds the Decepticons have faced in a while. Though that’s not saying much and the Decepticons would still squash the Knights. Scoring could be an issue this season for the Knights. Daymond Langkow and Ray Whitney will need to be sensational and Adrian Aucoin and Brian Pothier will need to have record seasons. Other then that, players like Chris Higgins and Nik Antropov will also need to have strong seasons.

 Defense: Not an issue at all. Anton Volchenkov is a monster on the blueline and will log heavy minutes this season especially against team’s top scoring lines. Henrik Tallinder will also be a top penalty killer and add in Sean O’Donnell, Ryan Malone, and Antropov and you have a very respectable unit that has the ability to shutdown some of the best lines in the league.

Goaltending: Won’t be a major issue either. Christobal Huet is the man between the pipes this year and with Vesa Toskala as the back-up, the Knights goal keepers should give them a chance to win every game.

Offense: With still the remains of a team that was once considered a top three team in the league, their potent offense does return to steal the show once again. Olli Jokinen, Eric Staal, Loui Eriksson and Scott Hartnell all should see lots of red this year. With that being said, the Synthesis lack an offensive defenseman where Paul Martin will need to shoulder that responsibility.

Defense: They have a respectable blueline, but do not boast any superstar talent on the backend, or at least an A-Grade defender. They do, however, have Shaone Morrisonn and Bryan Allen who are each very capable penalty killers. At forward, the Synthesis still do have Stephane Yelle, who is still one of the premium defenders in the league. Veteran Sergei Fedorov also returns to be a responsible two-way, second line player.

Goaltending: Tomas Vokoun was all set to start another season in net, looked great in training camp, and then was traded to the Mercenaries. The end result is Neil Hayes announcing this year’s starter will be normally dependable backup Johan Hedburg. Great for Hedburg to finally get an opportunity to be a BTHL starter; however, it’s no secret, even to Hayes, that Hedburg is not the answer.

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