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Post by PantherB on Aug 7, 2015 15:07:20 GMT
With the new season almost upon us and rosters either close to or already completed, how does everyone feel each team will do and who will win the trophies?
For me;
League Winner; Braehead Challenge Cup Winner; Belfast Playoff Winner; Manchester 10th Place; Fife Panthers; 5th Place
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Post by allingtonskates on Aug 7, 2015 15:10:59 GMT
With the new season almost upon us and rosters either close to or already completed, how does everyone feel each team will do and who will win the trophies? For me; League Winner; Braehead Challenge Cup Winner; Belfast Playoff Winner; Manchester 10th Place; Fife Panthers; 5th Place really hope panthers don't come 5th
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Post by allingtonskates on Aug 7, 2015 15:11:47 GMT
I can see us coming 3rd or higher
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Post by Rob Scott on Aug 7, 2015 15:16:23 GMT
All guess work at this stage without rosters complete but...
1). Braehead Clan (by at least 6 points)
2). Belfast Giants
3). Cardiff Devils
4). Sheffield Steelers
5). Nottingham Panthers
6). Coventry Blaze
7). Manchester Storm
8). Edinburgh Caps
9). Dundee Stars
10). Fife Flyers
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Yotes
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Post by Yotes on Aug 7, 2015 15:23:11 GMT
Too soon as Rob Scott says, but I think Storm are being over-valued a bit. Not much in the Brit dept. I like Pacha as a coach but I'm thinking it'll be a hard year. Our fortunes could go either way, depends on the last 3 (4).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 15:29:58 GMT
Braehead should walk the league. Sheff & Cardiff will battle for 2nd & 3rd. If we get 4th we've done well imo.
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Post by PantherG on Aug 7, 2015 15:39:11 GMT
Braehead should walk the league. Sheff & Cardiff will battle for 2nd & 3rd. If we get 4th we've done well imo. Why will Sheffield and Cardiff battle for second, I think Sheffield have a good roster, but I think some of the other rosters are better, we still have a minimum of three imports and at some point a 4th to sign. I think we will do quite well tbh,
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Post by PantherB on Aug 7, 2015 15:45:59 GMT
Our last 3 Imports will determine how well we're likely to do in my opinion, if one is a fighter and the other two are solid 1st Liners then we will have a greater chance at everything but I still can't see us matching against Braehead and Belfast.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 15:46:48 GMT
Braehead should walk the league. Sheff & Cardiff will battle for 2nd & 3rd. If we get 4th we've done well imo. Why will Sheffield and Cardiff battle for second, I think Sheffield have a good roster, but I think some of the other rosters are better, we still have a minimum of three imports and at some point a 4th to sign. I think we will do quite well tbh, Why? Well imo Sheff are historically geared up better for a title challenge than any other EIHL team & Cardiff have recruited very impressively. Only Braehead have a better roster than Cardiff imo. For all the initial promise of our roster we look short on forward import talent imo.
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Post by deadbunny on Aug 7, 2015 16:25:50 GMT
League Winner; Panthers Challenge Cup Winner; Panthers Playoff Winner; Panthers
Someone has to have faith >.>, In all seriousness though, Cardiff are taking something home this season.
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Post by Kovalchuk17 on Aug 7, 2015 17:12:51 GMT
Depends heavily on Panthers last 3 signings... However it's hard to look past Braehead and Cardiff for honours.
Steelers and Belfast looked good but Clan with Holt in nets looks a different prospect.
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nate24
Greg Hadden
Posts: 1,415
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Post by nate24 on Aug 7, 2015 17:18:59 GMT
I wish our owner followed the Clan owners example and put some serious investment into the club to allow a legitimate challenge for silverwear and a chance at entry into the CHL next year.
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Post by pantherlee on Aug 7, 2015 17:54:04 GMT
1st Braehead 2nd Nottingham 3rd Sheffield 4th Cardiff 5th Belfast 6th Coventry 7th Fife 8th Edinburgh 9th Dundee 10th Manchester
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Post by dexter on Aug 7, 2015 19:54:36 GMT
I really don't see how we can predict where we will end up when we still have three or four signings to go. Four crackers and we could win it all, four poor signings and maybe fifth.
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Post by cjmatt42 on Aug 7, 2015 20:37:11 GMT
Let's be honest looking at the rosters the league is a forgone conclusion unless one of the Erhardt teams blow away the rest of the Erhardt conference, meaning they can complete with the clan when it comes to cross conference play. Since inception you always felt clan had a problem with net minding. With that on paper being solved you'd expect them to drop a lot less than the 9 conference points they did last year. That looks like being too much to bridge against a clan squad that would compete to win a genuine league title race let alone one stacked in their favour.
Erhardt champs, Belfast and Cardiff look the top two, if panthers weren't handicapping themselves by playing an import short the basis of the squad looks strong enough to compete. Unfortunately you know there will be a dud amongst the final 3 and they've decided against a fourth.
Challenge cup I'll go for Devils to retain while I'll go for panthers to part with just enough cash towards the end of the season to create a roster that wins 4 games straight to take the playoffs.
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iginla
Chick Zamick
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Post by iginla on Aug 7, 2015 21:07:34 GMT
Unless Panthers sign at least two real quality signings in the last three and then also pick up the late addition 13th import they have kept the last slot open for,this is what I see happening league wise. Cup and play offs are impossible to call.
Braehead Cardiff Belfast Panthers Sheffield Coventry Manchester Edinburgh Fife Dundee
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Doom
Greg Hadden
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Post by Doom on Aug 8, 2015 8:00:24 GMT
Still a bit early, so I'm going to lump teams together:
1. Braehead - They'd be challengers in a traditional league structure, so to effectively give them a 10 point advantage makes them clear favourites. They don't have the quality depth of the other top teams, but that won't matter in their conference.
2 to 5 - Belfast, Cardiff, Sheffield and Nottingham - I don't think there will be a cigarette paper between them. Nottingham have the best Brits by some margin (I think some of your negative posters keep forgetting this). Sheffield arguably have the best 2 Brits in the league along with a core of the players that won the title last season. Belfast have made the most impressive signing in the league, although their biggest weakness maybe the age of the squad. Cardiff appear to have made a slight upgrade with the likes of Doucet and Salters.
6. Coventry - Some good astute signings and they will give all teams a tough time, but they have a fairly weak group of Brits and I don't see any standout goal scorers on the squad. I think the coach has done well with the budget he has, but I suspect that budget is quite a bit less than some of the other big boys.
7. Fife - I'm really surprised some of you have them so low. The likes of Dingle, Dorr, Stockton and Craig all have goals in them.
8. Dundee - They look better than last season, but I think Fife edge them overall.
9. Manchester - Despite a bigger budget than Sheffield, I really don't see them doing much in their 1st season back.
10 Edinburgh - I must be seeing something different to others, because all I see is a team full of low budget players. Ryan Hayes looks quality, the rest would struggle to get in the Coventry team.
Regards
Doom
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EMB
Randall Weber
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Post by EMB on Aug 10, 2015 15:44:00 GMT
I wish our owner followed the Clan owners example and put some serious investment into the club to allow a legitimate challenge for silverwear and a chance at entry into the CHL next year. According to the Braehead OS Neil Black is the owner? I did actually have a thought about any potential signing Corey may have had his eye on & whether any of them have gone to Braehead instead, they look to be putting together a very good roster (as are we) I'll take Corey's comments about being patient on signings as a pinch of salt because NB is having the last say on all of them, so if he doesnt like them we dont get them.
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iginla
Chick Zamick
Posts: 13,484
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Post by iginla on Aug 10, 2015 16:59:35 GMT
Dead right EMB......if NB doesn't like them or the wage demand is too high then we don't get them.
From today's Schultz signing interview with Corey, I'm taking the last comment about being extremely patient that there is every chance of us starting the season two or maybe even three imports short !!!
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Yotes
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Post by Yotes on Aug 10, 2015 17:09:19 GMT
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Caesar
Matt Myers
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Post by Caesar on Aug 10, 2015 17:16:50 GMT
I take it to mean all players that are present, ie, in the country and the building on that day
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Yotes
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Post by Yotes on Aug 10, 2015 17:28:17 GMT
Yeah that's how I read it too. I know it happens every year, even last year when we had the CHL, but I really can't see why our entire roster isn't expected to attend the entire training camp? We play the Blaze 4 days later, will we have a full roster* for that? It's a job, it's not a hobby.
* - What Panthers are counting as a full roster.
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iginla
Chick Zamick
Posts: 13,484
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Post by iginla on Aug 10, 2015 17:45:54 GMT
Exactly Yotes.....it isn't a hobby,people are paying a lot of bloody money to see the Panthers. A full roster contains 13 imports,anything less than 13 is unacceptable in my opinion.
Only 11 or 12 is simply taking the wee wee !
Are they really saying good players aren't available yet,that's crap,a defencemen yes,but look at the guy Belfast signed today !!!!!!!
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EMB
Randall Weber
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Post by EMB on Aug 10, 2015 19:28:10 GMT
Which is why I said I'd take Corey with a pinch of salt. No one else seems to be having problems signing good quality players. Maybe the funds are going towards the chl for Clan & we cant afford the accommodation for all the imports at the start of the season (only a theory but not impossible) or maybe that's why we're not getting a full squad who knows. Like I said, & you know the workings Iginla its not all its cracked up to be behind the scenes.
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Doom
Greg Hadden
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Post by Doom on Aug 11, 2015 6:43:48 GMT
Which is why I said I'd take Corey with a pinch of salt. No one else seems to be having problems signing good quality players. Maybe the funds are going towards the chl for Clan & we cant afford the accommodation for all the imports at the start of the season (only a theory but not impossible) or maybe that's why we're not getting a full squad who knows. Like I said, & you know the workings Iginla its not all its cracked up to be behind the scenes. Maybe the funds are going towards the Brits to keep them from signing for other EIHL teams. Whilst some of you seem to be looking jealously at the Clan signings and the fact that they'll be going with a full compliment of imports, perhaps you should be comparing the depth of your roster with theirs, even if you go an import short. Possible 3rd and 4th lines for the Clan are Harper/Davies/Nesbitt and Cownie/Haywood/McKenzie. As noted elsewhere, possible 3rd and 4th lines for Panthers are Lacho/Myers/Clarke and Mosey/Betteridge/Import. I know which I'd take for the Steelers 3rd and 4th lines. Regards Doom
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