Good question! I expect that the powerhouses will remain powerhouses but I am curious to see where things will go for the Nighthawks after all their drama last season. I am also cautiously optimistic about the Winnipeg teams, I wonder if either of them can climb up a rung or two from the bottom of the ladder. Also wondering whether Steinbach will come back down to earth a little after a good run at the top.
Only 6 days until the preseason starts!!
I'll run through my thoughts on the East Division teams, as I get a good handle on all of them over the course of the season.
I'm actually quite high on Steinbach. Their forwards last year were unusually young and new to the league, - and they're returning the team's (and maybe league's) best player from last year (IMO) in D-man Noah Szabo.
The schedule is a big help to them this year too - they usually get off to a great start, and then because of the new building (Opening date Dec 31), they're loaded up on home games in the back-half of the season.
I'm most interested in Winkler and Portage. I assume one of those two teams will rise to battle for the title of "best team in the league" with Steinbach this year.
I thought Falk was outstanding and got that Winkler team to play with a concrete identity, and I'm not sure he's replaceable.
Winkler and Steinbach were so much better than the competition last year IMO - it's like they were playing in a different league. I saw them play in September, and said - "These two teams will play in the final, and Winkler will win"
For Portage, you knew they'd be a bit down last year, it just remains to be seen if they can recover to a top level from that Centennial hosting run.
I don't have a vibe yet in Niverville - Definitely no lack of intrigue there though. Pretty optimistic from everyone I've talked to in the club at the start of camp, but I assume literally every team in the league is. LeGall might have been the best goalie in the league last year, and Coyle (D-Man) was my favourite player in the league to watch, and I think both are heading to the USHL to start the season.
Niverville is also the only team in the league with a separate GM and Head Coach, and I think that could be a major advantage for them.
(Maybe you'll count Selkirk too, but Hudson is also the team's Director of Hockey Ops in addition to head coach, so I don't,)
On that note, I actually like Selkirk, their problem is they always get off to the worst start, and then can't catch up - They need to do a better job in camp to have success.
I'm personally not very optimistic at all for either Winnipeg team, although that's because I don't think I have seen them win a single time during my many, many games attended in the MJ over the last two seasons.
The one team I'm really interested in in the West is OCN - With ownership stabilized, and a head coach signed up long term, I wonder if the team can continue the momentum of last year.
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