hat



Vancouver has had such an impressive run to the finals thus far that it's hard not to choose them to win it all. Only losing one game in three series gives the Whalers an impressive 12-1 record so far these playoffs and it would be surprising if they didn't continue on to win the cup with all that momentum on their side. Also, the one game they did lose was the first or second game of the playoffs for them which means they're on at least an 11 game win streak right now going in to the finals. Four more wins should be very achievable for them.

100+ words, 2 TPE



My player Ylib Kove didn't perform at all compared to expectations. This was the first of two seasons where he's at his peak 425 TPE build and should be able to compete at the same level as all the best players in the J, but instead it seems he stayed relatively stagnant since the previous season. Even compared to the rest of the Malamutes, who also underperformed expectations this season, Kove was 4th in points among 4 centers of the team despite two of them not being at the TPE cap. The good news about all this is that next season might be better and if it is then Kove might earn the most improved award.

100+ words, 2 TPE



Team Czechia is only getting stronger as each season goes on. Since we're big enough to have our own WJC team now alongside the popular nations, it might be a bit tough to compete with combined nations who can draw from more of a prospect pool, but it means nothing but high expectations for the future. Ylib will also be on Czechia's IIHF roster this season and it'll be a good experience to see how it is to play alongside proper SHL players. I don't expect either the WJC or IIHF team to make a splash this season, but I do expect us to be an unexpected powerhouse in the early S80s with a young and ever-developing core.

100+ words, 2 TPE