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karlssens · 11-05-2018, 12:01 AM

EDMONTON BLIZZARD SET TO START S44

To say the off-season in Edmonton was busy would be an understatement. After a disappointing end to the regular season that saw them finish just outside playoff seeding many were curious how the Albertan capital would respond, and boy did they ever. Here is a quick recap of what went down.

New Faces in Management – Perhaps the biggest news to come out of Edmonton was the recent change in management. Named co-general manager back at the beginning of S36, Erik Chisling quickly got to work orchestrating many signings and trades over his 8 years with the organization, culminating in a GM of the year award with general manager karlssens in S39 recognizing the end of what was a lengthy rebuild for the Edmonton Blizzard. With word of an opening for the general manager position in his hometown region of New England Chisling put his name in the running and successfully landed the position. While many in Edmonton were aware of the possibility it still came as quite a shock as the majority were drafted by the management tandem of karlssens and Chisling and were curious how everything would pan out given the news. As we’d soon learn it was a brief speed bump as both New England and Edmonton have successfully navigated the change and are eager to start S44. @Ace
On the flip side it left an opening at the co-general manager position in Edmonton, something karlssens hadn’t had to concern himself with since back in S36. Many quality candidates stepped up to the plate, including several from outside the organization, but karlssens opted for long time Blizzard teammate Keygan. Recently coming off a stint as general manager of the Montreal Militia he possesses a strong knowledge of trading and scouting prowess, and most importantly isn’t afraid to take the reins when karlssens isn’t available. @Keygan

New Franchise Centerman – Part of the package when Erik Chisling left for New England, career center and longtime Blizzard teammate Tigole Bitties would also need to make the move. Starting as a third line center back in S38 Bitties quickly moved up the depth chart surpassing regressed teammates Nikolaus Scholz and Teodors Cukurs in just a few seasons. Nominated for several awards over his time in Edmonton Blue he will look to continue his dominant career in New England green. Still very much a competitive team despite missing the playoffs in S43 the Blizzard needed a replacement for their star center and knew it likely wouldn’t come from within the organization, or at least not one ready for the beginning of S44. Coming back the other way in the trade package for Tigole Bitties were the rights to fellow S36 draftee and S42 Ron Mexico winner, Oisin Fletcher. A proven sniper and franchise winger for the New England Wolfpack the Blizzard knew they needed to aggressively pursue signing him and succeeded in doing so after some quick and pain free negotiations following the trade. The question remained though, who would take the draws? After a busy offseason of training Fletcher has successfully made the transition to center and will begin S44 as the new line 1 center. Edmonton is eager to watch Fletcher thrive with the additional responsibility as a center. @Evok

A Draft to Remember – While Edmonton had traded away their own S44 1st round selection, they were able to secure the Manhattan, Toronto and Seattle 1st round selections in large part due to the tremendous work done by Chisling prior to his departure. With the 3rd, 4th and 9th overall selection Edmonton knew they had a huge opportunity to land some amazing talent to add to their already lethal roster.
With the 3rd overall selection they opted for what was arguably the top defender in the draft in Tauras Karazija. Fresh off a 4 star cup win with the Vancouver Whalers, the offensive defenseman from Lithuania possesses a lethal combination of skating and scoring, but is also responsible in his own end when called upon. The Edmonton Blizzard believe he can become a homegrown talent for their blue line in a few seasons much like Chippy Chiclets, Tor Tuck and Brady McIntyre before him. @ontanis
Quickly following him was Bernard “Bun B” Freeman at 4th overall. The smooth skating American out of Port Arthur, Texas is an undeniable talent and a deadly sniper, drawing many comparisons to long time Texas Renegades legend Geoffrey Allen. Edmonton are watching his career in the SMJHL with much anticipation and eagerly await his transition to the SHL level. @Allen
Last, but certainly not least, the Edmonton Blizzard picked UK native Willy Mack with their 9th overall selection. The latest in the line of the Mack hockey family, Willy is a right wing that plays a strong offensive game with a physical upside. The 6’3” sniper is not afraid to take the hit to make the play and is beyond thrilled to begin his sophomore season the juniors. He, along with the previously mentioned Bernard Freeman will join fellow Blizzard prospect Adam Taylor to create a trio of high potential prospect wingers for the Edmonton Blizzard organization. @Mack

Familiar Faces, New Responsibilities – While there has been a wealth of new talent brought in to the organization as of late, there are still many familiar faces returning from S43, several of which will be taking on larger roles on the team. First we have Xavier Paquette. Selected in the S41 SHL Entry draft the two-way forward out of Montreal, Canada has patiently waited for the call up to the big leagues. With nothing left to prove at the junior level this smooth skating, shoot first winger will finally get the opportunity to skate with the big club alongside longtime Blizzard center Nikolaus Scholz on the third line. While he may not be in the running for any rookie awards the Blizzard are eager to see what the lethal two-way forward can bring to the club. @Paq
Next is S39 draft darling Brady McIntyre. A skater with the SHL level club for 3 seasons now, he has very patiently held down third pairing minutes despite exponential growth since entering the league. With the departure of veteran blue-liner Cormier-Hale the moment is now for McIntyre to break out in a big way and the Edmonton management have no doubt in his abilities. Expect to see Brady logging much bigger minutes, including power play and penalty kills here in S44. @caltroit_red_flames

Non-regressed Blueline – Acquired at the beginning of S42, Isaac Cormier-Hale was a tremendous presence and blue line stalwart for the Edmonton Blizzard, logging large minutes and piling up the assists. While not eager to move the veteran defenseman it was known the Blizzard management were looking at trading him to free up some salary, especially with several players contracts set to end in the next season or two. After news out of Seattle confirmed that up and coming defender Ensio Kalju as looking for a change of scenery the new management duo of karlssens and Keygan quickly jumped at the opportunity to land the S40 stud. Although a downgrade at defense going in to S44 TPE wise, there’s no doubt the Finnish defender will make quick work of the deficit as he continues to work hard every day on and off the ice. What’s more intriguing is that gives the Edmonton Blizzard 6 non-regressed defenders, 4 of which are above 1000 TPE and a 5th well on his way in the form of Kalju. @Jogurtaa @jRuutu

Fresh New Wingers – The train keeps rolling as the Blizzard welcome two more faces to their family in the form of Piotr Czerkawski and DeMaricus Smyth entering S44. The former was included as part of the Tigole Bitties trade and the latter as part of a sign and trade featuring long time regressed Blizzard winger Ace Redding. Both pieces come in as proven wingers and are expected to improve the roster both immediately and long term. Studs of their respective draft classes, they complement an incredible forward core that features long time names in Cory Knouse, Teodors Cukurs, Teddy Cuddles, Nikolaus Scholz and Hercules Rockefeller. @majesiu @Blastmeaway

Bidding Farewell – While landing new players and improving your team is all well and good, there are some unfortunate consequences. I’ve already touched on several names above, there a few others that I have yet to include, namely Brock Becker, Jean-luc Picard and Soren Kirkegaarde. Acquired via trade at the beginning of S41 Becker was eager to step up his game to prove the pundits wrong and he sure did. Entering S44 he has improved drastically and should be in store for a breakout season in New England after being traded from Edmonton as part of the Tigole Bitties package. After failing to land any big name free agents in advance of S43, the Blizzard went out and signed Picard. At the time only seen as a stop gap he quickly proved to the organization that he could indeed be a long term solution as the Blizzard quickly re-signed him to a new contract for S44. Once again opting to clear some cap for an FA in S44 the Blizzard moved Picard to New England, but failed to land their guy. While Kirkegaarde never played a game for the Blizzard he was delight to have in the lockerroom and should be given a longer look on a New England squad many believe are about to enter in to a rebuild. Best of luck guys! @GrilledTwinkiez @pennywise @Tlk742

New Year, New Me – We have new players, both from within the organization and outside, and new roles such as Fletcher moving to center, but what about entirely new play styles? Well it just so happens that on top of all these other changes S44 will also be the unveiling of the new and improved Teddy Cuddles. The S40 Richan winner has overhauled his play over the offseason, going from a power forward in to a bonafide two-way stud. Still no stranger to lowering the shoulder when the opportunity arises, he has honed his offensive game and is expected to be much more of a presence on the score sheet in S44. Fans and management alike are eager to see the future holds for the long time Blizzard player. @cpetrella.

One Year Older – While most of the focus this off-season was on the prospects selected in the recent draft, there is also plenty of excitement surrounding the crop of players selected in last season’s draft as well. Now with two seasons of SMJHL experience under their belt, Tony Pepperoni, Adam Taylor and Aleister Cain continue to prove that they are indeed the real deal and eager to be a big part of Blizzard squad in the near future. Although drafted as a winger, the Blizzard are taking a long look at Pepperoni to take on faceoff duties given that both Teodors Cukurs and Nikolaus Scholz are well in to regression and potentially nearing retirement. Adam Taylor will remain at wing, leading a deadly group featuring Bernard and Mack. Lastly Cain made the most of his first season as starter in St. Louis, leading him, Taylor and the rest of the Scarecrows to the 4 Star Cup finals. While ultimately falling short, it adds invaluable experience to what the Blizzard believe will be a future starter. @tommysalami @DannyMethane @SlashACM

Four new forwards, two new defenseman and a new co general manger. It’s certainly been a busy offseason for the Edmonton Blizzard, but where does that leave them with S44 about to commence? Can they get back in to the playoffs after a one year absence? Can they break the “Tuck curse”? Can they exorcise their demons and win a bloody game 7 in the playoffs? We’ll find out.

[Image: EDMB1.png]

iOBESE · 11-05-2018, 01:10 AM

Uhh, uhh it's a drinking game...drink every time you read word "eager"!

SlashACM · 11-05-2018, 01:31 AM

11-05-2018, 01:10 AMiOBESE Wrote: Uhh, uhh it's a drinking game...drink every time you read word "eager"!

amateur hour, drink every time you read the word "the"

Sean · 11-05-2018, 06:52 AM

EDM All-Time Leader in Goals, Assists and Points

trella · 11-05-2018, 08:42 AM

I guess you could say it was a... blizzy offseason

Thanks to @karey and @JSS for the sigs!

Former USA Fed Head, Carolina Kraken Co-GM, Tampa Bay Barracuda GM

*Good_Ole_Kimmy* · 11-05-2018, 08:45 AM

11-05-2018, 01:31 AMSlashACM Wrote:
11-05-2018, 01:10 AMiOBESE Wrote: Uhh, uhh it's a drinking game...drink every time you read word "eager"!

amateur hour, drink every time you read the word "the"

Weak shit. Drink Everytime you see the letters a, e, i, o, or u.

SlashACM · 11-05-2018, 11:23 AM

11-05-2018, 08:45 AMGood_Ole_Kimmy Wrote:
11-05-2018, 01:31 AMSlashACM Wrote: amateur hour, drink every time you read the word "the"

Weak shit. Drink Everytime you see the letters a, e, i, o, or u.

Pfft drink every second that goes past

Mack · 11-05-2018, 11:47 AM

Great post! Edmonton is a great place to be and karl you do such an awesome job!

Evok · 11-05-2018, 01:17 PM

ErM · 11-05-2018, 01:48 PM

Too many people in the LR. I had to mute it. Please trade me.

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