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701 aka YUNG GUAP GOD · 09-20-2013, 03:21 PM

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Throughout the next few weeks, or however long it takes me to get all of the teams done, I will be going through each and every SHL team and giving my opinion on a few select things. These things range from what the team is lacking, to what the team is very stable with. To start things off I will be using my team, the West Kendall Platoon. After the Platoon it is up to you guys on who I will be doing next. Please just leave a comment below on what team you would like to see, and I will put it into consideration. Now let's get started with the series.

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When most people think of the West Kendall Platoon, they probably think of a franchise that has had a pretty bad time with starting a rebuild. I completely agree with them, because the Platoon indeed have had some pretty bad luck with the players they draft and only setting their rebuild back further. But when you look at the team now, you see a young and very talented team that is on the brink of breaking through and becoming serious contenders for the Challenge Cup. Though the team isn't looking to be cup ready just yet, I do expect them to make the playoffs with two teams in Manhattan and Minnesota just lifting off with a rebuild. Now let's get into the topics that I will be talking about with every team.

TEAM STRENGTHS
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Barnabas Hoff posing with his new bosses just after being selected third overall.

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It's no secret that the Platoon have been going through a rebuild, but the rebuild is finally paying off as they have a bunch of great young talent on their team. They have the likes of Christian Bauer, John Anderson, Ammon Tutankamun, Ryan Bolt, Urijah Winnfield, Barnabas Hoff, Jermaine Tennyson and Jim Lahey. Out of all of those names, Christan Bauer is the only player to officially lace up for the Platoon and play a game for them. Also when looking at the list of names you will notice there is only one true defenseman, and two two-way forwards that can change from forward to defense if needed. The missing defenseman prospects could eventually cause an issue, but that doesn't take away from a very young and talented prospect core.

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Like I had stated in the youth strengths, the Platoon are stacked in the forward area. Just to add to the names that I listed above, there is the veterans Emma Watson and Julien Marshall. There is no doubt that the Platoon are looking very good at the forward for the future, but right now they are still one of the best forward cores in the SHL. Just give them some more time, and they will be a force to be reckoned with, and that is a guarantee.

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The Platoon made a bold trade during the last regular season when they traded their goalie of the time and a first round pick to the Toronto North Stars for prospect goalie Urijah Winnfield. This trade proved that the Platoon were serious about their rebuild, and in the future the trade could prove to be a great or terrible choice by Mr. Maxwell. Now that the Platoon had traded for Winnfield, nobody seen their late first round pick in this past draft to be yet another goalie in Jermaine Tennyson. The move makes sense looking at it though, you get the player with the most TPE in the draft and you also get a backup plan if Winnfield does not pan out. If Winnfield does work out, it wont be too hard to trade an elite goalie for a first, or maybe even more than that. Just to add another goalie to the already great young prospect pool the Platoon recently have traded for the young prospect C.J. James from the Los Angeles Panthers. It will be interesting to see how all three pan out and where they end up playing most of their careers.

TEAM WEAKNESSES
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Mark Malyckyj with his head down in disappointment after last seasons failure.

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Looking back at last season the Platoon has basically no defense outside of Mark Malyckyj. The young prospect Christian Bauer was moved from his natural left wing position to play defense with Malyckyj. Now looking at the Platoon you would probably ask, "with the new additions of Turska and Grossmann isn't defense more of a strong suit than a weakness?" Well in all honesty that doesn't change a thing. Turska has stated he only has two seasons left in him, and that he is aging quickly. Grossmann is a very good defenseman, but at this time his dedication to the league is not all that high. It is even rumored that Malyckyj may be hanging up the skates sooner than later. With all of this news, and the Platoon only having one defensive prospect that is why I see defense as a major weakness. Whenever a team has to play their forwards to fill in for defense, defense will always be a weakness.

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The Platoon being a young team lack star power. Don't get me wrong, they have some stars like Emma Watson, John Grossmann, Julien Marshall and Jackson Turska, but overall they don't have the star power to compete with teams like the Toronto North Stars and the Hamilton Steelhawks to compete for the Challenege Cup this season. There is one player who is on the verge of being a star in Mark Malyckyj, but until he can get his game under control (Malyckyj led the SHL in penalty minutes) he is not a star in my opinion. Now yes, the Platoon do have young people who have the potential to be stars in the near future, but potential does not always translate to being the actual outcome. If all of the prospects for the Platoon do play out to their full potential, star power will not be an issue for them.

TOP THREE PLAYERS
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Barnabas Hoff [left], Emma Watson [middle], Jackson Turska [right]

For the top three players I will be doing the top two players for the franchise right now, and the top player of the future for the team. Remember that these three players are all in my opinion, and for the most part don't feel bad if you don't make it as many could be the right choice.

For the player of the future for the West Kendall Platoon I selected one of the new draftees, Barnabas Hoff. Not only is he a great and talented young player, but his attitude is tremendous. He is the team that any team would love to have build around, and has already stated that he wants to play in West Kendall for as long as they compete. That is a very good sign for the Platoon as they haven't had the best luck with past draftees.

The best players right now that I picked on the Platoon are Emma Watson and Jackson Turska. Turska and Watson already have a very good chemistry together, as they played together in Minnesota before heading to West Kendall. Their chemistry will only help out the team, and their own performance. Emma Watson is the permanent captain of the Platoon, and she leads the team with an unmeasurable amount of passion. Watson is a top player in the SHL. Turska is a new addition to the Platoon who has stated he will be retiring after two seasons in West Kendall. Though he is aging harshly as of late, he still plays at an elite level. The main reason why I chose Turska over others who are equally talented is that I think his chemistry with Watson gives him the very, very small notch over the others. There are plenty of other great choices though.

GENERAL MANAGER RANKING
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Jon Maxwell taking questions after announcing the blockbuster trade for Winnfield.

For the general manager ranking I will be going off of my personal opinion on where I would rank the general manager out of all twelve of the general managers. I guarantee that everyone will have a different opinion on how good the general manager is, so just please know that this is MY OPINION. If you disagree, you can simply say you do and why, but I will not make it into an argument as everyone has their own opinion.

OUT OF 12, JON MAXWELL IS.....
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Surprise, surprise, I rated my own general manager number one on my ranking of 12. I personally get along with Maxy like no other general manager. Don't get me wrong, I get along with a couple other very, very well, but not like I do maxy. Basing this on his skill, I honestly do see him as a top general manager. Sure,there have been fail rebuilds in the West Kendall, but those were nothing that he could prevent. Ever since joining maxy I have really seen a whole different side of the guy. He knows when it is time to be serious, and when it is time to just mess around. Any general manager that can do that, is a great general manager in my books.

SEASON 15 RANKING
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For the Season 15 ranking I will be saying where I think that team will end up standings wise out of all 12 of the teams. As seen above I think that the Platoon will finish 7th overall standings wise, and I think that they will just slip into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Will they be good enough to get passed the first round? It is doubtful, but if the young players they have keep on progressing at a very steady pace, they will be a team that could shock the world in a upset in the first round.

Overall I think that this upcoming season for the Platoon is just a "welcome to the league" type of season for all of the young players, and they will be ready to give a serious shot at competing in Season 16. If they can manage to keep all of their crop active, they will be a great team in the very near future.

Again, if you want to see a certain team next just leave a comment below stating you would like to see a certain team. The ones with actual feedback, and not just a team will take precedence over the ones just saying a certain team.</div>