Western Pacific Predictions

Division Overview-



—————————————————

STANDINGS:

1. San Jose Barracuda
2. San Diego Gulls
3. Stockton Heat
4. San Antonio Rampage
5. Ontario Reign
6. Texas Stars
7. Bakersfield Condors
8. Tucson Roadrunners



—————————————————


San Jose Barracuda


Forwards: A++

Some people say I am biased. To them I say tell me one reason why this isn't the top forward group in the league this season. This team has a 3rd line center who put up 64 points last season in @PatriotOfCanada with a winning record at a 500k cap hit. If that doesn't scream depth I don't know what does. He's flanked by @xMagicMan13x a 68 point producer last season @500k and @MATTLOCSTA . Matt is the only question here as I'm not sold on him actually finishing a season in lg without complication, however, he will produce for as long as hes here. I mean the fact that I'm starting with the third line here and it could be a first line for many teams in the east and a few in the west shows just how special this group that @Ducksfanwaterloo put together. Coming in on the second line is the cup winning experience and chemistry of @Pasta_in_my_nose and @Userpic1306 . For those of you up and comers reading this get acquainted with this squad aspire to be like them in the game but out of the shoutbox. I know it sounds like I'm jock riding but @pasta is one of the best rightwings in the game and his chemistry with @userpic is like they were made to play this game together. @ducksfan will slot in on leftwing here and this unit will produce very good numbers. If you doubt me look at the stats or challenge them in club. Lets not forget too mention that this line comes with a combined price tag of 1.75 million. That's a 2nd and 3rd line that could be first lines on some teams at a combined price tag of 3.25 million. Finally onto the first line @cornect57 @mkz @l_Razor_x_Edge_l at a cap hit of 9.75. This offense is going to devastate teams and leave them questioning their lg careers. These forwards have a combined point total of 558 points in their last seasons and that's excluding mattlocsta and mkz as one has no stats last season and the other has them locked to private. That's an average of 79.1 points per forward across their 3 lines....... ouch. oh yeah they have this guy named @McInnis on their TC who is also a top forward in this game who knows if hell end up a shark or barracuda.

Defense: A

Once again its going to sound like I'm jock riding, but where were the other managers on some of these players. There are people who disagree with my rankings but seriously look at this team. This is the pinnacle of management and cap management. If you think you deserve an A ranking but don't match up with these guys you need to rethink your strategy. I can sum up this entire defense with two words. Established and winners. It is almost mind boggling how this team put together a defense that does not feature a single player with a .500 or losing record. This defense is highlighted by xbox transfer @PitcheRxSwaGx and @Mr-Ziggle-NUTZ as the top pair. @Loki_x27x and @Ojibwe_skillz is trhe second pairing. the third pairing is @mgml1987 and @Nardo . Choosing nardo over @Novax_8 as a third pair d man is a luxury a lot of teams in this league doesn't have. I am not going to dissect much further here but too anyone who doubts me here is the d groups combined record in the ahl/last season. 88-39-11.




Goalies: B

Sorry goalies you get no love here. This team is soo good on paper that they could put damn near anyone In net here and till be considered a favorite to win the division. Well except maybe that cbarbs guy who let in 40 some goals in 3 games or whatever it was last season. goalies figure to be @NewoKcid @WHATSgoodPOOKIE and @MrGhillieDMR .

Players to Watch: Watch the whole team. I would love to be a part of this team chat this season as these forwards chirp and compete internally for league leading scorer .


SanDiego Gulls


Forwards: A-
Sorry San Diego but that is a tough write up too follow here. I almost convinced myself to just stop writing the division after looking at that barracuda squad. Anyways enough about them. This is your spot to shine. I'm giving this forward group a A- ranking. The signing of @panda at 5.5 mil is a great contract. @gpip @deerhunter2911 @Iplay_for_keeps make up the rest of there top forward group. they also have quality depth with @Rockgosu4 and @hopsin56 making them a squad to take seriously as they all have proven track records of success and are more than likely hungry after last season. Don't sleep on the gulls this season.

Defense: B+
This squad looks like it can shine. The gulls put together a solid top 4 group of proven players with @soul2cold77 , @phillygonaspanku , and @Jmorris0009 . Also a player too watch here is @JoeWink13 as he looks to have a bounce back season after struggling to get in the win column with Chicago last season. my player too watch here is @Slimeman_ @750k this might be one of the best contracts on defense this season the guy can play and don't get caught up looking at his stats.


Goalies: B+

@TrashClown22 is the clear starter here and after a stellar s5 posting over 30 wins and a 76.5 sv% there is no reason to doubt him having similar success this season. It is likely he returns to an 80%+ sv% as he had in s4 and s3. their backup @Alexcleroux1995 is good enough to get them enough wins to finish high in the standings. I'm looking for him to finish with a .500 record.

Players to Watch: @trashclown @slimeman @joewink


Stockton Heat



Forwards: B-

This forward group at least has clear cut top end talent. This is the sole reason I put them in the standings in third place. (edit trades) , @Traz615 and @B37Will figure to be the top proddducers on this team. After them the player drop off is pretty significant. There agm @Krejci l46l is looking to become a known player and manager in this league after a solid s5 in the chl and I think he will thrive up here with this forward group. They then have a bunch of 500k warriors maybe one of them will come in as a steal for them. other than that I don't recognize much here so moving on. Yes I know they have an extensive training camp roster right now. At this point I am reiterating that I am only speculating on the players that are rostered at the time of me writing. It is very possible all of these grades go up based on some of the roster moves they make with their Tcs

Defense: B-

This defense earns a B- ranking soley for the fact it only has a solid top 2 pairing. @pappy @matt139139 look to shutdown their division rivals potent offences as the top squad here. My player too watch for this defense is @Dekepedia . I feel like I should know this person but I cant see his stats but he got management here for a reason and I trust Calgary's owner to make good personnel decisions.



Goalies: B
@WestSideHockey figures to be the starter here and will build off his s5 success with the reign. @LLcoolSam is in place as the backup right now and I'm not sure if hes ready to handle what this team is asking of him. Yet another flame player with their stats locked. seems to be a trend here so don't complain about my rankings.

Players to Watch: @WestSideHockey @Dekepedia



San Antonio Rampage


Forwards: B

At this place in the standings I think my ranking might surprise some people. @YoImCory , @xXDuFrEsNe27Xx and @doundansticky are all solid forwards. The latter of the which are the management squad for this team and it never hurts having your best forwards come in on management contracts. @Scorvat comes to this team looking to build off his impressive s5 where he put up 76 points I think his contract is very fair at 4 mil considering he only put out 15 wins last season. He's my player too watch here as I expect him to be able to get up to at least 20 wins this season. This team has some solid TC players at all positions and its really difficult for me to try and get in their heads as too who they want to use and how they want to manage the cap. All of these grades could go up as I see some real talent on their TC. I hope they use them correctly.




Defense: C+
I'm ranking this defense at a C+ for the time being. If they utilize some of their TC defenseman this ranking could easily improve by a full letter grade. At the time of writing this their top pair could be a second pair on half the teams in this division. That's not too say they aren't good but expecting @Slo_Mobius and @QcMCSeb seb to shut down some of the offensive power houses of their divisional rivals might be asking too much of them. Its a bold strategy cotton lets see how it works out for them.

Goalies: C+
As of right now they have @Memlocke and @dabears as their goaltending tandem. I want to rank this tandem higher but they just made a move to acquire @tibod68 which would make @DaBears182 the odd player out. Now don't get me wrong memlock and tibod would be a great tandem in terms of skill but at a combined 4 mil cap hit I cant justify a higher ranking.


Players to Watch: @Their entire TC I want to see if they make any moves or if their roster is set in stone. I see some gems here.


Ontario Reign


Forwards: B-

Some of these forward groupings in any other division would probably receive a much higher ranking but with the offensive juggernauts that are found in this division and conference I believe this ranking is fair. They have a solid top 6 featuring @jrow @xx dangles @camzi and @tommyclutch93 . @BlakeDangles , and @The_Dealmaker @VRain_19 fill out the depth chart here quite nicely and this team should put together a good record this season. The latter of whom are the management squad on this team. Some have questions about what will happen with this team after starting way over the cap and a roster in chaos, but after a few trades it appears they have got it sorted out and are ready to start the season. Furthering the doubts of fellow lgers is the performances of management in IHL competition this offseason. Too that I say zip it. IHL was a **** storm. This is the ahl not IHL. I don't have any doubts in this squad at the moment. I could see them performing higher in the standings than Stockton now that they got their team in order.

I'm adding @thedealmaker as a player too watch as he is switching back too forward after posting solid numbers in net last season in Stockton. His numbers at forward in the chl are not the most impressive, But I am not writing the kid off yet. Show us what you got.



Defense: B

Management here believes @String_King666 and @Cuban1616 will be the top d men this season. My player too watch here though is draft pick @BobTheOstrich . I have seen this guy display some incredible vision. He performed well with the NHL squad even if it wasn't good enough to stay in the bigs. Add in @Teamrun420 and you have a legitmate top 4 here. The bottom defenseman look to be a classic sui pairing. I like @Mattdisney111 but in this squad I cant his pairing performing well especially if hes paired with @woeisme2185 and the third line. sorry bud.

Goalies: B

@nowelbaby is a proven goalie and at 500k I look for nowel to provide this team a real good chance to climb the standings. I don't know their back up but it looks like management has faith in him so were going to give this tandem benefit of the doubt for now.



Players to Watch: @BobTheOstrich @thedealmaker



Texas Stars


Forwards: C

I don't see how some people accuse me of bias because its difficult for me to put this team so low in the standings. I like this squad. They have some good guys and good players. I just cant see them beating out the competition. Former MLB draft pick ryan @Degraves5 put together a good team with a mantra he claims will work. That mantra being that there isn't a player in the ahl worth a contract over 3.5 mil I think it was. correct me if I'm wrong bud. I am interested to see how that strategy works out for him. On paper this group is not bad considering he finished bidding with that goal complete. After trades he only as one player over 3 mill and that is @Full_melt707 .... That is why I rank them so low. This is divisional based and well if the barracuda are the gold standard having fullmelt as your highest paid forward is not a recipe for success or a high ranking in this write up. @Thevandal1987 is another player I feel is very under rated in this game a big steal at 500k. The position change might have dissuaded suitors from bidding on him. @jpedro @Mann_060 both solid depth players on this team. The other 500k guys I don't recognize by name, but that's not too say they cant perform.


Defense: C

Again management opting not to spend a lot on players here. @xx0-gam3r-7xx is the most accomplished d man on this group. Him and @Backroad2philly are going to have to lead by example here because outside of them this dcore is built similar to the forward group. A lot of depth guys. @XxDreamtheaterX is switching to defense this season which I think similar to the vandal might be the reason he went so cheap. @cholesterolbomb and @Bufflechuck coming in at 500k d men are good signings if put in the right situations. I just really believe this d core is going to struggle against their division rivals.


Goalies: C

Both of their goalies are unproven at a higher level of play but boast high save percentages in the chl from last season. Its really not unreasonable to see one of these guys coming up big. Theyre going to be tested a lot this season and if they can stop most of the rubber thrown their way other managers will take notice. @H4dES__SP4wN @ITendy-_-

I think its possible this team can improve over the season. Once again I am adding in the caveat that they have some skill in their TC and if they make some roster adjustments I could see this team squeezing into a divisional or wild card spot.

Players to Watch: @fullmelt and @this management team. I think they got something up their sleeves to change this ranking. @degraves is smart and knows talent and if fullmelt helps them with scouting he knows a lot of players. They could full on trape some people this season.


Bakersfield Condors

Forwards: C-
It is going to be a long season for this forward group. No clear cut top end talent little mid range talent, and questionable depth in the toughest conference a playoff berth looks highly unlikely here. @bschmidy10 @Its_Jimbo_Slice and @FFrantic_ could make a line that competes against most teams. unless @limpark slides in on rw here over @ffrantic.



Defense: C+

@PlusSizePounder and @LAROACHA_420 are the highest paid players here. outside of them I think @jonhardcoq and @gatinare going to continue to struggle in this league. my player too watch here is @xprice hes been banned before and traded multiple times. I could see him wanting to get out of here.

Goalies: C+

@toadstooler posted a solid save percentage last season despite his losing record on this team. unfortunately I see this season being more of the same for him. Its nothing against him but in this video game its unlikely a goalie steals a game for his team. I think this team will try to rely on him to accomplish that far too often.


Players to Watch: @toadstooler


Tucson Roadrunners

Forwards: C-

Tucson is more often than not bottom feeders in the ahl. I have them following that trend again this season. This is no disrespect to the moran brothers but I think them taking so long to name a management squad really put this team at a disadvantage. The forward group features @trycept who I believe is a skilled forward who can produce and @oz_OGES who comes in at 7 mil. There must be something special about this guy but this is where the late management hurt this team. Unless there are other factors I'm unaware of if they wanted this guy so badly why didn't they draft him? @VaLLeE-L29L has impressive stats at the chl level last season and looks to make the jump. If he and his surrounding cast of s5 chl infusion talent can elevate their game they might put up some decent numbers but ultimately I think this group falls short and finishes in last. Honorable mention for @IhockeygirlI who could also be a part of the top line here. I remembered her as an after thought when doing my tags. Moran was justifying himself in the shoutbox after winning her rights and got her at 500k for his ahl team. Hopefully that move pays off because this team needs all the help it can get.



Defense: D+

I cant find a positive here at the moment. No high end talent no top 4 not even a solid top 2 shutdown pair. I'm only going to throw @Sir_Nibblesalot a shoutout because I remember him from pocket aces years ago and he produced back then. Maybe he can help this defensive unit out.


Goalies: C-

@BIGWhiskeyONE has his work cut out here in net. looking at @KQ31 career I imagine moran made this move and it might end up paying off in net.



Players to Watch: @toadstooler

—————————————————

That's my write up for the Western Pacific division. Sorry too the teams at the bottom of this division I am tapped out on doing these and your teams just aren't very exciting too me. These are simply my predictions and opinions. These write ups are never meant to discourage anyone. At the end of the day I really want to see all of you succeed. If you're offended or disagree flame me in the comments . Later taters.

 

Thanks for the write up dts.

 

cuda cuda cuda

 

got some shoes to fill now. great write dts

 

I'm solid

 

20 wins? I can't handle this pressure.... *desperately mashes the retire button*

 

No mention on my points in the chl? Touché...

 

@Pasta_in_my_nose - You are garbage sir, I wooped your ass in a shoot-out yesterday.
@Userpic1306 - You have associated yourself with Pasta and therefore Debra dislikes

But in all seriousness good luck all.​

 

<3

 

See, unlike you players like us dont rely on luck Debra.

 

Great write up Dangletown. I appreciate the love. I'm staying btw.

 

Good job dangletown

 

Think im gonna struggle eh. Up urs... lol. You see youll all see * evil laugh *

 

Sounds Bout right.. Good read, thanks dts