Season Preview: Demitra Division

By Dylan Callow This is the 2nd part of 4 in the season preview series. We’re going to take a quick look at the Demitra Division tonight and make a prediction on their final standings. Here’s my evaluation (keep in mind we haven’t finished trading so it’s not set in stone). I am evaluating the Goaltending, Top…

Season Preview – Schloder Division

By Dylan Callow This is the 1st part of 4 in the season preview series. We’re going to take a quick look at each division and rate the teams to make a prediction on their final standings. Here’s my evaluation (keep in mind we haven’t finished trading so it’s not set in stone). I evaluate the Goaltending,…

Niemi traded to Gothenberg

The EURO League saw a few more changes in the last three days as teams continued to tweak their rosters. Nothing too earth-shattering; a lesser free agent here, a former cast-off there, and then suddenly – out of the azur – Milan’s Antti Niemi is in Gothenberg! Move the rocking chair, Marty Brodeur, there’s a…

Lehtonen stays put; Moscow makes a push

Geneva general manager Joonas Komppa went all in. After all the intrigue and worrying, free agent goalie Kari Lehtonen will stay in a Generals sweater for a long time, making the maximum $9 million per year with a player option for the fourth year. But a few other general managers made news as well this…

Lehtonen’s big pay day nears

These have been nerve-racking days for Kari Lehtonen, the outstanding goalie for the Geneva Generals. Lehtonen’s contract is up and his future is the biggest news this week in the EURO League. The Finn is generally regarded as one of the three top goalies in the league with Pekka Rinne of St. Petersburg and Jonathan…

Free agency: Some about to get rich

With Copenhagen’s selection of Nick Petan, the EURO League draft is complete and hockey knowledge will now take a back seat to financial wizardry. An even 100 players are Type 3, unrestricted free agents. Some, like 33-year-old Jim Vandermeer and 32-year-old Rick Dipietro, have never played for a EURO team and will probably not get…

In draft, Stockholm looks forward

The EURO League’s Season 3 draft is into the third round, with pickings slim and many teams gambling on prospects without attributes. Of the 24 picks in the second round and the first 6 of the third round, 11 prospects have been selected. The most recent were Kerby Rychel, now of Helsinki (see below) and…

London has 3 of the next 10 picks

(Note:  Igor Kirunov (Minsk) corrected something I wrote Friday, pointing out prospects won’t get their attributes until after the NHL season is complete, meaning they will not be available this EURO season even if they hit 40 games played before our mid-season evolution. Of course, if you GMs want, we could delay the start of…

Holtby goes first overall to London

Braden Holtby is the biggest news in London since Prince George. Holtby might not have made quite as much noise upon arrival as the royal baby did, but he’s way better at stopping 90 mph pucks. The goalie was  the first pick of the EURO League draft. He will probably start his EURO career as…

Draft preview: Who is going first?

The EURO League’s Season 3 draft  could be a week away, which means players like Braden Holtby, Brendan Gallagher and Nathan MacKinnon will know which languages they will have to start learning. The season is supposed to start Wednesday, but the draft will not be held until a day or two after all teams have…