GM: Brett Warbeck
Coach: Jim Montgomery
Last season: 24th overall. Missed playoffs
Ins and Outs
(Season 13 to Season 14)
In: Victor Rask (free agent), Adam Lowry (free agent), Igor Shesterkin (free agent), Pavel Zacha (waivers), Owen Tippett (waivers), Kirill Steklov (free agent), Valentin Nussbaumer (draft), Simon Gnyp (draft), Sean Durzi (draft), Jami Krannila (draft), Noah Gregor (draft), Nico Daws (draft)
Out: David Backes (retired), Andrew Dickson (released), Max Pacioretty (released), Linus Klasen (released), Gustav Olofsson (bought out), Michael Amadio (bought out). Morgan Geekie (released), Oskar Sundqvist (released), Logan Brown (released)
Potential Lineup
Adam Lowry/Ryan Johansen/Mikko Lehtonen
Robert Rooba/Victor Rask/Nick Schmaltz
Tim Stutzle/Yegor Sharangovich/Christian Fischer
Halfthor Sigrunarson/Pavel Zacha/Sven Andrighetto
Jakub Krejcik/Darnell Nurse
Thomas Chabot/Erik Andersson
Ryan Murphy/Vince Dunn
Igor Shesterkin/Jake Oettinger
Three Questions
1. Where does Hanover go after moving from Moscow? Up. Because there is nowhere to go but up for the team that finished last in Season 13. General Manager Brett Warbeck has a rebuild on his hands. Mikko Lehtonen is the best player on the team and he once scored 39 goals and 79 points. But that was with the Belfast Giants as a supporting cast. Last year, he suffered through a dismal season. He was -55 and scored 47 points with Ryan Johansen as his center. He, Nick Schmaltz and Yegor Sherangovich tied for the team lead in points, although Lehtonen played prime minutes. In the early stages of the off season, Warbeck signaled it’s going to be out with the old and with the new in Germany. Johansen, 32, found himself on the scratch unit often last season despite putting up very good offensive numbers. Victor Rask, who comes off a 50-point season with Geneva, was signed to a long-term contract to play center in northern Germany. So was Adam Lowry, who is not a big point scorer, but he’s a big guy who stands up for his teammates and plays solid defense. Pavel Zacha, 26, and Owen Tipett, 22, who were waived by Munich and Milan, respectively, are now Scorpions. Zacha should be in the lineup as a regular for the next 3 seasons at a minimum.
2. What are the team’s best assets? Hanover’s best assets are four good young forwards. First overall draft pick Valentin Nussbaumer is only 18 and green, but his future is extremely bright. He could make the team this season as a fourth-liner, maybe even as a third-liner. He projects to be a smart, skilled center who reminds some of a young John Tavares. If Warbeck chooses to wait for his young crop to mature intact, then Nussbaumer could eventually see lots of time with Tim Stutzle and Cole Caufield on his wings. That will be a difficult line to defense. Cole Sillinger is another 18-year-old with a bright future. Hanover has other good young players as well. Yegor Sharangovich had a good rookie season and at just 23, could see good minutes from here on out. On defense, Vince Dunn and Tom Chabot are both 25 and they could develop into team leaders and blueline fixtures if the plan involves trying to keep them long-term. Jake Oettinger, 23, is currently viewed as the goalie of the future and that future might have already begun. Although his 19-game rookie season debut was pitiful (84.2 save percentage), Hanover doesn’t have any better options at the moment. Igor Shesterkin was signed late in the process and he could split the job this season with Oettinger. Another good asset Hanover has in its possession is its Season 15 first round draft pick. Unfortunately, it looks like that will be a very high pick because this team might have to suffer through another tough season.
3. What does Hanover need the most? Hanover fans are anxious to see EURO League hockey and their very own players, but everyone should hope they don’t see too much of Jake Oettinger, Yegor Sharangovich, Pavel Zacha and Darnell Nurse. Here’s what we mean: Those players are all good and getting better, but if they are forced to play top line minutes against the superstars around the league, they will get hammered out there. They will have awful +/- ratings and their GM and fans might sour on them. Ideally, Hanover will somehow acquire a top left winger, one more good defenseman and a good goalie. That would shift the team’s talent down to a more appropriate level and hopefully start the Scorpions on a climb up the standings.
Rose’s Focus
“I would love to see Hanover approach a .500 season because I think there are a few players who will get out from under the burden of losing and really open some eyes. Jakub Krejcik makes a ton of money as a defenseman on this team. Why? Oh, baby, is he fun to watch. He skates beautifully, blocks a lot of shots, and he likes to line up opposing forwards and strike like a … like … what animal am I thinking of? Oh yeah, a scorpion. He was 18th in the league in hits last season and he only played in 69 games. He was 11th the season before. He also fought 14 times in the last three seasons for Moscow. He’s the kind of player who home fans and teammates love and other teams hate. I like him a lot. On top of that, he has a very good slapshot and scored 13 goals last season, putting him in the Top 25 in that stats category. “
