GM: Delwin Y
Coach: Willie Desjardins
Last season: 21st overall. Missed playoffs
Ins and Outs
(Season 14 to Season 15)
In: Jordan Eberle (free agent), Jakub Vrana (free agent), Curtis Lazar (free agent), Mackenzie Entwistle (free agent), Bennet Rossmy (free agent), Yu Sato (free agent),
Out: Jakub Voracek (free agent), Patrick Kane (free agent), Eric Gelinas (free agent), Luke Adam (free agent), Michael Grabner (retired)
Potential Lineup
Nikolaj Ehlers/Jack Eichel/Jordan Eberle
Denis Gurianov/J.T. Miller/Curtis Lazar
Sarah Nurse/Devin Shore/Jakub Vrana
Sam Steel/Filip Chytil/Daniel Sprong
Olli Maatta/Brady Skjei
Jeremy Lauzon/Roope Laavainen
Patryk Wajda/Artur Cholach
Braden Holtby/Carter Hart
Three Questions
1. Did Stockholm have a lot of holes to fill? When the off season began, Stockholm needed a new goalie, a new right wing to play with Jack Eichel and Nikolaj Ehlers on the top line, and at least one more good winger. Then, they resigned Braden Holtby and didn’t need a new goalie anymore. The draft helped them fill a hole on defense that opened when veteran Eric Gelinas’ contract expired. With the first overall pick they took Artur Cholach, a Ukrainian who could be a future all-star in the EURO. That left GM Delwin Yung with the task of using free agency or a trade to get Eichel and Ehlers their right wing. Yung did the old 3-for-1 and signed a trio of veteran right wings. Coach Willie Desjardins can try Jordan Eberle on that line to create the EEE Line (Eichel-Ehlers-Eberle) or give speedy Curtis Lazar – who returns to Stockholm after 3 seasons in Dublin – a chance to prove he isn’t just a checking forward. The EEL Line? We wouldn’t want to skate against an eel line. Gross. And Jakub Vrana is also available, although he is a liability if defensive duties are a thing in hockey. All in all, Stockholm will be better than they were last year, mainly because their young lineup did not deteriorate in the off season and in fact, their ratings generally went up. But that doesn’t mean the team will rise much in the standings because the teams around them might have done the same.
2. How does the team look long-term? Lately, Stockholm has been building from the back. The Braden Holtby era almost ended but it goes on after the fanbase practically revolted and ordered GM Delwin Y to keep him in their city. The Canadian Holtby has been the main goalie in Stockholm for 12 seasons and his save percentage has been great the whole time. For his career, it’s 90.6 and only three goalies in history (Jonathan Quick, Frederik Andersen and Alexander Salak) have been better. So the spotlight will shine on Carter Hart, 25, later; not this season. Hart is signed long-term and when he gets the starter job, he will have to double his games played number from his customary 25 or so. In front him long-term are some real promising defensemen under contract in Artur Cholach and Martin Steinkasserer as well as a good defensive player in Jeremy Lauzon. Getting them experience seems important. And farther down the pipeline is Stockholm prospect Brandt Clarke, who scored 61 points in 31 games this season in the OHL with Barrie, the same team Cholach plays for. But Yung will have to keep his eyes peeled for someone who can lead the charge on opposing nets. Filip Chytil is the top young forward on the team but he main never reach top-line status. Stockholm has an impressive array of prospects, but prospects are always huge question marks. Left wing Mattias Maccelli, a playmaker from Finland, will join the team this season and he will be an excellent passer up and down the ice. Fan favorite Alexander Holtz played 19 games with the New Jersey Devils and Stockholm fans will be glad the plug was pulled on that experiment because he would not have gotten good Websim attributes. Next season should be a better debut for him. In this year’s draft, Yung made a sneaky good pick in taking Jordan Dumais, a rapidly improving Columbus Blue Jackets prospect who scored 140 points this season to lead the Quebec Major Junior league in scoring.
3. What is their identity ? Stockholm, while dropping in the standings in recent seasons, has developed a reputation as a stingy defensive club in the defensive zone. Braden Holtby might have been a key factor in that. He was really good. The team was 10th best in penalty killing and 18th best in goals against. But they were second-worst at shots given up per game. We’re pointing at the forwards more than the defense corps. Only three forwards on last year’s team had DEF ratings over 70, and they were Nikolaj Ehlers, Denis Gurianov and Devin Shore. Signing Curtis Lazar and Jordan Eberle will be huge because they are now the top two defensive forwards on the team. Eberle, by the way, was the second player ever drafted by Gothenburg and he played 14 years for them before moving across Sweden this off season.
Rose’s Focus
“Women. That’s what I think of when I think of Stockholm F.C. I like men, don’t get me wrong. And many, many, many men can attest to that. But it makes me proud when I see Stockholm play with Sarah Nurse churning up and down the wing. She scored 17 points as a rookie and showed her tough, “Don’t mess with me” side with 36 penalty minutes, which was 7th-most on the squad. Now, General Manager Delwin Yung has added Kendall Coyne-Schofield to the team. She might not get into the lineup this season, but when she does … just try to skate with her, boys. Yung is trying to build an all-female team for some reason and I hope he does it. If he needs an experienced, calculating – albeit slight – forward/defensewoman/goalie, he knows where to look.”
