GM: Peter Ott
Coach: Doug Weight
Last season: 22nd overall. Missed playoffs
Ins and Outs
(Season 15 to Season 16)
In: Connor Bedard (draft), Charles Smart (free agent)
Out: Jimmie Ericsson (free agent), Nicolas Roy (free agent), Anton Forsberg (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Alex Galchenyuk/Miro Aaltonen/Robert Thomas
Nail Yakupov/Phillip Schultz/Arthur Kaliyev
Brady Tkachuk/Matteo Gennaro/Ryan Poehling
Michael Rasmussen/Alexandre Texier/Cole Perfetti
Mikhail Sergachev/Miro Heiskanen
Alexander Romanov/Torey Krug
Dennis Cholowski/Bowen Byram
Andrey Vasilevskiy/Charles Smart
A Question
Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk have been stars in Prague for so long now, it’s shocking to learn their ages are only 33 and 32, respectively. It seems like should be in their 40s by now. Yakupov has worn the Sparta sweater for 1,115 games and since the start of Season 2, he’s received good ice time … and he will again this season. He has scored at least 50 points the last nine seasons. Galchenyuk has played 1,057 games for Prague and his durability has been legendary. Over the last 902 games (11 full seasons), he has only missed one game. He has also contributed on offense, scoring at least 50 points in 9 of the last 10 seasons. On top of that, he has made the All-Star Game four times, including the last one. The two forwards, along with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and defenseman Tory Krug are the only 30+ players on a very young squad. A lack of experience hurt them in recent years, but the fact the young players are getting regular ice time, and learning, should help them in the long run. The Sparta prospects list is 22 names long and it would really help the team if some of those players would make it to the NHL and then go on to get good Websim attributes. Even if none make it up to the EURO, Prague will be in decent shape because their current roster lists 7 forwards and 4 defensemen age 25 or younger with PO ratings of 80 or higher. And that doesn’t include Mikhail Sergachev, the team’s best blueliner with 19 goals and 46 points last season, because he is just over 25 years old. Sergachev still has two years remaining on his Type 2 contract, so he could be a fixture on the blueline for another 5 years.
Rose’s Focus
“When Canadian Matteo Gennaro was drafted in the first round by Prague in Season 15, he had to think the future No. 1 center position would be his someday. His parents were very proud and they sent me a small gift of maple syrup as a token of their appreciation. But a year later, GM Peter Ott drafted Philipp Schultz of Denmark in the first round and he’s also a center. Schultz is better with the stick, but Genaro is better with the legs and body. So it looked like Gennaro really had a fight on his hands to secure that No. 1 center spot. Maybe Ott was hoping the teammates would make each other better if they were forced to compete for ice time against each other every single practice. Then, fate stepped in and hit both young players across the face at the same time. The Sparta won the draft lottery for Season 16 and Connor Bedard starting house shopping in Czechia. In an instant, the Gennaro-Schultz battle became a fight for second-line ice time … even if they can transition to the wing because Robert Thomas and Brady Tkachuk are already there. But who knows what the future holds? When I was a young woman, I figured I would be a famous singer, but then rock and roll occurred and no one wanted to listen to Big Band music anymore.
