GM: Roger Bowmoore
Coach: Paul MacLean
Last season: 10th overall. In playoffs, lost to Helsinki
Ins and Outs
(Season 16 to Season 17)
In: Olegs Sislannikovs (trade)
Out: Martin Jones (trade), Gregory Beron (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Tomas Hertl/Dominik Lakatos/Mikko Rantanen
Sam Steel/Nardo Nagtzaam/Danton Heinen
Rasmus Asplund/Cody Eakin/Dylan Guenther
William Von Barnekow/Frederik Gauthier/Nikolai Goldobin
Robert Hagg/Ryan Lindgren
Marek Hrbas/Jakub Krejcik
Simon Nemec/Matt Benning
Andrew Hammond/Sam Montembeault
A Question
Where does London need to improve? In each of the last three seasons, London was knocked out of the playoffs by eventual EURO Cup finalists. The goal this year has to be to climb to a higher seed in the playoffs. But not much is guaranteed in the EURO League. Just making the playoffs in the tough Northern Conference has always been an accomplishment and now Paris is in there too. They are very strong up the middle with centers Dominik Lakatos, Nardo Nagtzaam and Cody Eakin. Goalie Andrew Hammond has stolen lots of games in his career and London is hoping he hasn’t lost his touch. Last season, however, London had a glaring weakness on left wing once you got past Tomas Hertl on the depth chart. Sam Steel really seemed to struggle on the second line, especially with the defensive part of the game. He turned the puck over at an alarming rate. Swede Rasmus Asplund could swap lines with Steel, but he too might be playing over his head there. The acquisition of Olegs Sislannikovs in a trade that sent goalie Martin Jones to Bern could be a master stroke – for both teams. Sislannikovs won’t pile up points but he’s the kind of guy who skates hard, digs for pucks along the boards draws defenders away to open space for his linemates. He’s never been trusted with big minutes in the past, but the team might give him a shot at Steel’s job at some point soon. London is not weak right now, but long-term, the team looks even better. Coach Paul MacLean and GM Roger Bowmoore are finding games for young players Simon Nemec, Dylan Guenther and William Von Barnekow and that should work in the Monarchs’ favor down the line.
Rose’s Focus
“Sometimes I like my men handsome and quiet. Sometimes I like them handsome and freaky. Roger Bowmoore, the Swede in England, is in that first category. He reminds me of the James Bond I liked the most, Roger Moore. Hmmm. Roger Moore … Roger Bowmoore. Did he just throw a syllable in his name to throw us off? Is he actually an MI6 agent closing in on the illegal activities in Berlin or trying to keep Mad Igor Kirunov from taking over the world? I doubt he’s going to tell us. In any event, I like what Roger’s doing in London. The GM made just a couple of moves in the off season and I’m sure the players “bonded” a little from that. They have been given the impression they are in this together, like a family. The dad in this family is just 26 years old. Dominik Lakatos, the Man with the Golden Stick, is team captain and he’s been the team’s leading scorer for 6 of the last 7 seasons. You really can’t go wrong giving Lakatos prime minutes. I say keep doing – or more accurately, not doing – what you’re doing, Roger Moore – I mean Roger Bowmoore (wink) – and stick with your guys. Let’s see what happens. Live and let die, as they say. “
