GM: Dennis Sullo
Coach: Bruce Cassidy
Last season: 16th overall. In playoffs, lost to Berlin.
Ins and Outs
(Season 16 to Season 17)
In: Philip Tomasino (trade), Adam Lowry (free agent), Jonas Siegenthaler (free agent), Jayden Struble (free agent), Jordan Spence (draft)
Out: Jake Debrusk (trade), Morgan Riely (bought out), Mark Scheifele (free agent), Victor Mete (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Alexander Polunin/Brayden Point/Kieran Brown
Jonathan Drouin/Jonathan Huberdeau/Mark Stone
Barrett Hayton/Joel Eriksson Ek/Quinton Byfield
Jordan Greenway/Adam Lowry/Phil Tomasino
Charlie McAvoy/Mikey Anderson
Quinn Hughes/Jonas Siegenthaler
Vince Dunn/Tomas Machu
Stuart Skinner/Vitek Vanecek
A Question
Did they get better last season? Zurich made bold and impressive moves a year ago to prepare for Season 16. They improved a little, but not as much as we anticipated. We might have to call in both Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot to discover why the Lions merely purred last season. They should have roared with the addition of players like Morgan Rielly, Mark Stone, Jonathan Drouin, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vince Dunn and goalie Stuart Skinner. In the playoffs, against the Smurfs, the Lions didn’t even wake up. Still, there were signs of great improvement in Z Town. The Lions offense was 11th best in the league and the powerplay was 8th. They were also 9th in shots on goal. Defensively? That’s where the focus has to go next and Bruce Cassidy has taken some steps he hopes will make the Lions stronger on the blueline. Charlie McAvoy and Quinn Hughes are the leaders back there and Cassidy has made sure to split them up and give each defense pair an offensive guy and a defensive guy. Mikey Anderson brings his serious approach to defense to the top pair with McAvoy and tough guy Jake Middleton will play with Hughes when he’s not in the penalty box. Anderson should make an underrated but major contribution to the team. Vince Dunn will try to guide young aggressive Czech Tomas Machu as his partner on the bottom pair. Expect a better season from Stuart Skinner, the goalie who Zurich took high in the Season 16 draft. If he doesn’t improve from his 4.23 goals against average and 86 save percentage this season, well that would be a minor disaster in Zurich.
Rose’s Focus
“I spy a movement toward big, strong men in Zurich. I have absolutely no problem watching big strong men. It’s a clever philosophy, I think, for Zurich to throw a mix of body types at their opponents. Alexander Polunin, Kieran Brown and Brayden Point will zip all over the ice like they did last season for the Lions and then suddenly Coach Bruce Cassidy will roll out the tanks: Adam Lowry, Jordan Greenway, Quinton Byfield and Joel Eriksson-Ek, who is emerging as team captain material. Tanner Jeannot was in the lineup last year, but not this year. Perhaps the coach isn’t angry enough yet to put him in. In theory, having dangerous blokes like Lowry, Jeannot and defensemen Jacob Middleton, Jonas Siegenthaler and Tomas Machu on the team should make their opponents less willing to go hard for pucks or check any Lion. I know if I was on the other team I would cozy up to the big strong men on my side. Now I’m thinking about big strong men again. So much for today’s batch of pierogis.”
