GM: Dennis Sullo
Coach: Bruce Cassidy
Last season: 17th overall. In playoffs, lost to Bern
Ins and Outs
(Season 17 to Season 18)
In: Jackson Blake (draft), Joseph Woll (free agent), Mark Kastelic (free agent), Drew Helleson (draft), Brett Berard (draft)
Out: Joel Eriksson Ek (free agent), Adam Lowry (fee agent), Jake Middleton (free agent), Vitek Vanecek (free agent), Trent Frederic (free agent),
Potential Lineup
Alexander Polunin/Brayden Point/Kieran Brown
Jonathan Drouin/Jonathan Huberdeau/Phil Tomasino
Barrett Hayton/Ivan Ivan/Mark Stone
Jordan Greenway/Mark Kastelic/Quinton Byfield
Charlie McAvoy/Mikey Anderson
Quinn Hughes/Jonas Siegenthaler
Vince Dunn/Tomas Machu
Stuart Skinner/Carter Gylander
A Question
How good are the Lions this year? With their top 11 scorers from last season all back, the goal for the Lions this season should be getting up to the 4th or 5th seed in the playoffs so they can sweep away what must feel like a curse to them. Zurich has only made it past the first round once in their history; that was in Season 4. In the last five seasons, Zurich has made it to the playoffs three times, but they lost 12 of their 14 games in that stretch. Is a climb up the standings possible for this group? A look at the ages on Zurich’s lineup tells you the Lions should be better this year. Offensive maestros Alexander Polunin and Brayden Point are both 30 this year and last year they both put up more than 90 points. Two of the top defensemen are also hitting their peaks: Charlie McAvoy and Vince Dunn. The expectation is those four will lead the Lions, but they will need help. Highly-regarded younger players Kieran Brown, Stuart Skinner and Quinn Hughes played well last season and there is no reason to think they won’t have even more success this season. So yes, the Lions could make the move they are hoping to make. But there are plenty of questions that need to be answered too. Mark Stone has a marquee name but boy has he been quiet since coming to the Swiss team. Why? For one, his durability isn’t there. It’s hard to develop chemistry with two linemates when you’re hurt for a game here, two games there, etc. Coach Bruce Cassidy has Stone on the third line to start the season. Another player fans will be looking at is the other third-line winger Barrett Hayton, whose production went down from 29 to 20 points last season even though his ice time increased from 6 minutes to 10. Goalie Skinner is still inexperienced even though he is 26-year-old. In his second season, he brought his save percentage up by more than 2 percentage points and he dropped his goals against average by six-tenths of a goal per game. No question he is headed in the right direction.
Rose’s Focus
“Part of me is a Zurich Lions fan. I can feel it. I think it’s my left elbow area, just below where I am a Kosice fan. The Lions let a few big muscular guys escape the team this off season. Joel Eriksson Ek, Adam Lowry and Jake Middleton are the brutes to whom I am referring. But GM Dennis Sullo plucked tough guy Mark Kastelic from the Boston Bruins to fill about 235 pounds of that void and they still have beefy Jordan Greenway and Quinton Byfield in the starting lineup and Tanner Jeannot sharpening his fists on the farm club in Venice. With the addition of draft pick Jackson Blake, the Lions have 12 forwards with PO ratings of 80 or above with 11 of them in their starting lineup this season. That’s music to my left elbow’s ears … umm, ear. One elbow, one ear, isn’t that right? The defense corps and goaltending pair also shows high potential ratings, with 7 of those 8 roster slots showing PO ratings of 80 or above. What all that means is I can’t tell how well the Lions will do this season, although there is no reason they can’t compete for the Southern Conference title, but my elbow, when it’s bent, points to a pretty bright future coming soon in northeastern Switzerland.”
