GM: Mikko Mantykoski
Coach: Barry Trotz
Last season: 24th overall. Did not make playoffs
Ins and Outs
(Season 18 to Season 19)
In: William Nylander (free agent), Sam Bennett (free agent), Rhett Gardner (free agent), Jake Middleton (free agent), Michael McCarron (free agent), Brendan Lemieux (free agent), Jonah Gadjovich (free agent), Mads Eller (free agent), Marek Hrbas (free agent), Kilian Van Gorp (free agent), Michael Pezzetta (free agent)
Out: Logan Mailloux (trade), Christian Dvorak (free agent), Teuvo Teravainen (free agent), Cedric Paquette (free agent), Oskar Lindblom (free agent), Alejandro Hernandez (free agent), Mathieu Olivier (free agent), Alan Quine (free agent), Dysin Mayo (free agent), Steven Santini (free agent), Michael Amadio (free agent), Michael Carcone (free agent), Anthony Nigro (free agent), Frank Corrado (retired), Jonathan Kovacevic (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Eeli Tolvanen/Sam Bennett/Matthew Boldy
Rhett Gardner/Macklin Celebrini/William Nylander
Brendan Lemieux/Michael Misa/Nico Huuhtanen
Michael Pizzetta/Lewis Houston/Lukas Vashco
Philippe Myers/Simon Edvinsson
David Maier/Jordan Harris
Rami Maatta/Jake Middleton
Keith Petruzzelli/Florian Bugl
A Question
What is this team’s identity? Before the World Cup, Spaniards were suffering their most depressing period since the rule of Francisco Franco. Their hockey team has placed last in the league two years in a row and unfortunately, Season 18 produced the worst performance on record, a 15-63-4 record. That showing was the final straw for management who replaced their coach for the first time in franchise history. But the pain has brought some pretty nice gains. The Royals got Macklin Celebrini in the Season 17 draft, Michael Misa the next year, and in this year’s draft they took Gavin McKenna. There’s some future firepower in that trio for sure. In the last two drafts, they also picked up Kashawn Aitcheson, Wyatt Cullen and Elton Hermansson, as well as some other promising players. So, the team has a very exciting stretch starting … in about 5 years. It seems like the most prudent path General Manager Mikko Mantykoski can take would be to get his young stars like Celebrini and Misa lots of ice time and surround them with quality veterans who can mentor and protect him. He seems to want William Nylander with Celebrini to work some fancy plays, and longtime Bratislava winger Rhett Gardner will join them to fight anyone who dares touch the young superstar. On Misa’s line, he even coaxed Brendan Lemieux from the minor leagues to take the attention, take the fights and give Misa more space and time. In fact, this team could definitely become known for fighting this season. On defense, Simon Edvinsson, David Maier and free agent acquisition Jake Middleton will always be willing to drop the gloves and they have been placed on three different defense pairs, so there will always be a policeman on the ice in Spain. Mantykoski even has brawlers Jonah Gadjovich, Michael McCarron and Kilian Van Gorp on the farm club as pugilistic reinforcements. That’s one way for a losing team to boost ticket sales.
Rose’s Focus
“There have been some famous trade routes involving European cities. The Silk Road linked the Far East with the Roman Empire; Istanbul and Venice got huge due to trade and I see Madrid having a chance to join them on the list of the great trade cities of Europe. Why? Because General Manager Mikko Mäntykoski has something no other GM has, and I’m not talking about his stunning swimsuit bod. As of today, Madrid has more than $30 million in cap space. Teams who want to shed their over-priced players could find relief in Spain, but only if they can meet Mikko’s price for the service. He probably won’t just trade you a cheap guy for an expensive guy of similar value. Think about packaging a prospect, pick or young star if you want to move Mikko toward a handshake and a deal. In the last year, he made three trades and all he wanted in return were extra first-, second- and third-round picks. I bet he would love to add more PO ratings of 80 or higher too. Personally, I have found Mikko to be a poor negotiator. I remember once he asked me to dinner. I hesitated for a second and before I could say anything at all he said ‘and a movie.’ I tried to look disinterested and before I could pretend to look in another direction, he added, ‘and a shopping spree … and a puppy.’ That was a heck of a night for me.”
