2022-2023 EIHL Predictions …

jenks33

Well-Known Member
#22
I definitely feel like you’re downplaying the value of Laporte, McParland, and Mitch Jones.

Not to mention the fact that Roy may not be the “King of Sheffield” we all hated, but still put up 58 in 53 last year.

I think top 4 should be a minimum ambition for Clan this year.
I compare Glasgow's roster to the "Big 4" and i still think it's lacking in areas. As i said i think they'll be a useful side and i probably do think they'll be the best of the rest. You've got Belfast in 5th?! As much as i'd love you to be right i can't see them finishing that low. I'm not overly impressed with their Recruitment but i think they'll finish 4th at worst.
 

E.D.S.

Well-Known Member
#23
But Nottingham have a newer coach than us, and more newbies and you have them 2nd. I think you are superstitious and don’t want to curse the lads.
Definitely. Give me a competitive team that’s entertaining and I’m happy…. Oh and a trophy!! I don’t want much really ;)
 

Ejercito Rojas

Well-Known Member
#26
1st Devils

2nd W
3rd H
4th. O
5th -
6th. C
7th. A
8th. R
9th. E
10th S

If we can take all the good things from last season and sort out the inconsistencies along with greater puck retention down low as DuPont says I believe we will vastly improve on the overall performance level of last season.
We have a great base to build from and we have added a couple of known quantities and a few very promising ones.
I believe that with the right coaching and tactics and work ethic, we will be team to beat.
 
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kettdevil1

Well-Known Member
#27
I am surprised that most people have placed Fife bottom or second bottom. Their roster looks far better than the last few years and certainly better than Dundee, Manchester and arguably Coventry as well.
 

JC23

Well-Known Member
#28
I compare Glasgow's roster to the "Big 4" and i still think it's lacking in areas. As i said i think they'll be a useful side and i probably do think they'll be the best of the rest. You've got Belfast in 5th?! As much as i'd love you to be right i can't see them finishing that low. I'm not overly impressed with their Recruitment but i think they'll finish 4th at worst.
To be fair, I ranked Belfast there long before they’d finished their recruitment.

Soy, Gilbert & Angeli definitely change that fact.

When I posted that they had nobody that jumped off the page at all to me.
 

Samael

Well-Known Member
#29
I am surprised that most people have placed Fife bottom or second bottom. Their roster looks far better than the last few years and certainly better than Dundee, Manchester and arguably Coventry as well.
Fife are in a rebuild period but also on a budget which is why l put them at 10 although tbh l think Manchester and Dundee are all interchangeable in terms of league final standings.

There are other clubs in a rebuild too, Nottingham and arguably Belfast but their spend on wages will be higher. I don't see Fife making roster changes if they get hit with busts or injuries either, whereas an arena club would.
 

kettdevil1

Well-Known Member
#30
Fife are in a rebuild period but also on a budget which is why l put them at 10 although tbh l think Manchester and Dundee are all interchangeable in terms of league final standings.

There are other clubs in a rebuild too, Nottingham and arguably Belfast but their spend on wages will be higher. I don't see Fife making roster changes if they get hit with busts or injuries either, whereas an arena club would.
Fair points and I suspect that it's going to be a bit of lottery for the last two playoff slots. On paper I would put Fife in one of those slots as their recruitment seems a safer bet to be a 'hit' (as we know a fair number of their roster and what they are capable of) than Manchester, Dundee or Coventry. The downside is that the other three teams might strike lucky and dig out a Charlie Combs and also, as you say, budget-wise there is likely to be little room for manoeuvre if someone doesn't work out.

I hate trying to put teams in order but there does seem to be quite a clear divide between the top 4 (with Nottingham the dark horses this year) and the bottom 4, with Glasgow and Guildford trying to bridge the gap to the top.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Sheffield might slip up this year and that one of those two (I will back Guildford) will sneak a top 4 finish at the Steelers' expense
 

The_Stick_

Well-Known Member
#31
1: Cardiff
Kept a large foundation of key players, and also getting slightly younger (and arguably better) a some key positions. Only having 3 guys new the EIHL is crucial too.

2: Sheffield
Brought back a few key players from last season (Latal, Mosey etc) and have added some guys who could be stellar in our league. The loss of Vallerand cannot be ignored however and bringing back an ageing and injury prone Connelly could be a huge risk. Netiminding could see them drop a spot

3: Belfast
Keeping Conway, Goodwin and Cooper Is massive, but losing the likes of Reinhart (Defenseman of the year) Piccinich (Forward of the year) and Besko (Goalie of the year) and not upgrading on these 3 could be risky. Brought in some new guys who could tear the league apart however. Depending on Sheffield goaltending, Belfast move up to second.

4. Nottingham
A much improved Nottingham side, bringing in the likes of Ferrara, Brady, Johnston and Dubeau are very clear upgrades comparing to the team last season. Defence does seem quite shaky however, boasting 5 “3rd pair D-Men” and 1 standout in Caruso. Could rack up a lot of penalty minutes with Gagnon and Hunt but vast improvement on last season.

5: Glasgow
Glasgow are on the way up, and could most certainly fight for top 4. Bringing back key players from last season is a real coup for Glasgow, adding onto that the likes of Dixon, Dunbar and McParland, but the loss of Starret and bringing in a first full season pro is a real risk. Backup netminder also looks poor, but hockey isn’t player on paper so who knows!

6: Guildford
Another team who have vastly improved on last seasons team, and another who I feel could fight for Top 4 this season. Losing Dunbar must be a kick in the teeth for some Guildford fans but replacing him with names like Tedesco and Crinella is a tidy piece of business. They have also seemed to improve on their Defence and Goaltending. Definitely between Guildford and Glasgow for that 5th place spot

7: Fife
Fife are a team who were in dire need of a rebuild. I think they have done just that this season, bringing in vast EIHL experience and bringing in 2 of Coventrys best players, in Kivilahti and Laakonen. You know what you’re getting with Shane Owen in net, though there Brit core could prove costly.

8: Coventry
A very mixed bag for me with Coventry so far, bringing in Yellow Horn and Brock Trotter, but losing 4 of their 5 top scorers last season really shouldn’t be sniffed at. Losing CJ Motte is also a kick in the teeth and also losing their captain back to NA. Still some signings to go so this prediction could change, but Coventry are 8th for me

9; Dundee
The leagues underdogs last season, but I just don’t feel they will replicate this next season. Jeff Mason seemed to be a really good step forward, despite losing Pacha to Nottingham. Their recruitment, however, hasn’t impressed me. Some signings could be gems, but I don’t personally see any 1 for 1 upgrade in the squad.

10: Manchester
Another season of missing out on the playoffs for Manchester I feel. Banking on a team of youngsters won’t end well in my opinion. With an inexperienced coach, and no real EIHL experience in the squad, the rest of their signings will really have to have the wow factor for me to consider moving them up.
 

Samael

Well-Known Member
#32
@kettdevil. If Sheffield have another season of no cups or a league title, Fox is gone. I'm sure he knows it too. I don't see the traffic cones repeating the dissapointment that must've been 21/22. I hope I'm wrong though as l always enjoy seeing that organisation fail.
 

kettdevil1

Well-Known Member
#33
@kettdevil. If Sheffield have another season of no cups or a league title, Fox is gone. I'm sure he knows it too. I don't see the traffic cones repeating the dissapointment that must've been 21/22. I hope I'm wrong though as l always enjoy seeing that organisation fail.
100%. I thought last year was their chance, Devils rebuilding, Nottingham awful and whilst Belfast were good, Sheffield matched them for a lot of the season. It was the manner that they crumbled at the end and also his inability to see that their NMing was a massive weak spot that makes me think that he isn't the coach they hoped for.

They look to have lots of goals in them this season but at the back I would have concerns and when it goes wrong in Sheffield it goes really wrong. It's not built on hard evidence but it just feels as though they are the least together team out of the top 4
 

Slartibartfast

Well-Known Member
#34
I have been doing some statto nerd stuff and looked at points per game of the Belfast forwards compared with the Devils. I have based it on stats from the latest season that I consider comparable. (Mainly ECHL or the EIHL itself for returning players) and worked out lines very crudely. (line 1 top 3 points scorers, line 2 next 3 top point scorers etc)
It looks like Belfast have a very strong first line with higher points per game than the Devils. 1.22 v 1.04
Second line Belfast have slight edge 0.96 v 0.9 in Belfasts favour
Third line is also very similar to Devils 0.55 v 0.56
Although I suspect Belfast have not completed their fourth line yet the average is 0.15 v Devils 0.24 so as others have said that may be their weakness

Overall Belfast scored an average of 0.8 pts per game v Devils 0.68

But if you take out Conways points fest from last season then it drops to 0.73 so an injury to Conway could make things easier. Not making any suggestions here ;)

Of course I have not look at defence or how many players etc but I think Belfast will be challenging for a top spot. If I have another quiet day in work I might do the same exercise for Sheffield and Nottingham.
 
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Samael

Well-Known Member
#36
Yes there is still a lot of Hockey to play but I'm glad I'm not a betting man. My prediction of it being a two horse race between us and Nottingham looks quite ridiculous now, unless it's a race to the title of biggest disappointment for 2022/2023.
 

Samael

Well-Known Member
#39
I think a lot of us got sucked in by the pre season hype. Perhaps if management spent more time on doing their recruitment homework and less time getting pissed up at rodeos we wouldn't be where we are right now. Seems to me more effort was put in to the Calgary summit presentation than the actual team.
 

E.D.S.

Well-Known Member
#40
I had the Devils in fifth (I also had the Clan 3rd!!). I didn’t feel the returning players and the sprinkling of old returnees was a wise move. Last season wasn’t a great spectacle for us - the playoffs papered over some massive gaps
 
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