Post by NorthStarsGM on Mar 13, 2021 5:25:09 GMT
Minnesota (AP) - The inaugural T80HL season starts Saturday night and the North Stars will be battling the Hartford Whalers on the road. After GM Greg Sykes took Minnesota with the 2nd last selection in the Team Draft, he went ahead and traded the team's first round pick and other assets in order to acquire a 2nd line scoring winger in Rick Vaive off Toronto. Let's see how the team will lineup on opening night:
FORWARDS
LW Bellows77 - C Hawerchuk81 - RW Ciccarelli78
LW McKegney75 - C Broten76 - RW Vaive78
LW Graham74 - C Maruk72 - RW MacLean75
LW Nilsson71 - C Action72 - RW MacLellan70
After adding Vaive, the lineup appears pretty strong and should make for some high scoring games. The depth is strong on this team and allows them to deal with any in-season injuries more than some other teams in the league. Hawerchuk is expected to lead the team in scoring but 22 year old Bellows is going to be fun to watch.
DEFENSE
D Hartsburg77 - D Siltanen72
D Roberts72 - D Brown70
D Giles70 - D Gregg70
Extra: D Kotsopoulos68
Compared to other teams, Minnesota's defense has the depth and does have a high end piece like Hartsburgh who is expected to rock heavy minutes. But beyond him, the team lacks other difference makers on the blueline. Siltanen and Brown add a nice offensive ability to the lineup but the team is missing some defensive-minded guys so look for the team to look for a mid-season trade to bring at least one top four blueliner to the roster.
GOALTENDING
Starter: G Beaupre77
Backup: G Casey72
While not elite, Beaupre should provide solid enough goaltending to allow the team's offense to carry the heavy workload. Casey is a solid backup option for the team but the team's success does rely on Beaupre putting up solid goals as the team's offense-first focus will rely on a goaltender who can turn back what is expected to be a lot of shots on net each night.
SEASON OUTLOOK
It's impossible to know how a team will perform in a brand new league but the lineup should be strong enough to make the postseason - and they better after trading their own first round pick in the Vaive trade. The club's goal this year is to win the inaugural Norris Division title. It all starts tomorrow night!