BLITZ 08 TEAM REVIEW - LOS ANGELES KINGS - B LEAGUE

[LA Robbie]

Here is my review of Dcicon's LA Kings, after he expressed an interest in reading about his team. As always, comments on the team & the writing are welcome.

Next i'm probably going to have a go at Bo's NYR as it's one of my favourite rosters for this season. Not sure if it will be done this weekend though.

Enjoy

BLITZ 08 TEAM REVIEW: LOS ANGELES KINGS - B LEAGUE

ROSTER: http://nhl943on3.webege.com/draft/teamrosters.php?team=LA

STRENGTHS

* ELITE SPINE TO THE TEAM AT C, D & IN GOAL

* SOLIDLY SKILLED THROUGHOUT

WEAKNESSES

* LACK OF GOALS COMING FROM THE WINGS

* LACK OF DEFENSIVE SUPPORT FROM THE FORWARDS

* DROP IN QUALITY ON D AFTER THE STARTING PAIR

TEAM OVERVIEW

With an elite forward, an elite Dman & an elite goal tender there's no doubt that the LA Kings possess one of the most well-rounded & dangerous teams in the Blitz B league. There is solid quality to support the super-stars in all areas and although they finished last in the A league standings in Blitz 07 no one will be taking them lightly in B this season that's for sure.

After Mike Gartner proved to be their only big point scorer last season the big question is whether or not Jeremy Roenick may find all the goal scoring weight on his shoulders with the loss of Theo Fluery from this season's roster. For a team that struggled so badly have they improved sufficiently or have they stuck themselves with the same problems as in Blitz 07?

There's no doubt they'll be hard to beat & they look to have plenty of set up guys to feed JR, but time will tell if they're a one-trick pony, or if anyone else can make a significant contribution to propel the Kings up the standings this season.

OFFENCE

For a team stacked with offensive talent last season, not least in the form of a Mike Gartner/Theo Fluery partnership it was somewhat of a surprise that they didn't score more goals. The two superstars got 122 between them, but Gartner was the only player on the roster to get over 100 points, let alone near to it. Indeed Fluery got just 68. Perhaps the team's light offensive line struggled physically against A league D? It would therefore seem an obvious priority to add more goal threat & a bit more nastiness this season if the Kings are to have a chance of a championship tilt in 08. Have they managed to do it?

Well the biggest new addition to the roster is '94 & Blitz legend Jeremy Roenick. They don't come much better than this. Surprisingly allowed to leave Anaheim in the draft this guy is one of the all-time 16-bit greats. 5/5 skating, 5/5 shooting and 5 passing have helped JR produce 2.7 points per game in his Blitz career, including 563 regular season goals in 301 games. He can score one-timers as good as any, hits an incredible slap-shot & has the speed to get away from any defender to go one-on-one. He has so many weapons in his arsenal that he can be unplayable at times. His one weakness is that at 4 weight he's vulnerable on the physical side..............but lets not kid ourselves, with so many ways of hurting you LA have one of the very best this season.

Rather than adding elite goal-scoring support, Kings coach Dcicon appears to have gone down the route of adding solid set-up guys to the offence to keep Roenick well supplied. Robert Reichel is retained from last season, but after a career low 33 points and only 19 assists he may find himself struggling to hold down a starting place in Blitz 08. With a 4/4 shot, 4 passing & 4/4 skating he should be doing much better.

Brian Bellows will likely fill the left wing berth, but, like Reichel he's another with an inconsistent Blitz history. Although he recorded a 100 point season for xdeathsblood in Blitz 06 he recorded just 45 points for Washington in the B league last season, and has a career points average of 1.4 points per game, which is actually 0.1 less than Reichel. What he does possess that neither Reichel nor Fluery did last season is sturdy 8 weight in addition to his 4/4 skating, 4/4 shot & 4 pass. Like Reichel he's a nicely skilled player, but what he gives you is more ability to ride the hits & barge his way through a tight defence. If Bellows' physical qualities can draw the defence onto him it could open up space in the centre for JR to get free for the one-timer. The Bellows/Roenick partnership looks one that could possibly compliment each other nicely & produce an up-turn in results for the Kings this season.

A real threat to Reichel's place this season could come in the form of Dave Gagner. At 6 weight & with 4/4 skating, 3/4 shot & 4 passing he's practically the same player as Reichel, but he's coming off his best ever season in Blitz 07 after scoring 74 regular season points for the Penguins during their run to the A league semi-finals. If a creative spark is needed & Reichel isn't stepping up there's real competition there from Gagner this season.

The other big offensive option who could be a starter on this roster is literally a "big" offensive option. Sylvain Turgeon offers something different to anyone else in that his 4/4 skating & 9 weight gives him a quick, physical game that no other forward on the roster, including Bellows can match. His skills aren't great, and his 2 checking means he's nothing special defensively but he may be just the guy to give LA a different angle this season, and could play a significant role to put a physical presence on the ice which could benefit Roenick no end. If the Kings' light forward line once again struggles don't be at all surprised to see Turgeon become a key figure in the starting line-up.

Sergei Nemchinov is the other forward retained from 07, and as a 6th forward he's a solidly skilled option. 4/3 skating and a 3/4 shot helped him to a career best last season, but he's also another light weight. A decent extra man perhaps, but definitely not threatening the starters.

This is a nice attacking forward line, with the varied qualities of Bellows, Reichel, Gagner & Turgeon providing excellent support to allow Roenick to display his many talents......................but who else will get the goals? There doesn't seem to be a second regular goal scorer here, so if Roenick can be kept quiet the Kings may struggle. With no big checker on the forward line either there's little muscle to help out the D when the Kings don't have possession. Solid, exciting, but definitely flawed in some areas.

DEFENCE

Although they struggled to keep goals out in the A league last season this defensive unit looks menacing at B league level. Skilled enough to defend, and with one of the best 2-way forces available LA should be tough to score on but equally able to add an extra angle to the offensive plays.

As far as big Dmen go they don't come much more effective on both sides of the puck than Zarley Zalapski who starts his 2nd season on the LA roster, and his 3rd with Dcicon. His 10 weight, 5 Def aware & 4 checking make him a defensive wrecking ball, but he's not just brute strength, this boy can play. His immense 5/4 skating & 4 stick handling make him a big offensive force, and his 4/2 shot is one of the more dangerous you'll find on D. Surprising then that he doesn't have a better goal scoring record, but Dcicon did get him to produce a career best 14 regular season goals in Blitz 04 & will aim to reproduce that form this season. ZZ gives LA a different angle of attack & without question the Kings have one of the best 2-way defensemen available.

Kevin Lowe comes in to partner Zalapski, taking Don Sweeney's spot from Blitz 07, and he surely makes the Kings a more sturdy unit overall. 8 weight & 4 checking ensures that while he's not the biggest he can still hit, & his 4 stick handling & 3 passing matches Zalapski. Lowe seems a great choice to stay home & keep things tight when ZZ goes off on an offensive rampage. An unspectacular but solid member of the roster.

Segei Zubov is a fourth returnee for this season and he's another solid player. Decent enough skills without being anything special, but at only 7 weight he isn't a like for like physical replacement for ZZ or Lowe in case of a penalty kill or injury.

Chris Dahlquist will help out in that respect with his 8 weight & 3 checking, but he's still no beast so proficiency with the B check looks necessary for the most part here.

The two starters here look like an excellent pairing, even if Lowe is not the biggest imposing Dman you'll find. Zarley Zalapski is going to make a huge contribution both on offence as well as defence. One of the games' top defensive picks for sure. The quality may start to drop off once LA have an injury or are forced to contend with a penalty kill scenario, but Zubov & Dahlquist can still do a job. Overall a classy unit.

GOAL TENDING

After a career low season of a .597 save percentage in Blitz 07 Dcicon decided Curtis Joseph was surplus to requirements this season, but only after he was able to secure the talents of Grant Fuhr in the draft. The Kings have true elite goal tending to base their B league campaign on this season.

Fuhr is surpassed by only Roy & Belfour in 94 goal tending top trumps. His 6 agility/4 speed makes him stunning under manual control, his 5 puck control ensures that basic errors will be at a minimum, and with 4/5 stick and 6/5 gloves he's one of the most reliable auto goalies available. He is one of the few upgrades on CuJo you'll find, & at B league level he'll win a number of tight games for the Kings this season. He complete's LA's elite spine and will surely play a huge part in a successful season.

Ken Wregget is Fuhr's back-up this season...............lets face it, he aint gonna play! He's your standard back-up Blitz goalie & like all the others is a pretty much guaranteed nightmare on auto! He'll only add to his 4 Blitz career appearances if LA are well ahead in the last few minutes of a game & Dcicon is feeling sentimental.

STARS

At B league level this team has three guys who can really dominate the season. At C Roenick is surely a great bet to finish as the B top scorer this season. He just has so many facets to his game that he'll be impossible to keep quiet in the majority of games.

On D Zalapski will not only dominate in his own zone, but he'll also bring it out to start the offensive plays. Expect ZZ to cause problems for the opposition all over the ice, and that heavy 4/2 shot could also make him one of the top scoring Dmen too.

Grant Fuhr's elite skills between the pipes ensure that whilst JR & ZZ are causing havoc at the other end of the ice the Kings still possess the ability to keep them out. He'll make slap shot, one-timer & 1v1 saves on a regular basis. A big player for LA this season.

WEAKNESSES

As mentioned, the goal record from the Kings' support players this season is inconsistent at best. Bellows, Reichel & Gagner don't have the most illustrious of Blitz histories so it seems clear that the best tactic for opponents is going to be to focus on dominating Roenick. If he can be kept quiet or perhaps limited to just 1 or 2 points the chances of beating LA should go up exponentially. With Roenick unable to play the physical game LA could struggle against the big defensive lines possessed by the likes of Calgary, Detroit, Edmonton, St. Louis, Tampa Bay & Winnipeg.

That aside, the defensive cover for Zalapski & Lowe seems to drop off quite drasitcally in terms of size & quality. LA could be a team that's vulnerable during penalty kills.

SEASON PREDICTION: TITLE CONTENDERS

Dcicon is a former B league champion & there's no doubt that, despite the weaknesses of this team he has all the raw materials to mount a serious challenge to the B league championship. Roenick is guaranteed goals & he has skilled support. Zalapski will dominate on D but will also be a major offensive contributor and with Fuhr in goal the Kings possess one of the very best.

Whilst the weaknesses that cost them so dearly in last season's A league may still be there this roster has more than enough to take the B league by storm this season. Look out for the Los Angeles Kings!

Edited October 11, 2013 by LA Robbie

[dcicon5148]

Awesome job. Thanks for doing these for Blitz