BLITZ 07 TEAM REVIEW - SAN JOSE - A LEAGUE

[LA Robbie]

SAN JOSE SHARKS - BLITZ 07 A LEAGUE

COACH: HOULI

TEAM LINK: http://www.blitz94.com/draftab/rosterinfo.asp?team=S.J

TEAM OVERVIEW

OK, so some may be expecting me to take this opportunity to throw a few cheap shots Houli's way..............but I really like this team! They're solid in all areas, well balanced, and Houli has moved heaven & earth to bring Pavel Bure back to San Jose this season after his record breaking season on the way to the B championship in Blitz 06.

It looks an effective unit that is going to score goals, looks more than capable of strong defence and has good backups to come off the bench.

You have to think this team will be comfortable in the A league this season, but are they going to be over-reliant on one standout star, and did the trades made to get him come at a cost?

TEAM MAKEUP

San Jose have kept faith in a number of the players that helped dominate the Blitz 06 B playoffs last season which can only help in terms of continuity. They've kept hold of solid squad players that once again form the base of a good team for this season. In addtion to superstar Pavel Bure, Andy Moog, Ulf Samuelsson, Paul Stanton and Dimitri Khristich return. All useful players that meant draft picks could be spent strengthening elsewhere. Moog is a solid, if unspectacular goal tender and anyone skilled with manual would be more than happy to have him in their team. Ulf Samuelsson is a total beast and a real dominator of even the best forwards. Only 8 weight but with his 5 checking he hits like a train, but he's got finesse to go with the power with his 4/4 skating and solid 3 passing. A great player to have suring up things at the back and starting new attacks after winning the puck. Paul Stanton is also 8 weight but can also hit, even if he's no cage fighter. His 3/3 skating and 4 passing also ensure he can play his part in San Jose's possession game. No slouch and a fine player to have on your roster. Khristich actually only played 14 league games in Blitz 06, which says more about the quality they had last season than any shortcomings in his ability. With 3/3 skating, 4 passing and an awesome 4/6 shot this guy would surely be a starter in most games for other teams, and scored 94 points for Houli in Blitz 04. He's only played a total of 33 games with San Jose in Blitz 05 & 06, but with the loss of Vincent Damphousse & Ed Olczyk from this season's roster expect him to play regularly again and excell.

And so to the re-signing of Pavel Bure. Would Houly have been able to get him from any other coach but his good friend Hokkee? Drafted by Vancouver, Houli targeted his star man early on, but he had to give up both Petr Klima & Zarley Zalapski to get him........did he get a good deal or is losing 2 great superstars in return for one too high a price to pay? Bure has hit over 100 points in his last 4 Blitz seasons, including a 143 point season with Winnipeg in Blitz 04, but it's his achievements with Houli last season that are his crowning glory. 151 goals and 190 points in 44 league games before 62 goals and 81 points in the playoffs. Absolutely incredible. With stats like that you can understand why Houli wanted him back. He's a phenom and will undoubtedly win games on his own this season, even at the higher level of the A league.

So who's backing these guys up this season? San Jose have made some nice draft picks to complete their roster. In the forward line Ron Francis adds not just offensive ability, but also a physical presence with his 10 weight and big checking. He's a rarity in '94 - The guy that can play the enforcer role, but also produce the goods to win the game against the best too. He's hit the 70 point mark in his last 2 seasons. With 4/3 skating, 4/3 shooting and 4 passing he more than has the skills to provide assists and chip in a few goals too. A Khristich, Bure, Francis line looks pretty damn good to me, with balance, speed, goals, assists and muscle. Solid lightweight Nelson Emerson is ready to come in and poach a few points, solid lightweight Pat Falloon will back up Emerson, and, erm.....solid lightweight Jamie Baker will backup Falloon. The only question you might raise about them is who offers something different? Denis Savard had to be let go to get a 2nd goalie, but once again Houli seems to have done really well by getting Chris Terreri in. A genuine "2nd goalie" of a similar standard to Moog who can come in and be relied on if Moog's off his game. He'd be a starter for many teams and San Jose will be one of the few who have a genuine 2nd option in the Blitz league.

Edit* The Savard for Terreri deal was cancelled and Houli dropped Jamie Baker. Keeping Savard now gives Houli a very good option off the bench which should yield a few goals throughout the season. His 5/4 skating and 4 passing combined with his light weight make him a quick little player who's going to find the space to dish out some assisting passes. His 3/3 shooting is nothing special but he may provide a decent deking option.

Taking Zalapski's place in the defence is Eric Weinrich, brought in from St. Louis. With 3/4 skating, big checking power and 3 passing he's a solid Dman and will provide good support to Samuelsson and few teams are going to win the physical battle against San Jose this season. If that's not enough brute force for you Luke Richardson complete's the defensive line. He's an absolute beast with 11 weight and 11.625 checking, and with his 3/3 skating and 3 passing he's another Dman who can contribute to the team's attacking plays. Do all these guys add up to enough to fill the void left by Zalapski's departure in the Bure deal though?

The team seems to have a bit of everything: Solid goal tending, strong defending with ability on the puck, goals, assists, speed and a big physical forward to help on D. Very very balanced indeed.

STARS

Well Bure is the biggest name here for sure. He's guaranteed to get you goals and add his fair share of assists too. A true superstar that any team would love to have. Can he get anywhere near his record breaking Blitz 06 stats in the A league this season? I'm going to add Ron Francis as a star of this team too. Controversial to describe him as a star? His 2-way play could be massive for San Jose this season. A good contributor on offence but with the physical qualities to contribute massively on defence too. If he can get over 50 or 60 points and help keep out a couple of goals a game the team will win a lot more games because of it. A real leader and important part of this team in my opinion.

On D Ulf Samuelsson has huge responsibility to carry his team this season. With the loss of Zalapski he has to be the dominant Dman who stops the opposition, but also starts the offense too.

WEAKNESSES

Like I said, I really like the balance in this team, but perhaps a question mark is whether Khristich & Francis are going to be of high enough quality to make a big points contribution against the best the A league has to offer. If Bure can be isolated and controlled (A big ask in itself) will these 2 be able to make the difference. I'm not really saying they won't, just that we don't yet know.

Behind those 3 though do San Jose have the strength in depth? Nelson Emerson looks a nice little player to come in if there's an injury, but Falloon & Baker just seem like similar downgrades on the same theme. If you have Emerson why do you need Falloon? If you have Falloon why do you need Baker? I'm just not sure I understand why those two are really there, and how much of a part they'll play in an A league season. Could those places have been used to bring in a different type of player to interchange with Francis? Could one place on the roster have been given to another bruiser to bring on in those tight games?

At the back San Jose will have to show they can cope with the loss of Zalapski. I really like the Dmen they've got, but if your team has lost someone of Zalapski's quality you must be weaker because of it right? They're all really solid, but where the team might feel it more is for the loss of Zalapski's offensive contribution. Without him there's no big threat from deep in this team. Will the points he would have got this season be covered by what Khristich & Francis can produce?

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION: PLAYOFF QUALIFICATION

This is a great looking team that have a bit of everything. They also have something genuinely different in the A league, which is a physical presence in all areas, whereas a lot of the top coaches seem to prioritise goal scoring above a mix of characteristics. Really hard to find a genuine weakness with these guys, as my straw-clutching above shows. I just wonder how much Falloon and Baker are really going to be involved. Perhaps they're kind of pointless picks, but that aside I think this team's great. Houli will surely be disappointed if these guys led by San Jose's favourite son, Pavel Bure can't finish in the playoff places.

If Khristich & Francis can have big seasons to backup Bure's guaranteed points there's no reason San Jose can't have a big season...........good luck Houli (Through gritted teeth).

[IceStorm70]

great read, edit tho Ron Francis is 9 weight

[Guest Houli]

This is one of the best thing i have read for years, very nice topic! ty

[hokkeefan]

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[IceStorm70]

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Here i can write one fir u:

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[mav]

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thats perfect for hokkey

[hokkeefan]

Here i can write one fir u:

Me big hairy man

Me chop down trees

Me drink much beer

Me wish i were in ga

hahahaha iam the fn ga

[LA Robbie]

This review has been edited to account for the cancellation of San Jose's Savard for Terreri trade.