LA Robbie Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 This review completes the B league teams. I'm planning to maybe order them 1-12, just to see what people think, and then I have 6 or 7 A league teams to do in order to complete all 24. Comments welcome. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING - BLITZ 07 B LEAGUE COACH: SICARIUS FULGAR TEAM LINK: http://www.blitz94.com/draftab/rosterinfo.asp?team=T.B TEAM OVERVIEW A strong looking Tampa Bay team won only 9 games in the Blitz 06 A league in what was a baptism of fire for Sicarius. They've now moved down to the B league, and with the roster they've got they'll expect to be very competitive this time around. It's a squad that looks to have everything on offence, with speed, finishing ability and some bruisers to mix it up. On D they look solid if perhaps a little unexciting and there's a star goalkeeper to boot. At B league level this is a squad that can go a long way, with no major weaknesses in their starting 5 and the Lightning could be a good bet for a very successful season indeed. Will a lack of depth and inability to change things up with quality from the bench go against them though? Watch out for regular Lightning Strikes in Blitz 07! TEAM MAKE-UP Tampa Bay have shown faith in last season's squad, keeping a large portion of the roster intact. Back to set the record straight this season are Jari Kurri, Claude Lemieux, Calle Johansson, Vladimir Malakov and Mark Howe. A solid group from which to start building. The big names to have moved on are Cam Neely, Mark Messier & Bill Ranford. Neely & Messier are two big stars who would be valuable in any team, so who's new to try to fill the gaps they've left? We've gone from two total heavyweights to two lightweights in Gary Roberts and Cliff Ronning, a change that will need a modification in playing style, but has the potential to be very effective. Roberts may be just a touch short of being an elite center, but he's going to score goals this season for sure. He's broken 100 points his last 2 seasons and averages over 2 points a game in his Blitz career thanks to his 4/5 shooting, 5 Off aware and strong 4/4 skating. Roberts' main creative supplier this season is going to be Ronning, with his awesome 5/5 skating and 4 passing. His shooting's poor but thanks to regular assists he still averages 1.7 points a game through his Blitz career, and his bursts down the wing before laying it up for an open Roberts onetimer could be devastating. Claude Lemieux looks to be Sicarius' favoured choice to complete the Lightning front 3, thanks largely to his 11 weight and big checking. He's going to be the enforcer to give Roberts and Ronning the freedom to play. He also brings the ability to contribute too though. His 4/4 skating, 4/2 shot and 3 passing have helped him chalk up just under 1.500 points per game in his Blitz career. Individually they're all just short of the guys that do it game in, game out, but together they look a really nice, balanced unit that could really gel as the season progresses. Jari Kurri provides the best quality backup for these 3, and he looks an option to come in for Lemieux if the Lightning are in need of a goal. His 4/3 speed and 3 passing is not too special, but his 4/3 shot has the extra power that Ronning & Lemieux just don't possess and could be invaluable when Tampa Bay are chasing the game. After those 4 the quality starts to drop. Brian Noonan is an averagely skilled player, with 3s across the board, apart from again a 4/3 shot. Like Kurri his extra power could just make the difference when the Lightning need to throw everything they've got at the opposition goal. Darrin Shannon completes the forward line, coming in for his debut Blitz season and he's a solid defensive forward that the Lightning will probably use to try to close up shop when ahead in the 3rd. A big hitting 9 weight with decent 3 passing, but soooooooo sloooooowwwwwwww. On D Johansson & Malakov keep their partnership from Blitz 06, and they look tough. Johansson boasts 4/3 speed, 4 passing and a 4/1 shot, meaning he'll play a part on offence, most likely with a few assists. He's not the biggest hitter, but he can hold his own for sure. Malakov does hit harder, but is a little less skilled, with 3/3 skating & 3 passing, but he does have a nice 4/2 shot which could yield a few goals if he gets in position. Backing them up are Mark Howe & Gerald Diduck. Howe doesn't offer too much due to his lightweight and average skills. I'd imagine him only coming in to cover injuries, but he's not going to let anyone down. Diduck on the other hand I really like, and he's a genuine option to start games. He's the biggest hitter on the Lightning roster and with 3/3 skating and 3 passing he's solidly skilled. He's like a juiced up Mark Howe, which makes him far more useful! In goal losing Bill Ranford is a big hit to take right? Wrong. In comes Ed Belfour, which Sicarius will be delighted with. He'll be worth his weight in gold for certain, with the ability to make incredible saves in auto or manual. He's just another sturdy player to go with the many Tampa Bay have got for Blitz 07. Even Vincent Riendeau backing him up is not terrible, and may see a little ice time if Belfour is having a bad day. Unlikely, but who knows? STARS On offence Gary Roberts and Cliff Ronning lead the charge, and you've got to think they're worth regular goals with Ronning feeding the clever movement and slick finishing of Roberts. On D we're short of a major star here, but maybe that won't matter when Ed Belfour is standing behind the defence? He'll have a major say in Tampa's season, and will almost certainly help the Lightning pick up points they probably don't deserve more than a few times. WEAKNESSES Apart from Roberts is there a regular goal scorer on this roster? Darrin Shannon is actually the second most accurate shooter on the team with 4 accuracy! Ronning can set them up, Lemieux can help out, but Roberts looks like the man to keep quiet. He really is the only threat. PRE-SEASON PREDICTION - PLAYOFF QUALIFICATION This starting 5 has everything you need for a successful season - a great goalie, solid D, a speedster, an enforcer & a goal scorer on the forward line. It's very balanced, very complete, even if it is lacking the real superstar after Belfour. I can't see any reason why the Lightning can't do really well this season. What could affect their season more than anything else is what they do if they're chasing a game in the 3rd. They don't have too many options off the bench on the forward line. Kurri & Noonan are solid players, but neither can be used to offer anything drastically different. If Tampa Bay can be frustrated with some solid defending it may be possible to wrestle control of the game from them. All in all I like the make-up of this team, and if they can get on a good run of results who knows what they can achieve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sicarius Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 Nice write-up as usual Robbie. GO BLUES!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcicon5148 Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 I think it might be time to do some odds for this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingraph Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 I think it might be time to do some odds for this season. YES...will you take a stab? or HABS? I can also take a shot if nobody else does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcicon5148 Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 (edited) YES...will you take a stab? or HABS? I can also take a shot if nobody else does. Yeah, I could but if memory serves me right the last time I did that for Blitz playoffs I believe I went 0 for everything, lol Edited April 27, 2012 by dcicon5148 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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