Another season of CCHL hockey is upon us, and hope is blooming in Siberia. The Icecats are entering into their second full season after relocating from Murfreesboro, under the leadership of GM Silvio Saouaf. The Icecats had the luck of the lottery go their way this past summer as they drafted generational talent, Connor McDavid. The Icecats future is not dependent only on young Connor, as they have been building a significant pool of young talent, including Sam Bennett, Nikolaj Ehlers, Madison Bowey and Jake McCabe, among others. GM Saouaf has stayed the course of building through the draft and acquiring young talent since he was hired to lead the Icecats. Here is what GM Saouaf had to say during an interview on the future of Siberia. "I'm thankful to be part ofa bright future for the Icecats. The Siberia fans have been faithful through this rebuild and see daylight at the end of the tunnel. My goal is to build a perennial contender for the Kehler Cup, not a flash in the pan. That all starts with building through the draft. This year will probably beanother rebuilding year, but I expect this team to contend for a playoff spot as early as next year!" When asked about how he saw the league unfolding this year, GM Saouaf had this to say. "You know, you have the upper echelon teams who will compete every year. Copenhagen is the team to beat again, assembling a formidable lineup yet again, anchored by an outstanding blue line and goaltender. Beyond Copenhagen, you have a number of teams who have really beefed up this year, trying to make a run for the cup. Dayton has leveraged their extensive prospect pool to acquire top end talent like Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Patrick Hornqvist, and steady blue-line talent like Dan Hamhuis. They have done this while still maintaining a strong prospect pool. Another team with aspirations of raising the cup is Minnesota. They have taken a full plunge to win it all this year, acquiring great players such as former Icecat, Daniel Sedin, as well as Phil Kessel and Zach Parise. The Norsemen gave up prized prospect, Anthony Mantha to get Parise, but still have several top prospects, including Minnesota natives, Hudson Fasching and Mike Reilly. Three other perennial contenders are also hoping to raise the cup. Victoria acquired potential #1C, Eric Staal along with power forward Wayne Simmonds. GM Canosa is hoping that this recipe leads to a first Kehler Cup for the Ronin. Another perennial contender, Reykjavik, did not make any significant changes to their lineup, but did swap several players, including acquiring Tuuka Rask to be their #1 goalie. GM Chris Wolter is relying on the experience and chemistry of his team to contend yet again. The Sanibel Islanders, formerly the Karlstad Killers, are hoping to enjoy success in their first full year in Sanibel. GM Ron Maskal takes over a veteran team that is builtto win now. GM Maskal is hoping that newly acquired #1 goalie, Cam Ward, will provide the stability in goal that his team needs. Two other teams that could challenge for the cup are the Winnipeg Ferrets and the Montreal Aces. The Ferrets and Aces finished last regular season 6th and 4th respectively. Both still have their core team in tact from last year, with a few key additions. They could make life interesting for the cup favorites." This season could be one of the best ever in the CCHL with so many cup challengers with realistic shots at a championship.
Who will win?
Stay tuned to find out!
Submitted by Silvio Saouaf
General Manager, Siberia Icecats
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