Hello
sports fans. Now that we have looked at the Corfield Conference after a third
of the season, let’s switch gears and look at the equally tough Canosa
Conference.
During
the offseason, the Canosa Conference looked to be a blood bath of a conference
based on the strength of the teams and the talent being acquired by many teams
in the conference. The last two Kehler Cup champions are both from the Canosa
Conference and there is a movement to #KeepItInTheCanosa. Certainly, the battle
has been worthy of the preseason hype.
First
place in the Canosa is currently a tie between two teams, the Siberia Icecats
and the up and coming Amos Comets. It’s no surprise to see the Icecats near the
top of the conference, but GM Quesnel has done a fantastic job in taking over a
dysfunctional team and leading them to the top of the conference. The Amos
Comets have made many important acquisitions. Some of the most important
acquisitions have helped lead this feisty team. Captain Jonathan Toews, Reilly
“Smitty” Smith and Artemi “the breadman” Panarin, have helped vault the Comets
into a tie for first. The Comets have had a few small injuries recently. This
will certainly test their depth, but GM Quesnel has shown that he is not afraid
to make a trade to bring in the players he needs.
The
other team in a tie for first are the defending champions, the Siberia Icecats.
The Icecats got off to a very cold start as they were trying to figure out
their new combinations after having lost several key members of their
championship team. Adding insult to injury, Captain McDavid was lost for nearly
40 days. It looked like the Cats would be in for a long season, but assistant
captain, Patrice Bergeron, put the team on his shoulders and helped the team
battle for first. With Captain McDavid returning, will he assume his role as
the #1 center, or will GM Saouaf ride the “hot hand” of Bergeron? Perennial
Norris Trophy candidate, Victor Hedman, leads their blue line. Can they win the
Canosa Conference again?
In
third place, a spot they also held last year, are the radioactive Springfield
Isotopes. GM Stacey has put together another competitive team, with many
returnees from last year’s team. Selke winner Ryan O’Reilly is tied for the
team lead in points with Gabriel Landeskog. Mark Giordano is averaging nearly a
point-per-game from the backline and Russian netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky, has a
sparkling GAA of 2.55 and a save percentage of .918. Can they make the jump to
the next level or will GM Stacey be shouting “Doh” again this year?
In
fourth place, based on winning percentage, are the Halifax Norsemen. GM Wendt
relocated the Norsemen, leaving Minnesota for what can only be considered
“warmer weather” Halifax. The Norsemen went through a quick retooling year last
year but are on the hunt for another Kehler Cup this year. Halifax is led by
superstar John Tavares, talented Claude Giroux, and two star defensemen, John
Carlson and Doug Hamilton. All four are at or nearly at a point-per-game. It’s
clear that they will be one of the teams to beat in this conference.
In a tie for
fifth place are the Sudbury Miners. GM James has really built a very strong
team from top to bottom. If that weren’t enough, GM James acquired one of the
best young players in the game, Auston Matthews. The Miners have a ton of
talent, which is supported with grit and determination. Players like Brayden
Point and Bryan Rust just ooze a “work your ass off” mentality. It’s clear that
GM James is gunning for the cup, and with his prospect pool, it looks like he
will be challenging for the cup for many years.
The other team tied for fifth are the Las
Vegas Aces. GM Watson has “rolled the dice” with some older but supremely
talented veteran centers, Sidney Crosby and Joe Thornton. So far that gamble
has paid off as the Aces are having a strong season thus far. Captain Crosby
has been injured for part of the year but is averaging his usual better than a
point-per-game. Veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has anchored this blue
line and defensive wiz, Anthony Cirelli, has made a big impact on the team. The
Aces don’t have a deep prospect pool, so it appears that GM Watson is in “win
now” mode.
One
of the early feel-good stories of the season was the Long Island Express. The
Express came out of nowhere to lead the Canosa Conference, only to have fallen
back to almost .500. GM Zuk has some talented “new yawker” pieces in Matthew
Barzal, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee and Adam Fox, but the team has struggled to
regain their early, winning form. Adam Fox appears to be ready to challenge
Cale Makar for the Calder trophy, averaging over a point per game. The Express’
weakness appears to be in goal, as both Martin Jones and Joonas Korpisalo have
a GAA over 3.60 and a save percentage under .890. It’s hard to win with two
struggling goalies.
The
final four teams to round out the Canosa Conference are the Moscow Freezing
Bears, Georgetown Millers, Victoria Ronin and the Hamilton Tigers. The Bears
and Tigers both have new GMs and it will likely take some time for GMs Zhivov
and returning GM Poelker, to shape the teams into their mold. GM Poelker is a
former Kehler Cup champion himself. How quickly can he turn the Tigers around?
Speaking of Tigers and Bears, we need a Lions team! GM Kash struggled early on
and decided to rebuild this year, in hopes of competing more strongly next
year. “The Godfather” GM Canosa, is also in a retooling state, after making the
playoffs last year.
There
you have it, sports fans, the Canosa Conference. Can the Cup stay in the
Canosa? Will the teams beat each other to a bloody pulp, leaving the Corfield
Conference to regain the championship? As usual, only time will tell. Until
then, stay tuned, sports fans!
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