Coburn (7.5a/7.5a): Coburn is the prototype defensemen that Shjon is looking for. He’s got wheels and can take care of business in his own end. He is not a work horse but he can log big minutes and will be the anchor on defense.
MacDonald (7.0a/7.0a): Mac’s a true workhorse on the back end, with stamina in spades to match his defensive skills and above average skating he will probably take on heavy third period minutes.
Schenn (7.0a/7.5a): The older Schenn brother is still a prospect himself. At 23 he has room to grow but he already has a great base. The only thing his game lacks is top level puck moving and skating ability, and the stamina to be a top line defender.
Streit (8.0a/8.0a): The only player on the team who can out skate Coburn, but unfortunately lacks the ability in his own end. The coaching staff agrees at 35 the best hockey of his career is over, but he still has the hands to run the PP and that will keep him on the ice for a little while longer.
Gustafsson (6.5a/7.5a): The future of the PP lies in the hands of a young Swede named Gus. While he is still growing as a professional he right now is one of the top three in speed and stick handling off the blue line, and his defense is already better than Streit’s. Big things are in store for Gus.
Timonen (7.5a/7.5a): The 38 year old is past his prime and it shows in his diminished abilities. While still a responsible defender, there is nothing in the offensive zone he can do that the 14 year younger Gustafsson can’t. At this point he is just hoping to ride off into the sunset with the Cup in his hands.
Grossmann (6.5a/6.5a): A great stay at home defender, Grossmann’s just lacking any puck moving skills to make him worth keeping around at the NHL level. He will fill in for injuries and maybe take some starts from Gus against smaller teams that need to be pushed around. But as the 7th man his cap hit is too high and management will look to move his contract.
Gill (6.5a/6.5a): Grandpa Gill could be one of the best players on the team if he just could skate even a little bit. As speed is one of Podein’s primary attributes when looking at building a team Gill will be floated around the trade mill to see if it is safe to waive him after Training Camp.
Morin (6.0a/7.5a): At just 18 years of age Morin is already on the cusp of being NHL ready. His skating is still behind, but with some coaching that can be fixed and his defense is already 3rd pair ready. It would not surprise if this were his final year in the minors.
The AHL will be rounded out by
Gervais (6.0a/6.0a),
Bourdon (6.0a/6.5a),
Alt (6.0a/6.5a),
Konan (5.5a/6.5a),
Eddy(6.0a/6.5a),
Lauridsen (6.0a/6.5a),
Lamarche (5.5a/6.5a), and
Manning (6.0a/6.5a).
After a year of scouting and development the staff will meet again and decide upon which unsigned prospects will be worth bringing to the professional level.
Hägg (5.5c/7.5c) tops that list.