Finishing off our preview of the West with the Winnipeg Hub

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by tonychizzle

by tonychizzle

Today we will wrap up the Western Conference with the Winnipeg Hub. This group features the Denver Jets, Las Vegas Night Hawks, Los Angeles Magic, Phoenix Firebirds, and the San Francisco Mariners.

Denver Jets finished 5th in the Western Conference. Were eliminated in the first round.

A series of gambles paid off for the Jets last year. 1st coming from the signing of free agent Geoff Paterson. The veteran defence man provided stability to the blue line that wasn't there in seasons past. His displeasure with his situation in Vancouver was clearly now a sign that he still has some good years left in him when he is given the chance. The 2nd gamble came in extending goalie Jacobi Myers contract through 2024. The up and down goalie from 2 seasons ago, returned to form and was solid for the majority of the season last year. The 3rd and perhaps most surprising gamble came from the hiring of a brand new head coach with no experience in the NFHL. But Matt Gimble has turned the ship around and lead a team that was destined to dwell in the basement of the West, and has made them a championship contender.

If things keep going the way they went last season we can expect big things from the Jets. We will predict a 16-8 record in Phase 1.

Las Vegas Night Hawks finished 10th in Western Conference.

The Night Hawks are in trouble. They have lost their head coach and top line forwards. There is mistrust in the management of the team on all sides and the players are paying the price for it. This is going to be a long season, and if the team ends up surviving all the way through it, the separation proceedings could get ugly. Being quarantined in a bubble in Central Canada is probably the only saving grace for the players and personnel and welcome relief from the distractions back in Vegas. It's really hard to predict how the season is going to go for the Night Hawks, but the league is committed to protecting the players and staff's job security, and will do what they can to help them do the best they can.

To give a fair prediction we are going to look at the team that is in place right now and how they would preform under normal circumstances, even if nothing about this situation is normal. So we will be generous a give them a 5-19 record.

Los Angeles Magic finished 13th in the Western Conference.

Similar to Philadelphia, the life after the retirement of one of the best players in franchise history can be an adjustment, and that's exactly what has been happening for the Magic. When 10 time All-Star Paul Bajcer retired in 2018, the hole left by his trademark big smile and game knowledge was large. Even having the 3rd pick last season with the much hyped David Grover, it was a season that was out of sync for for much of it, and they could never really get on a good roll. In this off season the Magic sought to deepen their Centre depth and drafted Japanese Junior League sensation Masasaki Fujii, who brings with him a complete game on both sides of the court.

Brimming with young talent, if they can come together as a unit, they certainly be a problem for others in the Hub. Our prediction is a 13-11 record.

Phoenix Firebirds finished 11th in the Western Conference.

Phoenix is a young team with a tonne of potential. As one of the five teams all season contending for a playoff spot, like the Magic, showed flashes of elite play, but could never keep it going for more than a couple of games. Consistency is going to be the number priority for coach Al Dawson and co-captains Hugo Steigl and Mauricio Courtinho. One highlight from the off-season was the signing of defenseman Angelo Bautista. It's a really smart move for the 'Birds, because as we saw last season, defense can make or break your season, and having some size and stability behind the blue line can make all the difference.

In one of the more competitive groups in terms of equality of skill, a lot of the games in this group will come down to who can make the fewest mistakes. The Firebirds have made some of the best decisions in getting themselves on the right side of a playoff spot. We predict a 17-7 record for phase 1.

San Francisco Mariners finished 9th in the Western Conference.

It seemed like San Fran was on their way to making the right improvements to get themselves back into the playoffs. Then Chad Williams tested positive for COVID-19 and may have his career ended because of it. Then Habib Rehman and Moe Kastanopolis were both seriously injured in a car accident 3 weeks ago, and it has put a whole shadow over the Mariners training camp that looks like a shell of themselves. Comments from inside the meetings are mostly solemn. Whether the Mariners will be able to get these guys back at all let alone at anytime this season is still unknown, but their teammates are going to need to find any motivation they can to get through this season. But I don't think anyone will blame them if their hearts just aren't 100% in it this season. We certainly wish the three of them a full recovery.

If reports are true, and the team is a shell of themselves it will hard to give them anything higher than 9-15.

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