An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Really enjoying reading this!

[m1a2lt]

Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Houston finished their regular season on Tuesday, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-4 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. With the win, the Huskies finished with 101 points, just one back from the second place team and foes in round one of the Stanley Cup Finals: The Colorado Avalanche.

The Huskies played well down the ending stretch, going 7-2-1 in their final ten games. However, Colorado, who was in the last wildcard position at the All Star Game, finished the season 9-0-1, bypassing Houston to secure the second place finish. Because of this, Colorado will have home ice advantage in the first round.

Only two points ahead of them were the Chicago Blackhawks, the division and conference winners.

Unlike the last two season, Nico Hischier did not have the highest point total on the team. That honor would go to AJ Likens, especially as Likens finished playing in all 82 games and spent 32 of them on the top line when Hischier was out with injuries. The goal leader for the team was Jordan Eberle with 29, meaning this was also the first season for a while where the team didn’t have a 30 goal scorer.

Top defensive honors went to Dmitry Orlov, who finished with 13 goals, with six of those on the powerplay, and 24 assists for 37 points. He also had a team leading +22. The entire defensive was a plus, except for Jared Spurgeon, who was the mirror opposite to Orlov, finishing with a -22.

Sergei Bobrovsky finished strong in goal, going 30-18-5, with a 92.6% save percentage and a 2.36 goals against, with seven shutouts. Also performing well this season was freshman goalie Jacob Markstrom, going 16-7-2, with a 91.9% save percentage and a 2.44 goals against average. He also had a shutout.

Fortunately, the Huskies have played well on the road this season, going 25-14-2, as opposed to their 22-14-5 home record. They also finished strong with a league leading 24.1% conversion rate on the powerplay, capitalizing on 60 of 249 attempts. They also finished third in the NHL with a 85.5% penalty kill.

The playoffs will begin Saturday for the Huskies at the Pepsi Arena in Denver, CO. Puck drop is at 7PM Mountain/8PM Central.

[m1a2lt]

Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Really enjoying reading this!

Thanks. I try to keep it light at times without violating the rules!

[m1a2lt]

Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

[m1a2lt]

Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

The Huskies once again needed every game available to defeat the Central Division Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, and eliminate them from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Houston defeated Chicago in game seven at the United Center in Chicago, IL, in an offensive free-for-all, 9-6.

The series, for the most part, was a back and forth affair, with the only exception being Houston winning games four and five. The series was an also filled with scoring and not as much a defensive duel like round one.

Nico Hischier would return from injury in game three and be the series point leader, with four goals and ten assists. Sergei Bobrovsky would end with 12-8-1 record and a 91.5% save percentage and a 2.80 goals against average.

The Huskies had a number of injuries during the series, to include Sam Bennett (four games), Artemi Panarin (three games), and Dustin Byfuglien. Most notably, Sergei Bobrovsky was injured in game seven and didn’t return. For good news, Nikita Scherbak returned game six.

The playoffs will continue Saturday for the Huskies at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston. Puck drop is at 7:30PM Central. Tickets are still available from the box office or other ticket distributors.

[m1a2lt]

Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Trying to ensure they can play as many games as possible, the Houston Huskies have once again taken seven games to defeat their foe, the Winnipeg Jets. This being the first series where the Huskies had home ice and finishing the season with more points, many (to include Vegas) had them as favorites.

Although the Huskies would come out strong in game one in Houston, winning 3-2, they would then surrender the next three 2-1, 4-2, and 3-0 to Winnipeg and be on the edge of elimination. Houston would power back with strong goaltending and defense, taking the final three 3-2, 6-1, and a nail biting 2-1 overtime win. Even scoring was comparable in the series, with the Huskies only outscoring the Jets 17-15.

Nico Hischier would remain Houston’s most prolific scorer, adding six more points to his total seven goals and thirteen assists. Four different players (Likens, Panarin, Scherbak, and Lindholm) would pot a powerplay goal and Bobrovsky would regain old form, finishing with a 91.5% save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average.

Very unusual for this series, Houston would finish with an entirely healthy roster.

The Huskies will face off in Tampa Bay against the Lightning on Saturday, 25 May, for game one of the Stanley Cup Finals. The first game in Houston will be Wednesday, 29 May. Saturday’s game will being at 3:30PM Eastern/2:30PM Central and Wednesday will be 8PM Central/7PM Eastern.

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

The Houston Huskies have selected thirteen players in the 2024 NHL Amateur Draft held at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The Huskies selected one first rounder, three second rounders, two fourth rounders, five fifth rounders, and one each sixth and seventh rounder. They ended up selecting two left wingers, four right wingers, four defensemen, and three goalies, of which there were four Americans, four Canadians, and one each from Finland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Sweden.

Houston’s number one pick, Left Winger Miika Heinonen, was taken earlier in the draft than expected but the scouting staff was high on the 5ft, 11in player from Finland.

“He is a player that makes everyone around him better. Get him the puck and he scores. He’ll be a great addition to our prospect pool” said Ulf Eklund, Houston’s senior amateur scout.

Once again, the Huskies went off the sheet when it came to goalies, drafting two very high potential but rough players in Artem Bure and Sergei Mogliny. Both goalies come from the KHL and were heavily scouted during the season.

Don’t expect to see many of these players soon as the Huskies focused more on potential than the ability to play immediately in the NHL. “We are looking long term here” said GM AW. “These players will be the future of the franchise or they will be traded for pieces we need. Either way, they are a great commodity to this team.”

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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Re: An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

After going 6-1-0 in preseason, the Houston Huskies are preparing to take the ice in their season opener against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose on Friday night. The defending Stanley Cup Champions come into the game as heavily favored by Las Vegas to have a repeat. However, the concern is there about the Stanley Cup hangover and how much this will affect the team.

The Huskies have made some changes in the lineup and had a very strong free agency. The biggest changes are at the blue line, with Defensemen Yanni Gourde being traded at the draft and Erik Johnson retiring, this left a couple holes to fill. Also, although the Huskies re-signed him this summer, it was announced earlier today that Dustin Byfugien was placed on waivers and will report, if he clears, to the Arlington Bald Eagles. To fill the void, the Huskies signed defenseman Justin Schultz and brought up some rookies who we will discuss later.

One of the biggest surprises was Pat Maroon being released. With Maroon leaving at the Gourde trade, this leaves Defenseman Jared Spurgeon as the only player remaining from the expansion draft. To replace Maroon and to shore up the wings, the Huskies signed Left Winger Evander Kane and Right Wingers TJ Oshie and Timo Meier. This provides the team with some serious depth on the wings to match the strength down the middle, especially with Nico Hischier re-signed, leading the line down the center made up of AJ Likens, Sam Bennett, and rookie Milan Krejci.

The Huskies made no changes in goal, re-signing starter Sergei Bobrovsky and backed up my Jacob Markstrom. There is some concern about the goalie tandem as both players are getting a little long in the tooth (Bob is 35 and Markstrom is 34). However, the Huskies have the strongest corps of prospect goaltenders with a number of very high potential players in the system. Below is what the team did this offseason:

Alain Vigneault returns for his sixth season as bench boss of the team. Last season, there were a number of rumors that the players had shut him out and he was losing the locker room. However, after grabbing his second Stanley Cup in six years, his job is safe. He returns with his regular crowd of assistants.

For a team that usually butts up against the cap, the team has a whopping $9.4 million in space this season. With one of the top three farm teams in the NHL, it is expected that GM AW will do some wheeling and dealing to shore up some positions, especially defense. He does have to be careful as the team currently sits with 49 of 50 authorized contracts and will need to sign a number of initial entry contracts next season.

“We are excited about the season and you can feel it around the club” said GM AW. “Even the owner is excited; he basically told me that the team has to win the Stanley Cup again this year or go find another job!”

At the team’s home opener against the Vegas Golden Knights on 16 October, the team will raise two more banners to the roof. These are for winning the Central Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup.

The game will begin at 9PM CST. The home opener will begin at 7PM CST and will be proceeded by a rally at the Toyota Center.

Below are the starting lines for tomorrow night: