A Storm Brews in Quebec City: the Rise of the Reign (NHL 18)

[I3LKHRT]

After months of speculation, the announcement is official: hockey returns to Quebec City in 2017.

In a shocking move bound to blow the doors off the hockey community, Commissioner Gary Bettman announced Thursday that the NHL has awarded an expansion franchise to Quebec City, effectively bringing professional hockey roaring back to a city without an NHL team for 22-years. Quebec City was approved after a unanimous vote by the NHL Board of Governors yesterday evening.

The bid for Quebec City was made by an aggressive ownership group including the team’s inaugural general manager, Tee Ockstrong. Ockstrong has been a seminal figure throughout the process, serving as the early face of the organization and, to the media at least, the mastermind behind the entire movement.

“Hockey has always been a huge part of Quebec City. It’s infused in the roots of this great city. And it’s time the people of Quebec City have another team to get behind,” Ockstrong said. “But we’re not just here to bring you a team, we’re here to build a winner. Multiple Stanley Cups, Hall of Famers, and an organization you can truly get behind. That’s the Quebec City way moving forward.”

The question now arises as to how the NHL will prioritize its two expansion teams - both of which are set to hit the ice in 2017/2018. It’s no secret the Vegas Golden Knights have picked up a ton of momentum since the franchise’s initial announcement back in 2016 and have led the NHL in merchandise sales by a healthy margin since. Will the same apply to Quebec City?

[I3LKHRT]

INTRODUCTION

Spoiler

Hey guys,

Thanks for checking this out. It's been 4-5 years since the last time I played a hockey game, but a recent spike in interest in hockey prompted me to download NHL 18. When I read Seattle Battle Cat's dynasty thread (dude, props on that awesome dynasty and effort put into that) I realized this game has a pretty deep franchise mode and wanted to give something like this a shot.

The cool thing is, because I haven't followed the game in so long, everything is fresh to me. I don't really know who the best players in the league are outside of the guys who dominate ESPN like Sid and Ovie, so hopefully you'll see some surprising choices based on my lack of knowledge, haha.

I'm a bit rusty on a gameplay side of things, but that means the games should be competitive and, hopefully, pretty challenging. I'm really into the business management side of things though, so expect to see a large focus on management, trades, finances, scouting, drafting, etc. I've simulated through about 6 seasons in a starter dynasty I used to familiarize myself with the game and seem to have the scouting/drafting and financial sides of things down. I'm hopeful I'll be able to document the makings a $$$ making powerhouse as well as a winner on the ice. I'm going to come out aggressive from the moment this starts to build a stronger team.

My goal is to update this twice a week, but I will be upfront and mention I have a busy work life (like most everyone) and may not be able to post all the time. Some days I'll get an entire day to work on this if I want, while other days I may not even be able to be in front of my computer. Still, I'll work to be active and as consistent as I can.

See you on the ice,

T

OVERALL SETTINGS
Difficulty: Pro
Period Length: 4-minutes
Gameplay: Competitive
Notes: all other settings remain as-is. If I notice any one setting or slider getting too crazy I will adjust accordingly and update the thread. I've played through probably 25 games thus far in other dynasties and have won nearly 50% with what I'm using now.
GAMEPLAY SETTINGS
Regular Season: Again taking inspiration from what Seattle Battle Cat is doing, I'm going with a similar simulation/play split. It'll be play 1 game, simulate 5.
Playoffs: Play one game, simulate 3.
AHL AFFILIATE: Plymouth Whalers (Plymouth, Michigan)

[I3LKHRT]

COMING SOON

[I3LKHRT]

June 1, 2017
LA, QUEBEC CITY EXPANSION TEAMS FORCE MAJOR DIVISIONAL SHAKEUP

In the first of a summer full of changes, today the NHL announced its new divisional pairings for the upcoming 2017-2018 season. In total five teams join new divisions, including Boston, Columbus and Carolina. Las Vegas and Quebec City mark a 16th addition to each conference:

[I3LKHRT]

June 3, 2017
QUEBEC CITY LOADS UP ON DEFENSE IN EXPANSION DRAFT



This afternoon marked the most historic moment to date for the fledgling Quebec City Reign when it drafted the first team ever to don the golden lion jerseys. The theme of the day in Quebec City was clear: established players and leaders on defense, youth on offense.

Among the veteran defenders on the move are Zach Bagosian, Alec Martinez, Jonas Brodin, Mattias Ekholm, Brenden Dillon, Kevin Shattenkirk and Tyler Myers. In a surprising turn of events, Columbus made its young, talented goalie Joonas Korpisalo available by failing to protect him, and Quebec City pounced to select not only him, but also stealing Malcolm Subban away from Boston and Michal Neuvirth from the Flyers in the process to form a formidable trio of netminders.

It's anyone's guess what the forward lines are going to look like come fall, but defense and goaltending seem to be neatly locked up for the Reign. While the team has glaring holes on offense, the veteran leadership on defense and varying degrees of talent in front of the net should keep Quebec City at least in the conversation for 25 wins. But maybe that's pushing it when your first line is looking like a combination of unproven talent under 25.

[I3LKHRT]

June 3, 2017
DRAFT LOTTERY RESULTS IN: VANCOUVER #1, JERSEY #2, QUEBEC CITY #3

June 3, 2017 may go down in history as one of the most monumental days in the NHL's existence. Not only did the day see both expansion teams select their rosters in succession, the NHL also held the draft lottery to explosive results. 14 white cards were flipped before Vancouver was revealed as the last team standing.

While New Jersey proved the odds right when it earned the second overall pick, the real story was the fall of the Colorado Avalanche to fourth, finding itself jumped by expansion franchise Quebec City for a top three pick and a shot at one of the year's can't miss prospects. Rounding out the top five is Vegas, undoubtedly also giving the Golden Knights an opportunity to grab a solid prospect to build its first generation of players around.

The real question is how long will these picks hold up? With two new teams in the mix, rumor has it this draft season is sure to be full of movement. And with potential franchise cornerstones Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick at the top of most pundits' draft boards, many teams are sure to be clamoring for a shot at one or the other. We'll see come June 23.

[SeattleBattleCat]

Looking really good so far, love the presentation.

Best of luck, can't wait to read on 👍

[I3LKHRT]

June 23, 2017
VANCOUVER TAKES HISCHIER #1, QUEBEC CITY TRADES MARTINEZ, #3 OVERALL FOR PATRICK AT #2, 2017 2ND ROUNDER



TRADE ALERT
Quebec City receives: Round 1, Pick #2 & Round 2, Pick #51
New Jersey receives: Round 1, Pick #3, D Alec Martinez




Quebec City gets the man atop their draft board. With blistering speed and the most balanced offensive game of any prospect in 2017, the Reign draft the man they hope will become the centerpiece of their dynasty for years to come.

TRADE ALERT
Montreal Canadians receive: D Mattias Ekholm
Quebec City Reign receive: Round 1, Pick #26


Projected to go in the top 20, Quebec City strikes gold near the end of the first round when two way amateur star D Timothy Liljegren falls to #26.


The Reign continue a hot streak of picks when first round mocked and projected future starter Kenins falls into the early second round. My jaw about dropped when Kenins was reviewed as elite. I was hoping to snag another projected elite prospect in Luukkonen at G with my second 1st round pick but he was taken two picks earlier. This is the perfect consolation prize.


Another Goalie with too much potential to pass up. DePietro joins an already stacked young core of goaltenders but will instantly compete for the backup job on AHL affiliate Plymouth.


A man with elite potential but mocked in later rounds due to rumors that he may evade his contract this year and re-enter the draft in 2-years, Quebec simply can't pass up an opportunity to try and sign him.

TRADE ALERT
Minnesota Wild receives: D Jason Demers & Round 4, Pick #99
Quebec City Reign receive: 2018 1st Round Pick


Quebec's first real reach of the draft. Steenbergen comes with warning signs, but also comes with some of the fastest speed among this incoming class of prospects. Mocked as a top 9 forward, he may be fighting to crack the top 9 in Plymouth for the next few years at the very least.

TRADE ALERT
Vegas Golden Knights receive: Round 6, Pick #163 and Round 7, Pick #195
Quebec City receives: Round 5, Pick #132


The last of 5 highlighted players "pinned" to Quebec City's draft board, the sting of the previous pick combined with an aggressive need to add youth on defense forced the trade of the Reign's final two draft picks in 2017 for the rights to pick #132 and a shot at Barney. Drafting the young defenseman rounds out an extremely consistent draft for Quebec City.

FULL DRAFT RESULTS