What Can We Learn From the History of IceHL Finals?
/Written by Kris Knesis, GM Helsinki Lynx
New year, new IceHL Fantasy League finals. Some of the guys have been here before, but for some this is all new experience. This year saw a couple of new GMs added to the leagues and some had to depart. Others were and still are looking to keep their team in good shape and contend.
So what do the three final match-ups bring us this year? What do the six teams have in common with each other and past years winners? Let's dig in and find out.
IceHL East
Matt Riegler and his Minnesota Mammoths have advanced to the final for a second straight year. Opposing them are Mike Kelly's Detroit Chargers who beat the New York Guardians in a watertight battle to get to the final.
But who's been here before?
Minnesota Mammoths
2015 IceHL East Champion
2013 IceHL East Champion
Mammoths GM Matt Riegler
2015 IceHL East Champion
2013 IceHL East Champion
Detroit Chargers
No finals experience
Chargers GM Mike Kelly
No finals experience
MAMMOTHS Players
Jamie Benn
2015 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
2013 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
2012 IceHL East Champion (North Carolina Nighthawks)
P.K. Subban
2015 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
2013 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
2011 IceHL runner-up (Saskatoon Sharpshooters)
Jonathan Toews
2015 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
2013 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
Ryan Miller
2015 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
2014 IceHL East runner-up (New York Guardians)
Ryan McDonagh
2013 IceHL East runner-up (Quebec Armada)
Alexander Wennberg
2015 IceHL East runner-up (Baltimore Blue Crabs)
Mike Smith
2015 IceHL East runner-up (Baltimore Blue Crabs)
CHARGERS Players
David Krejci
2013 IceHL East runner-up (Quebec Armada)
2012 IceHL Champion (North Carolina Nighthawks)
Andrew Ladd
2012 IceHL East runner-up (Montreal Olympiques)
2011 IceHL Champion (Alaska Huskies)
Dan Girardi
2015 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
Tyler Seguin
2013 IceHL East Champion (Minnesota Mammoths)
Mark Giordano
2011 IceHL Champion (Alaska Huskies)
Troy Brouwer
2015 IceHL East runner-up (Baltimore Blue Crabs)
Alex Goligoski
2014 IceHL East runner-up (New York Guardians)
Advantage: MAMMOTHS
IceHL WEST
In the NHL there's an ongoing fight as to who's going to be the new modern dynasty — Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings? We can see something similar over at the IceHL West, where Boulder Beasts and Salt Lake City Scorpions will battle once again for the IceHL West title.
So, yeah, they've been here before:
Salt Lake City Scorpions
2014 IceHL West Champion
2013 IceHL West runner-up
Boulder Beasts
2015 IceHL West Champion
2012 IceHL West Champion
Scorpions GM Kyle Grossman
2014 IceHL West Champion
2013 IceHL West runner-up
Beasts GM Robert Brown
2015 IceHL West Champion
2012 IceHL West Champion
SCORPIONS Players
Corey Perry
2014 IceHL West Champion (Salt Lake City Scorpions)
2013 IceHL West runner-up (Salt Lake City Scorpions)
Kris Letang
2014 IceHL West Champion (Salt Lake City Scorpions)
2013 IceHL West runner-up (Salt Lake City Scorpions)
Joe Thornton
2013 IceHL West Champion (Edmonton Kodiaks)
Tyler Seguin
2014 IceHL West Champion (Salt Lake City Scorpions)
Semyon Varlamov
2014 IceHL West Champion (Salt Lake City Scorpions)
Ryan McDonagh
2015 IceHL West runner-up (California Wave)
2012 IceHL West runner-up (Alaska Huskies)
Jason Spezza
2012 IceHL West runner-up (Alaska Huskies)
Gabriel Landeskog
2013 IceHL West runner-up (Salt Lake City Scorpions)
BEASTS Players
Jamie Benn
2015 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
2012 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
Joe Pavelski
2015 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
2012 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
Brent Seabrook
2014 IceHL West runner-up (Saskatchewan Snipers)
2012 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
Brandon Saad
2015 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
Nikita Kucherov
2015 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
Anton Stralman
2015 IceHL West Champion (Boulder Beasts)
Advantage: BEASTS
IceHL WORLD
Martin Chouinard and his Gold Coast Rush have beat their bitter rivals Osaka Samurai to advance to the final. On the opposite side, Kristofers Knesis' Helsinki Lynx beat their expansion cousins, the Munich Machine.
Who's been here before? None of the teams and none of their GMs. Rush came third last season and Lynx are only playing their first season.
Players, though:
RUSH
Jared Spurgeon 2015 IceHL World runner-up (Royal London HC)
LYNX
Joe Thornton 2015 IceHL World Champion (Royal London HC)
Pekka Rinne 2015 IceHL World runner-up (Osaka Samurai)
Filip Forsberg 2015 IceHL World runner-up (Osaka Samurai)
Advantage: LYNX
So, what can we learn from all of this?
It helps if Jamie Benn is on your team. He has five championship titles across all leagues and he plays in all three of the finals this year, courtesy of Minnesota Mammoths, Boulder Beasts and Gold Coast Rush.