The first major domino in Denver has dropped.  This afternoon, GM Clow announced that the team has parted ways with head coach Trent O'Brien, buying out the  final 64 games of his 5 year, $4,750,000 contract.  O'Brien has spent each of the first 5 seasons with the Denver Bandits, overseeing the team from it's inauguration.  During his tenure, the team combined for a 179-131-34 regular season record, with a +57 goal differential.  Despite the positive record, the Bandits have only made it to the playoffs in two of the first four seasons, and have yet to win a series, with a 3-8 record in postseason action.  O'Brien was named the coach of the year back in Season 2 by the awards committee, where the Bandits secured their only division, and conference title, finishing 2nd in the league in points that year.  Since then, it's been a real struggle for the team.  GM Clow released the following statement:

"We want to wish Trent the best of luck moving forward.  We want to thank him for being at the helm of the team and getting this franchise off the ground.  There will no doubt be a market for his services moving forward as he is an exceptional coach.  At the end of the day, the success of this team ultimately falls on me, and it's my job to get this team to the next step.  We felt like a new voice was needed to see how the the team responds.  Sometimes a new voice is all that's needed.  But at the end of the day, I will no doubt be busy in trying to get this team back on track.  We have the talent, but parity in this league is at new levels this season, so no game will ever be considered an easy win, and it's my job to give the coaching staff and players the tools to succeed."

GM Clow announced that Spencer Hartman will take over as head coach, signing a two year deal which will cover the remainder of this season and all of next.  Hartman spent the first four seasons in San Francisco with the Orcas, taking them all the way to game 7 of the Beacon Cup Finals just a few months ago.  Known for his defensive structures, and a wealth of experience, management is hoping that he can help turn the season around.  It will begin with back to back games this week, as the team flies out to LA to square off against the Dynasty before returning home on Tuesday to match up with the Chaos.

Will there be more components of the original core shipped out?  Will there be new beginnings elsewhere this season?  Only time will tell.

After 12 games, the Trident sits 5th in the league with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses. The team is playing very well, especially the goaltenders. The outstanding performances of Shibahara (5W,2L, 1.84GAA, 0.948SV%) and Gammond (3W,2L,2.8GAA, 0.916SV%) puts the Trident tied at 1st beast in goals allowed with only 29 in 12 games. Again this year, the Trident struggles to put shots on net and score goals. The power play is also completely abysmal as it sits dead last with a 4.35% efficacity. On the flip side, the PK is absolutely dominating with a 100% efficiency. Things are still going very well, as their record indicates, so its hard to make moves and risk the team’s recent success, but if the defense starts to falter, GM Bouchard might want to shake things up.

Last years’ Rookie of the Year trophy winner Jared Kennelly is still playing very well on the Trident’s first line. Even though he cannot seem to be able to buy a goal (2.2% shooting percentage), he still manages to lead the Tridents in points with 12 in 12 games. Newkirk also adapted very well to his new position as the 3rd line center where he is having a great chemistry with fellow veteran Leon Christensen. Pfeffer is having a rougher start to the season with only 5 points but with his talent, the production should come very soon. 

Before I get started, please note that anything listed below is not a knock on other GMs and their teams.  Could some of these scenarios happen?  Absolutely!  Nothing is a given.  But will they actually take place is the real question.  So let's all have some fun, and dive into some possible major storylines for Season 5.

1) The Portland Twisters will miss the playoffs for the first time in their franchise history.  I know I know.  The defending champions have made the finals in three of the first four seasons, but after all, these are bold predictions.  The Twisters have relied on their vets to get the job done, both up front and in nets, and they have produced.   Let's start with the offence.  Ristian Vuojarvi left in free agency, leaving a massive gap at the C position.  They have Maskim Rutenka who can more than hold his own, but after that it gets thin.  Newton Dee had a career year last year, but is he able to sustain that?  If not, it's a dark hole in a position that might arguably be the most important one in the sport.  On the wings, Blaize Bremer had a career worst year, Michal England is now 39, Daulton Millar is 35, Cruz Dupont is 33.  How much longer can these guys go before they start to decline?  While their defence is still in good shape, and Ash Galvin remains a viable option in nets, could this finally be the year that the Twisters fall off a cliff?  With no top forward prospects, or first round picks for the next two seasons, there doesn't appear to be any depth if these vets start to falter.

2) The Las Vegas Voltage will make the playoffs.  The franchise has made one playoff appearance in the first four seasons, clinching the last playoff spot in the conference back in season 1.  A team that's been trying to rebuild from the start, has a lot of pieces in place.  Young forwards include Glynn Forsyth, Antoni Petherbridge, Cliff Deruelle, Ivan Luks,  Denny Ashmann, and Mathys Nemeth, and don't forget their star centre Steve Banga, who is still only 29.  The defence on paper looks fantastic, highlighted by their combination of youth and veteran prescence.  Former first overall pick Aake Listenmaa has another season under his belt,  and produced very well in the farm last year.  If he makes the move to the pro, it could be another offensive weapon to add to the roster.  The big question mark for this team has always been goaltending.  While they have some good goalie prospects, nobody has really stepped up and made their mark yet.  So in the offseason, they went out and acquired Thatcher Goodyear from the Atlanta Royals.  If he can return to a .910+ sv%, expect this team to make the jump.  They will live and die based on how he performs in his first season in sin city.

3) Juho-Matti Nykvist becomes the North Stars number 1B in nets by season's end.  The North Stars have quite easily the best goalie depth in the league, and include 2 of the game's top prospects in that position, in Nykvist and Adrian Haslar.  Their current pro tandem is Pitt Kidwell and Emilio Istad.  Both of which will be 24 at the end of the season.  Why does that matter?  Well the expansion draft looms, and both of those goalies will be eligible to be claimed the either of the two expansion teams.  Either goalie would make a fantastic first goalie in either of the new team's history.  So which one gets exposed?  That would depend on the performance of all goalies in the organization.  I would expect both Kidwell and Istad to get plenty of starts to try and claim the 1A job.  But if Nykvist gets off to a hot start in the farm season, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the call up to the pro so management can see what they have at this stage while considering the looming decisions.  Nyskivst won the goalie of the year award in his last NJHL season, and had a stellar farm regular season and playoffs last year.  If he gets the call up, expect him to keep producing and perhaps stay up as the 1B behind of of their starters.

4) The Massachusetts Milita will miss the playoffs.  The Militia have made the playoffs in three of the first four seasons, so this could be considered a bold take.  But what would cause them to miss the playoffs?  In a busy offseason, the goalie carousel behind Andrew Wiewel continued.  Trading Leon Campaner a couple of seasons ago, and now Stephane Wazasnik this past offseason, they were replacecd by Dillon Valenzuela as the backup for Wiewel.  We will take a bunch of the similar reasons as why the Twisters could miss the playoffs.  An aging forward core, with no top prospects coming up to challenge for a spot to potentiallly make an impactful difference.  How much longer can Ruddell, Presswood, and Milliner go before their old bodies give out?  Can Wiewel keep up his past pace?  Can Valenzuela put up another .920sv% season?  It's all on the vets to decide if they want to play anymore than the 80 regular season games.

5) Stephane Wazasnik finsihes the season as the league's top goaltender.  Wazasnik has consistently put up a .920sv%, which is normally in the upper tier of goalies.  Heading to Port City, he gets his first year there.  Management has always had a keen eye with identifying great goaltenders, and we expect this to be no different.  Moving to a team with this high caliber offence, that should make his job easier in nets.  Newly acquired Samuel Hammer, and free agent signing Oiva Lyttinen should help in their own zone and make life for Wazasnik easier.

6) The Beacon Cup winners are the.......... Tuscon Muertos!  Congratulations to the season 5 champions.  It's funny to think that Sundholm's .917sv% was considered a down year.   If he recaptures his previous magic in seasons past, he's the top goaltender in the league.  With a potent offence already, it only got better in the offseason by adding Marcel Kacmarik and Ristian Vuojarvi.  A centre core of Vuojarvi, Palmateer, and Van Der Male is extremely tough to try and navigate as a defence.  Though they had a disappointing season four by missing the playoffs for the first time, there's zero reason to think that they can't go back to the championship caliber team that they were a couple of seasons ago.  The core is young, proven, and has only gotten better depth surrounding them.  Though 23 other teams will be eyeing a championship, only 1 team can win it, and the Muertos are well-positioned to make a real run at it.

Halifax, NS — The Halifax Chaos have opened their season with a shaky 4–5 record, but despite the uneven start, several bright spots have emerged. Defenseman Carl Stiles has stepped up as a steady, two-way force on the blue line, while forwards Josef Dolnicek (LW) and Mikhail Chevkin (RW) have provided much-needed offensive spark, combining skill, grit, and energy to keep Halifax competitive through the early stretch.

Still, management has decided the time was right for a significant early-season recalibration.

Blockbuster Trade Sends McTavish to Tucson

In a surprising move, the Chaos traded long-time captain Casey McTavish, along with forward Jaden Herle and a 4th-round draft pick, to the Tucson Muertos. In return, Halifax acquired promising young talents Pelle Jonson and RW Loughlin Dowe, two players the front office believes will strengthen the Chaos' future core.

Both Jonson and Dowe are expected to play important roles on the Halifax Yeti development squad, bolstering the organization’s depth and long-term outlook.

As a result of the trade, defensemen Afanasy Kunayev and Albert Gurev have been recalled to the Chaos roster to fill the vacancies on the blue line.

Nils Lehman Named New Captain—Not Without Controversy

With McTavish gone, the team moved quickly to name a new leader. The “C” has been awarded to center Nils Lehman, who is widely respected for his consistency, maturity, and work ethic.

The decision, however, has generated some internal friction. Veteran winger Yegor Mylnikov, a long-time assistant captain and locker room pillar, reportedly felt overlooked for the captaincy—leading to tension behind the scenes. According to sources, Mylnikov had expected to inherit the “C” whenever McTavish was eventually moved.

"Listen", said GM Oliver.  "Nils embodies the attitude we want to move in to the future with.  He has come to Halifax and took on a leadership role even when it wasn't part of his job.  That's what we want!"  GM Oliver went on to say "Yegor has been huge for us every year.  He brings a competitive game each and every night but hasn't excelled in leading the team off the ice just yet so it isn't a knock on Yegor, it's a compliment to Nils."

While the club has not commented publicly on the matter, head coach and management have emphasized that the decision was based on “team direction, leadership style, and long-term fit.

Will Mylnikov be able to get back into the team philosophy or will this spell the end of another great tenure in Halifax - with the team moving on from him in an attempt to rebuild around the new "team" concept.

Further Blue Line Moves: Currier & Gripenberg Dealt to Massachusetts

The Chaos continued reshaping their defense later in the week, sending D Grayden Currier and D Visa-Veikko Gripenberg to the Massachusetts Militia. Halifax acquired grizzled veteran Laurent Presswood—a hard-nosed, defensively sound blue-liner—and youngster, D Nicholas Bjorklund.

Presswood brings experience and toughness the Chaos defense has lacked early on, while Bjorklund adds another young, high-upside option to the pipeline.

A New Direction for the Chaos

After a 4–5 start, Halifax clearly isn’t afraid to make bold moves early in the season. With renewed leadership, an infusion of youth, and a steadying veteran joining the blue line, the Chaos appear intent on steering the season back on track.

Whether these changes will spark a surge up the standings remains to be seen—but one thing is certain: the Halifax Chaos are embracing change, and the roster looks very different than it did just one week ago.

The Dockheads couldn’t have scripted a better start to the Patrick Taylor era.

Down 2–0 after the first period, the Dockheads stormed back with four unanswered goals to beat the Voodoo 4–2 on opening night, handing Taylor his first professional win behind the bench.

Voodoo controlled the early going, outshooting the Dockheads 19–13 in the first and getting a pair from Leon Kwok. He opened the scoring at 1:04 of the first, then doubled the lead at 12:47 to send the Dockheads to the intermission in a two-goal hole. Goaltender Cooper Fornataro kept things from getting out of hand, turning aside a flurry of chances and multiple rebounds as Voodoo pushed the pace.

The game flipped in the second. The Dockheads tightened up defensively and started to tilt the ice the other way. At 9:35, Bronson Landrum fired a wrist shot that was deflected in front by Maitland Cable to finally break through and cut the deficit to 2–1. Less than ninety seconds later, Karl-Johan Schmidt jumped into the play and buried a rebound at 10:53 to tie the game 2–2, capping a dominant stretch of sustained pressure.

Physical play and emotion ramped up midway through the period, highlighted by a spirited bout between Eric Picklyk and Svyatoslav Mylnikov at 11:08. Despite the scrums and hits on both sides, the Dockheads stayed composed, killing off key penalties and grinding their way to the third period all square.

The winner came on a huge third-period moment. With the Dockheads pressing on an offensive-zone sequence at 10:36, Landrum ripped a shot that forced a rebound, then followed it up at 10:38 to beat Ruben Junnilainen and give the Dockheads their first lead of the night at 3–2. From there, the Dockheads managed the game smartly, blocking shots, finishing checks, and limiting Voodoo to just six shots in the final frame.

With the Voodoo net empty late, Bedrich Visek sealed it at 19:42 with an insurance marker to make it 4–2 and officially start the celebration on the Dockheads bench.

Between the pipes, Fornataro was quietly outstanding, battling through the rough first period and slamming the door the rest of the way as the Dockheads outscored Voodoo 4–0 over the final forty minutes.

For Taylor, it was a statement debut. His team showed resilience, structure, and belief after a tough opening twenty.

“You couldn’t ask for a better response from the guys,” Taylor said after the game. “We were down early, but nobody panicked. We stuck to our game, wore them down shift by shift, and found a way to finish. I’m proud of this group, and it’s special to get my first pro win with them on opening night.”

The Dockheads now carry momentum — and their head coach’s first pro victory — into the rest of the young season, having proven they can come from behind and close out a tight game when it matters most.