#1 A’s

For the second consecutive season, the A’s find themselves sitting atop the CDHL Preseason Power Rankings.

Last season, they entered the Spring campaign as the favourites, only to fall just short after finishing second and watching the West Island Jawz skate away with the championship. This summer, captain Iano returns with something to prove.

Joined once again by his trusted admin, Spen, Iano attacked the draft with one clear philosophy: Don’t build the flashiest team. Build the deepest one. Mission accomplished.

While the A’s may not have the single biggest superstar in the league, they may very well have the most complete roster from top to bottom. There are very few weaknesses, and even fewer players who look out of place.

With the 3rd overall pick, the A’s selected veteran sniper TJ Ward. A pick that came as no surprise to anyone. Ward is one of the league’s purest goal scorers. Give him a clean look and there’s a good chance the red light is coming on. Whether it’s off the rush, one-timers, or finding soft ice in the offensive zone, TJ simply has a knack for putting the puck in the back of the net.

The A’s followed that up by selecting arguably the best defenceman available in Ryan Gore. Smooth, poised and incredibly reliable, Gore is the type of player every championship team wants anchoring its blue line. He won’t always end up on the scoresheet, but he’ll quietly control games with his skating and decision-making.

The A’s continued adding size and skill by selecting Kristian Gingras, a powerful forward capable of dominating below the goal line, before adding the ever-reliable Ryan “Meat” Lemay, whose combination of grit, compete level and versatility gives Iano another player he can trust in every situation.

From there, the depth just kept coming. Will Takla brings creativity and offensive flair. FX Cyr is one of the more underrated two-way players in the league. Matt Ianovale adds another dependable veteran presence.

Harley Belfer continues to quietly do all the little things that help teams win hockey games.As evidenced by his game tying goal in the Spring season finals.

Then came Carlo Marroni, another player capable of playing important minutes wherever he’s needed.

When the time came to address the crease, the A’s selected Chris O’Brien, giving themselves one of the steadier goaltenders in the CDHL. O’Brien has already shown he’s capable of stealing games when called upon, and having that reliability in net only strengthens what already looks like one of the league’s most balanced rosters.

The draft finished with more quality additions in Danny, Pat Mallette, Matthew Donato, KR, and Rob Guttman.

None of those picks are flashy. Every single one makes sense. That’s what separates this roster from the rest of the league. There isn’t a glaring weakness. They have scoring. They have defence. They have goaltending. They have depth. They have experience. They have size. They have chemistry.

And perhaps most importantly… They don’t rely on one player to carry them. If TJ Ward has an off night, someone else can step up. If Gore gets matched against another team’s top line, there are still plenty of players capable of creating offense elsewhere. It’s a luxury very few teams possess.

When asked about once again being ranked first heading into the season, captain Iano wasn’t interested in talking about paper champions. “Power rankings don’t win hockey games.”

Simple. Direct. And probably the right mindset after last season.

The Jawz proved in the spring that the best roster doesn’t always win the championship. The A’s know that better than anyone. But if we’re judging teams based solely on what happened at the draft table… Nobody had a better night.

Biggest Strength: The deepest and most complete roster in the CDHL.

Biggest Concern: Can they finally turn preseason hype into a championship?

X-Factor: Eric Spensieri. If he produces the way many believe he’s capable of, the A’s offense becomes nearly impossible to contain.

Prediction: The team to beat. Anything less than a trip to the Summer Finals would be viewed as an underachievement, and they’re our favourites to lift the CDHL Summer Championship.