One Step Closer
The rosters have had time to settle, the first moves are behind us, and now it is time to take a preseason look at all twenty IceCore franchises.
The draft is behind us. The league is no longer just a freshly created dynasty experiment, and the twenty franchises have now had some time to look at their rosters, make adjustments and start thinking about the season ahead.
The opening night is getting closer.
And that means it is time for our first real preseason look at the teams.
Not a draft review.
Not a scientific model.
And definitely not a declaration of who will win the league. 😄
Instead, this is our IceCore preseason fun ranking — an attempt to look at the current rosters, combine a few measurable factors and then talk a little about what each team looks like on paper.
The numbers give us the starting point. The team-by-team comments give us the human part.
And yes, there may be imperfections.
We are looking at preseason projections, last season’s fantasy production, rostered percentages, average age and several other pieces of information. Those things tell us something, but they obviously do not tell us everything. A young prospect can explode, a veteran can suddenly slow down, a trade can change a roster overnight and a fantasy manager can make a move that makes this entire article look ridiculous in three months.
That is part of the fun.
So please treat the following as what it is meant to be: a preseason snapshot, a bit of analysis and a bit of friendly banter.
Hopefully nobody gets offended. 😄
At the end of the season, we can come back to this article and see how badly we got it wrong.
How the IceCore Index works
The goal is not to pretend that this creates a perfect prediction of the standings.
It simply gives us one common starting point for comparing twenty very different dynasty rosters.
The exact recipe stays behind the curtain. 😉
What we can say is that the Index looks at the current rosters, preseason projections, previous fantasy production, rostered percentages, age and other relevant information. The current division rosters are the basis for the player pool and team averages.
Draft results are used for the salary information only, because teams have already had time to make moves since draft day.
So with that out of the way, let’s see what the numbers say.
Central Division
Preseason table
| # | Team | Projection Ø | Last Season Ø | Avg. age | % Rostered Ø | IceCore Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | Saskatoon Prairie Drifters | 733.2 | 11.2 | 29.2 | 49.7% | 80.1 |
| 🥈 2 | Green Bay Alliance | 690.5 | 10.5 | 27.0 | 42.4% | 76.9 |
| 🥉 3 | Cincinnati Rivermen | 727.8 | 10.1 | 27.8 | 50.4% | 76.6 |
| 4 | Memphis Riffs | 692.0 | 10.6 | 27.6 | 43.3% | 73.1 |
| 5 | Omaha Bison | 656.8 | 11.1 | 25.5 | 39.9% | 71.7 |
🇨🇦 Saskatoon Prairie Drifters
Saskatoon looks like a very experienced and balanced team that is not built around a single superstar. The offense features a number of quality names such as Jesper Bratt, Nikolaj Ehlers, Alex DeBrincat, Mika Zibanejad and Seth Jarvis, while the Vasilevskiy–Sorokin goaltending duo could be a major strength.
The interesting part is the combination of experienced players with several younger pieces, meaning the team does not have to rely entirely on veteran production. The draft also showed a willingness to invest heavily in the crease, with both elite goaltenders among Saskatoon’s more significant acquisitions.
The biggest question is the age of the roster. If the experienced players maintain their level, however, Saskatoon has a very solid foundation for the inaugural season.
🇺🇸 Green Bay Alliance
Green Bay is an interesting mix of youth and immediate quality. Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud form a very intriguing young core, while Mikko Rantanen, John Carlson, Seth Jones and Shea Theodore bring experience.
The biggest attraction is obviously Bedard, whom Green Bay acquired for 75 Coins, while Rantanen cost 71 and Fantilli 58.
This does not look like a classic rebuild. It looks more like a roster that wants to compete now while still having plenty of room to grow. The development of the young core will be especially interesting to watch.
🇺🇸 Cincinnati Rivermen
Cincinnati looks like one of the most balanced teams in the division. Sidney Crosby, Sebastian Aho, Robert Thomas, Clayton Keller and Cole Caufield provide a strong offensive foundation, with Caufield one of the more significant draft investments at 90 Coins.
There is also an interesting combination of established players and younger names such as Kent Johnson, Isaac Howard, Sam Dickinson and Matt Savoie. Cincinnati therefore has immediate production, but also several players who could grow significantly over the next few seasons.
The key will be how the experience of Crosby and the other veterans combines with the development of the younger core.
🇺🇸 Memphis Riffs
Memphis has one very clear identity: Connor McDavid. 😄 He is joined by Evan Bouchard, giving the manager two major fantasy names from Edmonton. McDavid cost 109 Coins and Bouchard 90.
But there is more than just those two names. Brayden Point, Zach Hyman, Jordan Kyrou, William Eklund, Cole Eiserman and Ivar Stenberg give the roster several other interesting options.
Memphis will therefore rely heavily on the strength of its star core. If enough production comes from the second wave alongside McDavid and Bouchard, this could be a very difficult team to handle.
🇺🇸 Omaha Bison
Omaha is the youngest team in this group and perhaps the clearest dynasty project. The roster contains a long list of young players — Tij Iginla, Konsta Helenius, Zach Benson, Beckett Sennecke, Ilya Protas, Dylan Guenther and others. Guenther was drafted for 64 Coins and subsequently moved to Omaha after the draft.
The defense deserves particular attention, with Lane Hutson and Rasmus Dahlin at the back. Hutson was drafted for 90 Coins and Dahlin for 77, so Omaha invested a significant part of its draft capital in that pair.
On paper, Omaha may not be the most experienced team, but from a dynasty perspective it is extremely interesting. If the young core develops quickly, the value of this roster could rise significantly over the next few seasons.
🏒 What does the Central tell us?
Central offers five quite different philosophies: Saskatoon leans on experience, Green Bay combines youth with stars, Memphis is built around an elite McDavid-led core, Cincinnati emphasizes balance, and Omaha is building for the future.
That is why the tiny gap between second-place Green Bay and third-place Cincinnati is so interesting. At the same time, the youngest team in the division — Omaha — sits at the other end of the table.
If the young players develop faster than today’s projections expect, Central could look very different in a few months.
East Division
Preseason table
| # | Team | Projection Ø | Last Season Ø | Avg. age | % Rostered Ø | IceCore Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | Quebec City Citadels | 805.5 | 11.3 | 28.2 | 44.9% | 82.6 |
| 🥈 2 | Hartford Arsenal | 809.7 | 10.8 | 29.2 | 41.1% | 81.2 |
| 🥉 3 | Richmond Union | 738.7 | 11.2 | 26.1 | 36.8% | 78.9 |
| 4 | Halifax Privateers | 732.8 | 10.6 | 25.9 | 43.1% | 78.7 |
| 5 | Cleveland Forge | 723.6 | 10.9 | 26.4 | 49.9% | 78.6 |
🇨🇦 Quebec City Citadels
Quebec looks like one of the most complete teams in the division. It combines immediate production, experience and younger upside. J.T. Miller, Dylan Strome, Alex Tuch and Quinton Byfield give the offense plenty of depth, while the defense is built around Jackson LaCombe, Matthew Schaefer and Noah Dobson. Schaefer was one of the major draft investments at 85 Coins, while LaCombe cost 65.
One of Quebec’s strengths is that the team does not depend on a single scenario. It has stars, experienced players and players who can still grow significantly. The main question may be whether it has one truly dominant fantasy name capable of regularly deciding matchups on his own. Overall, though, this is a roster that looks stable and ready to compete from the start.
🇺🇸 Hartford Arsenal
Hartford is taking a somewhat different route. At the top of the roster is a huge concentration of experience and quality — Jack Eichel, Aleksander Barkov, Artemi Panarin, William Nylander and Alex Ovechkin give the team a very high ceiling. Interestingly, much of that strength was acquired at relatively reasonable prices, with Barkov at 58, Panarin at 53 and Nylander at 59 Coins.
The question is depth and age. Behind the elite first wave, the roster is less convincing, and Hartford will need its veterans to remain productive. On the other hand, Saros and Wolf give the team an interesting goaltending duo, and the roster has plenty of experience. If the star core gets rolling, Hartford could be a very difficult opponent. This is a team built more for “now” than for the distant future.
🇺🇸 Richmond Union
Richmond may be the hardest team in this group to read. On one side, it has Nick Suzuki, Tim Stützle, Andrei Svechnikov, Josh Morrissey and Matthew Knies — plenty of players around whom you can build a very solid lineup. On the other, there are many younger or less established names, which makes the team’s final performance somewhat difficult to predict. Suzuki was Richmond’s most expensive acquisition at 97 Coins, while Stützle cost 80.
The strength is the combination of age and potential. Richmond does not have to rely on an aging core, and several players could significantly increase their value. The weaker point is the depth behind the main names, with a particularly low average rostered percentage suggesting that a large part of the roster sits outside the main fantasy spotlight. Richmond could therefore be one of those teams that looks completely different during the season than it does on paper right now.
🇨🇦 Halifax Privateers
Halifax may have the biggest “fun factor” in the entire division. Matthew Tkachuk, Tage Thompson, Jake Guentzel, Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith form a very attractive offensive core, joined by Ivan Demidov. The draft also showed a clear willingness to invest in offense — Tkachuk cost 69, Guentzel 67, Gauthier 72 and Demidov 62 Coins.
The biggest question will be whether that offensive strength is supported by enough depth. Halifax has several young and interesting players, but not all of them are established yet. The goaltending will also be important, with Jeremy Swayman and Jet Greaves providing a solid foundation. If Halifax can combine star production with growth from its younger players, it could be much more dangerous than the preseason projection suggests.
🇺🇸 Cleveland Forge
Cleveland may be the most interesting combination of youth and veteran quality in the division. Gavin McKenna, Cole Hutson, Jakob Chychrun, Simon Nemec and Igor Chernyshov provide a very strong foundation for the future, while Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone and Ryan O’Reilly bring immediate production and experience. The draft reflected that strategy nicely — McKenna went for 59, Hutson for 50 and Forsberg for 68 Coins.
Cleveland’s biggest strength is its potential. If the young names start moving quickly toward their projections, this team could improve significantly. The weaker side is the uncertainty: part of the future value depends on players who do not yet have a large NHL sample. Cleveland therefore looks like a team that may not be at its ceiling right now. In a dynasty league, that is a very interesting characteristic.
🏒 What does the East tell us?
East is a great example of five very different approaches. Quebec looks the most complete, Hartford is built around experienced stars, Cleveland combines youth with immediate production, Halifax leans into offensive strength and upside, and Richmond may be the biggest unknown.
It is also interesting how close the teams are behind the top two. Richmond, Halifax and Cleveland are separated by only 0.3 Index points. That is exactly the kind of situation where one good trade, a breakout from a young player or a few injuries can quickly change the paper standings.
South Division
Preseason table
| # | Team | Projection Ø | Last Season Ø | Avg. age | % Rostered Ø | IceCore Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | Roswell Greys | 816.4 | 10.9 | 28.0 | 44.0% | 84.4 |
| 🥈 2 | Key West Rumrunners | 779.3 | 11.9 | 29.1 | 47.2% | 83.8 |
| 🥉 3 | Houston Signals | 793.2 | 11.5 | 26.8 | 45.8% | 81.0 |
| 4 | Charlotte Amalie Corsairs | 740.0 | 10.1 | 30.4 | 41.6% | 74.5 |
| 5 | New Orleans Soul | 614.9 | 10.0 | 23.8 | 39.6% | 68.0 |
🇺🇸 Roswell Greys
Roswell enters the season with a very solid mix of immediate production and players with further upside. Brady Tkachuk, Martin Necas, Juraj Slafkovsky, Sam Bennett and Owen Tippett give the offense plenty of options, while Brandt Clarke and Thomas Chabot provide quality on defense. Jake Oettinger is also a very important part of the puzzle in goal. The draft showed that Kenneth was not building a cheap experiment — Necas went for 80, Brady Tkachuk 76, Oettinger 77 and Slafkovsky 70 Coins.
Roswell’s biggest strength is balance. It is not dependent on a single player, while still having enough stars to produce consistently. The 84.4 IceCore Index is supported by the highest projection in South and a strong overall roster profile. A possible weakness is the depth behind Oettinger in goal, along with the question of whether younger players such as Slafkovsky, Kasper and Tsyplakov deliver the growth a dynasty team needs. Overall, however, Roswell looks like a very complete roster without an obvious hole.
🇺🇸 Key West Rumrunners
Key West may be the most interesting team when it comes to the difference between the table and the underlying story. Its 779.3 projection keeps it near the top, but last season’s production stands out even more — its 11.9 fantasy points per game is the highest among all South teams. And when you look at the roster, it makes sense. Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Adrian Kempe, Brock Faber, MacKenzie Weegar and Pierre-Luc Dubois create a very strong core, while Linus Ullmark and Mackenzie Blackwood form the goaltending group. Makar was one of the biggest investments of the entire draft at 106 Coins, Werenski cost 87 Coins and Kempe 66 Coins.
Key West’s biggest strength is therefore proven fantasy production. It also has a very solid average rostered percentage, suggesting that this is not simply a team built on projections. The question is the age structure — 29.1 is among the older rosters in South — and therefore long-term sustainability. On the other hand, Logan Stankoven, Carter Yakemchuk and Jaxon Cover provide younger blood. Key West looks like a team with a very strong foundation for immediate performance, and it will be interesting to see how it gradually refreshes the older core.
🇺🇸 Houston Signals
Houston is one of the most interesting “hidden value” teams in the division. Its 793.2 projection is actually the second-highest in South, its average age of 26.8 is among the lowest, and the roster contains many players who may not have reached their ceiling yet. Mark Scheifele, Nico Hischier, Brandon Hagel and Mathew Barzal form a very strong offensive core, while Mikhail Sergachev, Brandon Montour, Esa Lindell and Zayne Parekh give the defense an interesting mix of experience and upside. The draft illustrates the approach nicely — Scheifele 52 Coins, Hagel 62 Coins, Hischier 42 Coins and Sergachev 44 Coins.
Houston has one particularly interesting characteristic: the roster looks stronger on paper than its broader reputation might suggest. The 81.0 IceCore Index puts it very high, while the team is still carrying plenty of room for growth. Its strengths are depth, age and a large number of players in their productive years. The weaker area could be goaltending, along with the fact that some of the younger names still have to prove their potential. If Houston gets the development of its young players right, it could become a very difficult team to deal with.
🇻🇮 Charlotte Amalie Corsairs
Charlotte is taking a completely different route. At the top of the roster are enormous names — Auston Matthews, Quinn Hughes, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Seguin, Brock Boeser, Andrei Marchenko and Teuvo Teräväinen. The draft was aggressive: Matthews cost 100 Coins and Quinn Hughes 102 Coins, while Karel Vejmelka went for 54 Coins and Logan Thompson 62 Coins. That is a major investment in top-end quality.
The potential problem is age and depth. At 30.4 years, Charlotte has the oldest roster in South, and the depth behind the main stars is less convincing. On the other hand, those big names give Charlotte a very high ceiling — if Matthews, Hughes, Larkin and the rest produce as expected, this team can be extremely dangerous. Rather than a classic dynasty project, Charlotte looks more like an attempt to maximize a strong present and get as much as possible out of it.
🇺🇸 New Orleans Soul
And then there is New Orleans. 😄 On paper, it is a completely different story from the rest of South. The 68.0 IceCore Index is significantly lower, and the 614.9 projection is last in the division, but the team is also just 23.8 years old on average. That is a huge difference.
Jack Hughes, Matt Boldy, Logan Cooley, James Hagens, Berkly Catton, Michael Misa, Shane Wright, Gabe Perreault, Zeev Buium, Jake Sanderson and Jesper Wallstedt — this is not a traditional roster built around today’s production. It is almost a blueprint for the future.
The draft reflects that perfectly. Jack Hughes cost 98 Coins, Matt Boldy 93 Coins and Logan Cooley 52 Coins, followed by very interesting young pieces such as Hagens for 22 Coins, Buium for 21 Coins and Viggo Björck for 4 Coins.
New Orleans’ biggest weakness is therefore current production. Many players are still working toward their NHL and fantasy value, making the team highly unpredictable in the short term. On the other hand, age is its huge advantage. If Hagens, Misa, Catton, Perreault, Buium and the rest develop as hoped, today’s numbers could look completely different in a few years. New Orleans is simply the biggest project in South — perhaps the least finished, but with a very interesting amount of room to grow.
🏒 What does the South tell us?
South is a great example of why the IceCore Index can never tell the whole story by itself.
Roswell has a balanced roster and the highest Index in the league. Key West is built around proven production and has the best last-season average. Houston combines a younger age profile with plenty of depth. Charlotte is trying to maximize an experienced star core. And New Orleans is essentially building for the future.
The gap between the top two is only 0.6 Index points, while New Orleans sits 16.4 points behind Roswell. South therefore offers perhaps the clearest contrast between “win now” and “build for the next few years.”
West Division
Preseason table
| # | Team | Projection Ø | Last Season Ø | Avg. age | % Rostered Ø | IceCore Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | Victoria Cedars | 824.30 | 10.91 | 29.79 | 35.60% | 81.47 |
| 🥈 2 | Kelowna Vintners | 772.48 | 11.20 | 28.71 | 34.95% | 79.57 |
| 🥉 3 | Amarillo Downburst | 719.33 | 11.07 | 29.35 | 42.52% | 79.06 |
| 4 | Honolulu Guardians | 776.60 | 11.12 | 27.52 | 44.70% | 78.80 |
| 5 | Salem Ravens | 711.90 | 11.35 | 29.24 | 34.60% | 78.00 |
🇨🇦 Victoria Cedars
Victoria is built around a fairly balanced and experienced core, with its biggest strength being the sheer number of usable players. Kyle Connor provides significant offensive production, joined by John Tavares, Charlie Coyle and Alexander Wennberg, while Matvei Michkov adds an interesting younger element. Connor cost 71 Coins, while Moritz Seider was one of the team’s larger investments at 80.
The roster does not look like a team built around several completely dominant superstars. It is more about a larger group of solid players. That could prove useful over a long season, but it also means there is less concentration of elite production. With an average rostered percentage around 36%, a significant part of the roster also sits outside the wider fantasy spotlight. Victoria has a very good foundation, but adding one more difference-making offensive piece could take it to another level.
🇺🇸 Amarillo Downburst
Amarillo probably has the most imposing top end in the entire division. Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl and Kirill Kaprizov give the team an enormous concentration of elite fantasy production — they cost 109, 92 and 74 Coins respectively in the draft.
The interesting part is what comes after them. Jordan Staal, William Karlsson, Nino Niederreiter and Bradly Nadeau are a very different type of player from the elite core. Amarillo therefore looks somewhat “top-heavy”: when the stars perform, the ceiling is enormous, but the depth behind them is less convincing. The biggest opportunity may be gradually strengthening the second wave of quality players rather than continuing to chase superstars.
🇨🇦 Kelowna Vintners
Kelowna is a very interesting dynasty-oriented roster. Macklin Celebrini is the obvious cornerstone, and behind him the team has several young players with room to grow — Frank Nazar, Fraser Minten, Jiri Kulich and Easton Cowan. At the same time, Mitch Marner provides immediate production, so the young core is not being asked to carry everything by itself. Celebrini was also the most expensive acquisition of the entire draft at 136 Coins.
The weaker side is the number of players whose eventual NHL production is still uncertain. That increases the long-term potential, but also the volatility. Kelowna’s average rostered percentage is also very low. This team is clearly building toward the future — and if the young players start reaching their projections, the roster could move very quickly.
🇺🇸 Honolulu Guardians
Honolulu has a slightly different profile. It is a balanced, moderately deep roster without one overwhelmingly dominant leader. Vincent Trocheck, Elias Pettersson, Travis Konecny, Sam Reinhart and Lucas Raymond provide plenty of stable production, while the team also has players with multi-position eligibility. That is particularly valuable in our 4C/4LW/4RW/6D format. Trocheck cost only 33 Coins in the draft, while Sam Reinhart went for 55.
Interestingly, the current lineup even has an open C slot, meaning there is still room to optimize the roster despite its overall quality. Honolulu also has a relatively high average rostered percentage, suggesting that much of the roster is already established in the fantasy community. The biggest challenge will be turning that breadth into a little more elite production.
🇺🇸 Salem Ravens
Salem is perhaps the most interesting mix of immediate production and dynasty upside. Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, David Pastrnak, Leo Carlsson and Steven Stamkos form a very strong offensive core. Robertson cost 93 Coins, Johnston 95, Pastrnak 90 and Carlsson 77, so the draft clearly invested heavily in this group.
Salem also owns one of the most intriguing long-term projects in Roger McQueen. At the same time, McQueen is a good example of the risk in this roster — his high Yahoo projection represents potential rather than certainty, as he does not yet have an NHL sample. If Salem gets the young projects right while maintaining veteran production, this roster could have a very interesting trajectory.
🏒 What does the West tell us?
West may be the most tightly packed division when it comes to the Index. There is only 1.57 points between second-place Kelowna and fifth-place Salem.
Victoria has the highest projection of all twenty teams and also looks very stable. Amarillo has a huge ceiling built around its elite core. Kelowna is strongly oriented toward the future, Honolulu has a flexible and relatively established roster, and Salem combines veteran production with young upside.
This may be the division where it makes the most sense to wait for reality — the paper differences are genuinely small.
🌎 IceCore League — league-wide highlights
Now let’s forget about the divisions for a moment and look at all twenty teams together.
📈 Highest average projection
Victoria Cedars — 824.3
Victoria has the highest average Yahoo projection of all twenty teams.
Right behind them are Roswell (816.4), Hartford (809.7) and Quebec (805.5).
At the other end is New Orleans at 614.9.
League average: 743.0.
🏒 Best last-season average
Key West Rumrunners — 11.9 fantasy points per game
Key West has the highest average from last season among all twenty teams. Houston follows at 11.5 and Kelowna at 11.2.
At the other end is New Orleans at 10.0.
League average: 10.92.
👶 Youngest and oldest roster
Youngest: New Orleans Soul — 23.8 years
That is a huge difference from the rest of the league. New Orleans is clearly the generational project.
Oldest: Charlotte Amalie Corsairs — 30.4 years
Charlotte is taking the opposite approach and trying to maximize an experienced core.
League average: 27.8 years.
👀 Highest % Rostered
Cincinnati Rivermen — 50.4%
Cincinnati has the highest average rostered percentage of all twenty teams. Cleveland follows at 49.9% and Saskatoon at 49.7%.
The lowest average belongs to Salem at 34.6%.
League average: 42.6%.
🧮 Highest IceCore Index
Roswell Greys — 84.4
Roswell sits at the top of the league according to our model. Key West is only 0.6 points behind at 83.8, followed by Quebec at 82.6.
At the other end is New Orleans at 68.0.
League average: 78.35.
🏟️ Division power ranking
So far we have looked at the teams individually. Now let’s put the four divisions side by side.
For this table, each division is simply the average of its five teams. The same five headline metrics are shown here: preseason projection, last-season fantasy production, average age, average % rostered and the IceCore Index.
And if we sort the divisions by the average IceCore Index, we get our first unofficial answer to a very important question:
Which division looks the toughest on paper? 😄
| Rank | Division | Projection Ø | Last Season Ø | Avg. age | % Rostered Ø | IceCore Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 | East | 762.1 | 11.0 | 27.2 | 43.2% | 80.0 |
| 🥈 2 | West | 760.9 | 11.1 | 28.9 | 38.5% | 79.4 |
| 🥉 3 | South | 748.8 | 10.9 | 27.6 | 43.6% | 78.3 |
| 4 | Central | 700.1 | 10.7 | 27.4 | 45.1% | 75.7 |
One small surprise here: East has the highest average IceCore Index, even though South has the highest individual team score thanks to Roswell. West is extremely close behind, while Central has the lowest average Index of the four divisions.
So if the Index is our paper measuring stick, East looks like the toughest division overall, with West right behind it.
Of course, this is another place where the real season gets the final word. A division can be strong on paper and still produce surprises once the puck drops.
🏆 So who is the paper top and the paper bottom?
If we pick one team from each end of the table, the Index gives us two very different preseason stories:
🏆 Roswell Greys
The highest IceCore Index in the entire league — 84.4.
Roswell does not have an obvious weakness among the main factors we are looking at. It has a high projection, solid previous-season production, a reasonable age profile and a very balanced roster.
That still does not mean Roswell will win the league. It simply means that, on paper, it has the strongest overall profile according to our model today.
🧱 New Orleans Soul — the paper bottom
At the other end, we have New Orleans with an Index of 68.0.
But “paper bottom” should be taken with a very large grain of salt. 😄
New Orleans is an extremely young team with an average age of just 23.8. Its lower projection does not necessarily mean it is a bad dynasty roster — it shows that a large part of its value is stored in the future.
If we judged only today’s production, New Orleans would look weak.
If we looked three or four years ahead, the story could be completely different.
And that is exactly why dynasty fantasy is so much fun.
One Step Closer
So, we are one step closer.
Twenty teams have survived the draft, rosters are starting to settle, and now all that remains is to see what happens when the real NHL games begin.
We have the paper numbers.
We have the projections.
We have last season’s production.
We have age.
We have rostered percentages.
And we have twenty managers who probably think their team is better than this table says. 😄
And that is perfectly fine.
This is not a scientific paper. It is our first attempt to look at IceCore before the season, give all twenty teams a common numerical starting point and have a little fun with what the first season of this league might look like.
So whether your team landed in first, last or somewhere in between:
good luck, have fun.
At the end of the season, we will come back to this article.
We will look at the actual results, compare them with this preseason prediction and find out whether we were geniuses…
…or whether we just created twenty beautiful reasons to laugh at ourselves. 😄