DCHL Power Rankings (and one player from each team that needs to improve in the 2nd half)

Part 1 of a 3 part series

Welcome to part one of my series of articles that I saw on theScore.com and wanted to copy for this league. I’m going to start with teams ranked 32-21 today and will release the next couple parts in the following days. If you have any feedback, I'd be happy to hear it! Hope you enjoy reading through if you took the time to read this. That being said, let's get into it:

32. Seattle Kraken (9-42-2)

This is certainly a team in the league. This is their first year in the league and I’m sure they would like to move on to year 2. They have embraced the future of the franchise to the highest degree possible, and it shows seeing as they have 28% (!!!!!) of the 1st round draft picks for the upcoming draft. They will be an absolute menace of a team in about 5 years or so, but for now, they must stay patient and success will come. In terms of a player I’d like to see step up, I’m going to say Patrick Marleau. I think if he tries really hard, he might hit 40 points.

31. Detroit Red Wings (18-31-4)

Jumping up double the points in the rankings, we have the Red Wings, who’ve traded away much of their assets in order to accelerate a rebuild. I have two people in mind, but I limited myself to one a team, so I’m going to go with Jake Debrusk. Currently, the best player on the team, 7-15–22 in 52 games with a -20 rating is just not very good. +/- is a fairly volatile stat, but even disregarding that, his point production has been behind the likes of Kyle Okposo, Brandon Hagel and Conor Sheary. I’m looking for him to improve, even if it’s only a by a little bit.

30. Washington Capitals (21-27-3) 

The Capitals got off to a relatively hot start and have since had one of the biggest drops in standings I’ve seen. 1-8-1 in their last 10 games, they rank 30th despite being 28th in the standings. Issues need to be addressed at every end, but I think goaltending has been the biggest issues by far, and that starts with Tristan Jarry. Neither goalie has performed exceptionally well, but with a 2.87 GAA and 89.79 SV%, improvements undoubtedly need to be made and fast if they expect to make the playoffs. ( :( )

29. Columbus Blue Jackets (18-23-9)

The Blue Jackets are another team that is in the midst of a rebuild so like many of these other teams, take it with a grain of salt. The player I’d like to see improve is Andreas Athanasiou. Coming off of a 61 point season with the New Jersey Devils, he’s not been nearly as good, posting 11-16–27 in 50 games. In fairness, the Devils are a better team, but I digress. Double-A is too much of a defensive liability to be putting up that type of point total. 

28. Tampa Bay Lightning (18-25-7) 

Tampa gets a bit of a boost in the rankings compared to their current standings as they’re currently on a 3 game winning streak. The player I’d like to see improve is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. 2019 saw OEL put up 65 points, and 54 the following. He looks to take another significant drop, as he currently has 23 points in 48 games, putting him on pace for 39 points. I’d like to see that number increase as he is Tampa’s most competent defenseman when he’s at his best. 

27. Ottawa Senators (19-25-8)

The Senators are a team that have the tools to make a run but just haven’t been able to put the pieces together this season. This is really evident by looking at the season Alex Ovechkin is having. 15-11–26 in 52 is uncharacteristically low for arguable the greatest goal scorer the game’s ever seen. We could be seeing Ovechkin not reaching the 30-goal mark for the first time in his DCHL career should his current pace continue, so I’d like to see him improve and he certainly has it in him to do so. 

26. Florida Panthers (23-25-3)

Despite being ranked 23rd in the league, Florida drops down to 26 in my power rankings as they are currently on a 5 game losing streak and are 2-8-0 in their last 10. James Van Riemsdyk needs to improve quick, as he is currently on pace for 26 points which would be far and away his worst season. He’s currently slotted in a middle 6 role with the cats. If JVR can start scoring more, he would be a huge boon to his team as the team as a whole has struggled to put up points as of late. 

25. Vancouver Canucks (22-28-3)

Currently on a 4 game losing streak, the Canucks need to improve all around if they have any chance to make the playoffs this year. They’re in a tough division, and an even tougher conference. Much like the Capitals, goaltending seems to be an issue so I’d like to see Ilya Samsonov step up his game in the last half (ish) of the season. With a 7-15-1 record and a 3.22GAA, there’s tons of work to be done for him to get into the form that we know he can play at. 

24. Toronto Maple Leafs (22-24-4)

A team that got off to an unexpectedly hot start, the Maple Leafs have fallen back down to the expectations most had of them before the season started. One year removed from his breakout season, 2021 All-Star Teddy Blueger has fallen off the point pace he had last season. The Maple Leafs have 32 games remaining, and I would like for Teddy to put up at least 100 points in that span, as anything else would be a disappointment. Jokes aside though, he’s clearly shown his proficiency at defying the odds and I would love to see another all-star run for Teddy. 

23. New York Rangers (21-27-3) 

The Rangers are 27th in the standings but move up as they are 6-4-0 in their last 10 and are on a 2 game winning streak. With New York Rangers legend David Pastrnak’s departure through a trade that saw New York acquire Batherson, Hornqvist, and Hughes, the Rangers are clearly focusing on the future. Evgenii Dadonov is who I personally would like to see improve, as he’s far off his pace of last season and the years before that. With Pastrnak gone, the door is open for him to take up the spot of top forward on the team and prove that he deserves to be paid 6.6M for the next 4 years.

22. Montreal Candiens (21-26-7)

The Montreal Canadiens are actually in a playoff spot despite being 22nd in the league. This is due to their current 3 game winning streak, as well as Florida’s 5 game losing streak. The competition is tight in the Atlantic for the 3rd spot and so Montreal is going to have to step up their game. I’d like to see Alexandar Georgiev step up in the last stretch of the season. Carey Price cannot carry the full load by himself and having a competent backup would improve their odds of maintaining this spot significantly. With a 3.54 GAA and an 88.64% SV%, he’d best improve expeditiously. 

21. Vegas Golden Knights (21-21-8) 

Rounding out the first part of the rankings is the Golden Knights, who could benefit from improvements. Matthew Tkachuk is the one in need of the most improvements. Oddly enough, Tkachuk has never seemed to fare well in the DCHL. However, he is undoubtedly a skilled player that should be able to piece things together. If he can do that, look out for this team, as his improving should translate immediately to the team’s overall success.