Pacific Titans

How Good is this Division?

Over the last couple of years, the Western Conference and the Pacific Division in particular have accumulated what most would agree with the majority of talent who are in their prime in the league. Here we will delve into the Pacific Division in particular and how it has become the powerhouse division of the DCHL and some predictions for the upcoming season.

1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12. These are the placings of the 29 and Under from Josh’s rankings of 6 of the Pacific teams. It’s a true testament to how much talent really lies in the division.

The Pacific has 14 of the top 25 rated skaters in the league this year (fun fact - the Western Conference has 22 of 25) and 4 of the top 8 goalies. To say that the league has tilted in a large way to the West and Pacific is an understatement.

Prediction for the 2023/2024 Pacific Standings

1st. Division Champions

LA Kings

It feels like a toss of the coin between the Kings and Oilers but with the likes of Crosby, Pastrnak, Thompson, Fox, Fiala, Ehlers, Dubois, Hamilton and the Duo of Ullmark and Husso in the nets is a scary-looking roster that is built to win during Crosbys final two years in LA.

2nd.

Edmonton Oilers

Bob has revamped the Oilers and brought Forsberg, Huberdeau, Tuch, Ekblad, Stone, Forsling, Krejci, Sanheim in this past off-season. To go along with Zibanejad, Horvat, and Fowler among all of the other solid players, this is a team just like LA who are incredibly well-rounded from top to bottom. And let's not forget they have one of the best goalies on the planet in Hellebuyck, this is a very very good team that is going to be in the heat of the battle for the Pacific Crown and is among the cup favorites this year.

3rd.

Calgary Flames

Led by McDavid the Flames are a high-tempo group with the Addition of Keller and the improvement of Stutzle and the always-steady Lindholm leading the forwards and Pietrangelo and McAvoy heading up the D. Dealing with cap issues and having to unfortunately move some key middle of the lineup guys in Barbashev and Jenner the forward group is more top heavy and much weaker on the bottom six. A weaker bottom pairing and a ratings drop for both Fleury and Demko have left the Flames with the 5th best goaltending in the division which will be the biggest weakness for the team. Battling for 3rd with the Knights and Sharks looks to be what the Flames will be dealing with this season.

4th

San Jose Sharks

It feels a little weird putting the Sharks in the 4 spot as they have been the Pacific and Cup favorites for half a decade. Don’t be fooled though as this might be a very different-looking squad from the days of Luke, It still is a very talented team with Miller, Kaprizov, Scheifele, Suzuki, Raymond, and Kadri leading the forwards and Hughes, Werenski, and Faulk leading the d-corps. And then you have Vasilevskiy who is still in his prime and one of the best in the business. No one would be surprised if they once again took the division crown but with the talent in the division this year it's going to be tougher than ever to do so.

5th.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Knights are the most top-heavy roster possibly in the league. It’s a whos who up top with Tkachuk, Eichel, Nylander, Makar, and Dahlin on the blue line and the highly-rated Markstrom in net. If the Knights successfully trade Markstrom and don’t replace him then I put them behind the Canucks in 6th. If Marky stays and the bottom half of the roster is improved this is a definite dark horse come playoff time who won't need to rely on Keith Kinkaid to make some noise.

6th

Vancouver Canucks

At season's end, the Canucks looked like a team that was on the rise and ready to join the upper echelon of the Pacific. The Pastrnak trade made me think that possibly he took a good look at the Pacific and figured by taking a step back for a year or two the Pacific will look a lot different and be a more even playing field. Or I’m wrong and they find a top goalie somehow and they surprise us all again and contend by season end because with players such as Draisatl, DeBrincat, Morrissey, Seider, Koecny, and a strong supporting cast they are still a pretty decent squad who could very well be contending for 3rd or 4th in the division.

7th

Seattle Kraken

I’m honestly not sure where to start with the Kraken. It wasn’t too long ago when they looked like a team that was loaded with prospects and picks and built with a long-term plan and now looks to be a team that is trading the future away to win now. They have a fun top 4 in Kucherov, Panerin, Marchand, and Caufield but things get ugly fast after that. On D they have 3 decent guys with Larsson, Skjei, and Matheson but again the dropoff is sharp and in goal, Carter Hart could very well become a star in the next year or two but his ratings are not anything to write home about this year. But with the amount of trades the new GM does he very well could swing a half dozen deals and this team will be contending or rebuilding, My guess is he’s all in and going swing for the fences though especially when they traded for Panerin who’s a UFA at seasons end.

8th

Anaheim Ducks

Umm.. Having to play against the rest of the Pacific is going to make for a very ugly season for the Ducks this year. They don’t even have the Kraken as potential targets this year. My guess is they are dead last in the league at season's end.