Sucks to lose Guilden, but a second Alko team will definitely be interesting. I'm glad the Barbarians name was kept though, their new look is sharp.

Love the Winter Classic idea, the first uniforms look great, nice and simple but different from their normal looks.

Alko Barbarians:  I like this move for them!  I think Alko getting 2 teams rather quickly could actually be a great thing for both teams.  For the Wizards, having another team come in when they haven't established themselves yet should be a good motivator to get their crap together and become a better team.  For the Barbarians, because the Wizards themselves are pretty new, they don't come into a new city as a clear red headed step child (like the New York Mets, Oakland A's, Los Angeles Chargers, etc), but actually has a fair chance to become Alko's favorite team.  I'm not quite digging the new jersey though.  As you alluded to, these look like a quick fix to give the city a new jersey while taking the time to get the real rebranding.  Hopefully, they'll go back to all red when that happens, though I doubt they will.

Winter Classic: LOVE this idea!  Anytime you get Whales-Anchors going, it's worth watching, but the Falcons-Glaciers primary color vs. primary color approach is absolutely one I could get behind.  I never understand why teams force themselves to HAVE to wear white when their primary color clashes enough with the other teams uniform.   I'd love to see the THL go this primary color battle route more often!  

 

Will there be nicknames like Niko Side and Sava Side

Me: One ticket to A-Ok pretty please.
Non-fiction PHX ticket sales: This man ain’t “A-Ok”.

Now for the less fun stuff!

1988 THL OFFSEASON Pt. 2

Notable Retirements

Former #1 overall pick Adam Oreskovich retired after 11 years in the THL, infamously centered around a 5-year league suspension and prison sentence for his involvement in a high-level drug distribution ring. Adam O was drafted and played for the Herons before his indictment. He spent one year with the Yubay Falcons after his reinstatement where he won Most Improved Player and then joined the Serpents during their expansion draft. The 2-time All-Star brings plenty of what-ifs on his sizable talent level if he'd been able to stay out of trouble.

Former longtime Heralds team captain Robert Bertucci retired after a 14-year pro career with the Heralds and Wizards. A gritty forward, Bertucci won 4 Cups during his time with Chasonne before joining Alko in the expansion draft.

Coaching Carousel

No teams made changes.

Notable Free Agents

With Dick Valentine wanting to open up the wallet for his new city, he pursued several big name free agents. The big Italian defenseman Frankie Albertelli left Chasonne to join the Barbarians on a 5-year deal. Former Captains forward Eddie Pires also signed with the Barbarians on a 4-year deal.

Former Glaciers forward Jarrett Falk signed a 5-year deal with the Vensessor Swans.

In a surprising move, the Sallee brothers, both free agents, decided to leave Bancana and rejoin their hometown Falcons despite them being in a massive rebuild. The Kings were shocked and tried to offer more money but the brothers' minds were made up.

Former Glaciers goalie Lou Branson signed with Abrieden.

Trades & Signings

Port Alrene re-signed F Roger Hornick, 26, to another 5-year deal.
The Whales re-signed All-Star D Eli Priestley, 27, to a 3-year deal.
Trowburgh re-signed F Kenny Stokes, 30, to a 3-year deal.
Quebel re-signed G Victor Knight, 21, to a 7-year deal.
Vensessor re-signed F Pekka Jokinen to a 3-year deal.
Chasonne re-signed their free agent F Quincy Ledoux to a 2-year deal.

Despite the incoming Sallee brothers, the Falcons kicked off their rebuild with a spate of trades. They sent D Kevin Daley to the Kings for their 1988 1st-round pick. They sent top pair D Dennis Overstreet to the Killers for their 1988 1st-round pick and D Owen Nabholz, the latter was signed to a 5-year deal.

After the Barbarians signed Frankie Albertelli, incumbent top defenseman Gil Van Nuland was annoyed and requested a trade. Alko found a willing partner in Chasonne who sent their 1988 top pick in exchange for him.

1988 Amateur Player Draft

The player pool for 1988 was fairly deep but there was no consensus top pick, instead about 6-8 top prospects with each team having a favorite.

1 – SIN – D Robbie Lovejoy
With so many possibilities for the top choice, the Serpents chose Lovejoy who is an offensive defenseman with a very high floor and a top-level IQ.

2 – YUB – F Bryan “Bazooka” Klein
The Kirlow native is 19 and pro-ready to lead a team. His nickname Bazooka is from his record-setting power on his slapshot.

3 – YBG – F Raleigh Talbot
Talbot is a talented centerman, with room to grow. Some thought he could go #1, so the Glaciers feel fortunate to land him in the Niko Side.

4 – KIR – G Rocco La Plante
La Plante is a very athletic goaltender with good instincts and technique. He lacks some experience but the Kodiaks are confident he can grow into the role of a top-level starter.

5 – ALK – D Jack Sperry
The Wizards go defense with their top-5 pick for the second year in a row, this time with the offensively-minded Sperry.

6 – KRK – D Alden Lamb
After they selected F John Roszak last year, the Captains focus on defense with the steady Lamb from Trowburgh.

7 – YUB (via KUR) – D Erik Karppenin (Finland)
In a draft light on international talent, the Falcons go with the top-rated Finn to bolster their defense.

8 – TRO – F Mitchell Sharpe
The Herons are happy to see Sharpe fall to them. He's a talented player but some question his motor and IQ but Trowburgh believes they can mold him behind Mozzy Turk.

9 – AKB (via CHA) – D Elliott Barber
With the first of two back-to-back picks, the Barbarians choose Barber to add to the blue line.

10 – AKB – F Nicky Brockelman
With their original selection, the Barbarians selected Brockelman, a big-bodied forward who can help on the checking line.

11 – PRE – F Sam Skjeggestad (Norway)
12 – DC – F Kris Gorecki (Poland)
13 – ABR – D Fred Zawisza (Poland)
14 – PA – F Lionel Horton
15 – FTB – F Harlan Demers
16 – NAR – F Romeo Porter
17 – VEN – D Stanton Schultz
18 – PTP – F Ken Vest
19 – QUE – F Clark Morton
20 – YUB (via BAN) – G Sid O'Neil
21 – KAV – F Will Lowe
22 – POR – D Zach Flynn


Team Identity Changes

1988 Kirkenport Captains


Previous Identity: 1982-1987 Kirkenport Captains

The Captains made some minor tweaks to their set, brightening their cream and cleaning up a few things in the logo and uniforms that they introduced in 1982. They felt a brighter cream would provide better contrast. They also added a blue third jersey to be worn at select home games.


C&C always appreciated! Love everyone's feedback on a busy offseason so far.
Up next: 1988 regular season