SEASON 6 - OFFSEASON

League News
The NAHL jumps into the offseason by announcing the salary cap will be increasing to $92.486M (+$0.915M increase). Commissioner Sparrall announced that the league and the NAHLPA have begun negotiations for a new CBA. The current CBA was a bridge deal and is set to expire after next season. Both the league and owners are looking to enter a long term deal with this next CBA but the players association led by former professional player Vladimir Kuztestnov are looking for a smaller deal since the league is still so new and settling into form. A big season of negotiations lies ahead.

Vancouver is set to open its new arena downtown this September. The arena will be named Summit Arena which is sponsored by Summit Outdoor Gear. The new arena will hold 18,500 fans with luxury suites and a state of the art scoreboard. 


Notable Retirements
Ed Strickland (Pittsburgh Silverbacks)
369GP - 41G - 27A - 68P

Vitaly Chistov (Montreal Cougars)
334GP - 93G - 114A - 207P

Franchot Renault (Michigan Rams)
311GP - 58G - 144A - 202P

Sergei Bodrov (Tampa Bay Bandits)
254GP - 3.02GAA - 0.905SV% - 16SO

Coaching Changes
No changes this offseason.

Draft Lottery
1.New York Renegades (+3)
2.Montreal Cougars (+1)
3.Vancouver Lumberjacks (-2)
4.Tampa Bay Bandits (-2)
5.Tennessee Tigers
6.Philadelphia Cavaliers 
7.Minnesota Grizzlies
8.Miami Sharks 
9.New York Renegades (via PIT)
10.Los Angeles Rampage

Brand Changes
Boston Shamrocks - Boston introduces a completely new name and rebrand heading into season 6. The Shamrocks take inspiration from the city's Irish heritage. They introduce a brighter green and a full new logo.


Cleveland Lions - The Lions update their brand with a new logo and color scheme introducing a red and gold instead of purple and gold. 


Seattle Whalers - The Whalers are another team going with a new logo and jersey set. The fans loved the design of the previous Statement jersey, so the team makes this the primary Icon and Clash jersey with a new logo. 


Vancouver Blizzard - With a new arena coming to downtown Vancouver owner Logan Dineen thought this was a perfect time to rebrand the Lumberjacks to the Blizzard. A new brand and purple/blue color scheme is introduced. 

Season 6 - Regular Season 


Pacific Coastal Division
With a new brand and identity the Seattle Whalers capture their first division title led by M. Booth led the team with 42 goals. The Manitoba Moose look to be coming out the other end of their rebuild and are playoff bound for the first time in 5 years. Another team fresh off a rebrand, the Vancouver Blizzard made the jump making the playoffs in a tightly contested Pacific Coastal Division. The Calgary Mustangs take another step back and miss the playoffs, leaving questions if it is time for a rebuild. While the Las Vegas Bulls and Los Angeles Rampage continue their struggles and playoff droughts.

Central Division
In the Central Division the St Louis Saints put up another strong season led by Bowman and Forsberg who both finished in the top 5 in league points again. The Houston Stealth had another strong season and finished 2nd in the division with 131 points. The Minnesota Grizzlies had a strong second half of the season to jump ahead of the Kansas City Knights and the Indianapolis Falcons to clinch the final playoff spot. The Tennessee Tigers continue to sit near the bottom of the league looking for answers. 

Great Lakes Division
For the 2nd season in a row the Michigan Rams won the Great Lakes Division led by Kovalev who finished with 97 points. The Hamilton Huskies secure there 6th straight playoff appearance with a consistent season. The New York Renegades make a big jump in Season 6 making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history led by rookie 1st overall pick Dmitry Sushinsky. After making the finals last season the Boston Shamrocks are ravaged by injuries throughout the season leading to them missing the playoffs by 3 points. The Cleveland Lions, Montreal Cougars and Buffalo Stampede also struggle this season and miss the playoffs. 

Atlantic Coastal Division
The Baltimore Crabs capture this year's Premier Trophy for the top regular season team winning 56 games. The Washington Admirals have another strong season finishing 2nd in the division and their 2nd straight playoff appearance. The Miami Sharks clinch 3rd place in the division. The Atlanta Thunder and Charlotte Blazers hold on late in the season to secure the 2 wildcard spots in the east.The Philadelphia Cavaliers finish with a league low 66 points and only 23 wins.

Trade Deadline
Manitoba trades 2030 1st rd pick (MAN) to Buffalo for RW D. Miles (87ovr)

Manitoba trades RW G. Lowery (69ovr), 2030 3rd rd pick (MAN) to Indiana for G E.Hahn (82ovr)

Manitoba trades 2031 1st rd pick (MAN) to Las Vegas for RW P.Werner (89ovr)

St Louis trades 2033 1st rd pick (STL) to Cleveland for G J.Berg (85ovr)

Washington trades C A.Baldayev (57ovr), 2031 2nd rd pick (WAS) to Boston for C J.Ketourneau (86ovr)

Atlanta trades LD B.Wojtaszek (68ovr), 2030 1st rd pick (ATL), 2031 1st rd pick (ATL) to Toronto for LW A.Jiang (92ovr)

All League Teams & Stat Leaders




Playoff Preview
Western
1.Seattle Whalers vs WC1. Vancouver Blizzard

2. Manitoba Moose vs 3. Arizona Rattlers

1.St Louis Saints vs WC2. Minnesota Grizzlies

2. Houston Stealth vs 3. Dallas Gladiators 

Eastern
1.Michigan Rams vs WC1 Atlanta Thunder

2.Hamilton Huskies vs 3.New York Renegades 

1.Baltimore Crabs vs WC2.Charlotte Blazers

2.Washington Admirals vs 3.Miami Sharks