Season 7 - Commissioner Cup Playoffs



First Round Commissioner Cup Playoffs 
Western
1.Manitoba Moose vs WC2.Vancouver Blizzard
The Moose make quick work of a young Blizzard team by sweeping the series and dominating each game. (MAN wins 4-0)

2.Calgary Mustangs vs 3.Seattle Whalers
The Whalers and Mustangs meet again but this time Seattle completes a sweep. (SEA wins 4-0)

1.Dallas Gladiators vs WC1. St Louis Saints
The Gladiators and Saints rivalry has another epic chapter as St Louis jumped up on Dallas 3-1. But the Gladiators rallied back to force a game 7 and win the series. (DAL wins 4-3)

2.Minnesota Grizzlies vs 3.Chicago Bulldogs 
The Bulldogs knock off rival Minnesota in 5 games. (CHI wins 4-1)

Eastern
1.Hamilton Huskies vs WC2.Miami Sharks
A playoff experienced Huskies team defeats a young and upcoming Sharks team in 5 games. (HAM wins 4-1)

2.Montreal Cougars vs 3.New York Renegades
The new look Cougars make a splash in the playoffs defeating another inexperienced New York team in 5 games. (MTL wins 4-1)

1.Atlanta Thunders vs WC1.Michigan Rams
The Atlanta Thunder are looking to make a return to glory and make the first step by beating the Rams in 5 games. (ATL wins 4-1)

2.Washington Admirals vs 3.Charlotte Blazers 
The defending champions have a championship hangover and get swept in the first round by an up and coming Washington team. (WAS wins 4-0)

Second Round Commissioner Cup Playoffs
Western 
1.Manitoba Moose vs 3.Seattle Whalers
The Whalers and Moose go the distance to 7 games battling each game but ultimately the Moose win. (MAN wins 4-0)

1.Dallas Gladiators vs 3.Chicago Bulldogs
The Bulldogs and Gladiators meet in the 2nd round and Chicago take game 5 and 6 to defeat Dallas. (CHI wins 4-2)

Eastern
1.Hamilton Huskies vs 2.Montreal Cougars
Some thought this could be a rivalry in the making but instead the Cougars gave up game 1 and then win 4 in a row to take down the Huskies. (MTL wins 4-1)

1.Atlanta Thunder vs 2.Washington Admirals
The Admirals are unable to carry momentum into the 2nd round and get swept in the second round by the Thunder. (ATL wins 4-0)

Commissioner Cup Playoffs Conference Finals 
Western
1.Manitoba Moose vs 3.Chicago Bulldogs
The Moose dominate the Bulldogs from puck drop in game 1. The Moose sweep the Bulldogs and will advance to the Commissioners Cup finals for the first time in franchise history. (MAN wins 4-0)

Eastern
1.Atlanta Thunder vs 2.Montreal Cougars 
The Cougars and Thunder went to overtime 3 out of 4 games but despite all the close calls the Thunder couldn't get in the win column and the Cougars sweep. This will also be their first finals appearance. (MTL wins 4-0)

Commissioner Cup Playoffs Finals 
1.Manitoba Moose vs 2.Montreal Cougars
The Cougars and Moose will be in their first finals and one of these teams will walk away with their first Commissioner Cup. The Moose with a good mix of veteran and young players will face a young Cougars team looking to start a dynasty. 

SEASON 8 - OFFSEASON

League News
We kickoff season 8 with the offseason league meetings. The league has approved an increase in the salary cap, providing teams with more flexibility and opportunities to enhance their rosters. The new salary cap limit is $94.344 million. 

Commissioner Jack Sparall issued the following statement following the meetings to address the rumors of jersey ads coming next season. Sparall was quick to decline these rumors stating “Our league will never put ads on helmets or jerseys while I’m in charge. We take great pride in the look of our uniforms with our partners Pioneers Athletics and Momentum Hockey. We would rather take pride in the history of the game and show off our beautiful jerseys instead of making a little money to put all over our uniforms. This isn’t the SHL.” 

It was also announced at the league meeting, owner Nelson Roderick of the Baltimore Crabs is looking to sell 46% of the team. His goal with this sale is to keep the team in Baltimore and build a brand new arena right on the Baltimore harbor. Mr Roderick is working with the League office to finalize potential candidates and a sale. This is a step in the right direction to keep hockey in Baltimore.

Other owner news across the league. Kansas City businessman Tony Maxwell passed away suddenly at the age of 67. His son Aaron Maxwell who is already in the works of moving Maxwell Tools out of Kansas City not even a month after his fathers passing. Tony was born and raised in Kansas City and this is where he started Maxwell Tools and the company has been a staple in the community with 10,000+ employees in their office and factory. Aaron has assumed ownership of the Kansas City Knights but the team seems to be on the back of his mind as he focuses on the company. The league will continue to monitor the situation in Kansas City.

The league also announced they are assisting with a sale of the Los Angeles Rampage franchise. The current ownership group led by William Barnard have not been good partners to the league. Refusing to put money into the franchise, the league cannot watch one of the biggest markets in the league fail and potentially move to San Diego. The search for new owners has begun immediately. 

Final league news from this years meeting is the finalists for the head of the NAHLPA. The finalists consist of former State Senator Roberto Lugano, former professional hockey player Rasmus Ullin and Business woman Rebecca West. The new head of the PA will be announced during this season after the players meet with each candidate. 

Now moving to some hockey news. Next off season the league will be sponsoring the World Hockey Championship. This will be held every 4 seasons and will consist of 10 teams. The WHC will be held in Montreal,Quebec. 

The league also announced this year's outdoor classic will be held in Las Vegas at the there brand new retractable roof football stadium. The stadium will be able to keep the ice frozen and the game will start at 8PM local time so they can have the roof open. The Las Vegas Bulls will host the Colorado Mountaineers.  

The following players had their contracts bought out prior to the NAHL draft deadline. The Montreal Cougars bought out Stanley Xu who had 2 years left at $2.631M. The Dallas Gladiators bought out Michael Haney, who had 2 years left at $2.697M.

Retirements
Wilfred Farrell - #42 - RW (COL)
553GP - 105G - 105A - 263P

Patrick Werner - #88 - RW (LVB, MAN)
532GP - 229G - 337A - 566P

Mitch Sun - #93 - LW (TOR, STL, COL)
529GP - 181G - 273A - 454P

Joel Brodin - #9 - LW (HAM, KCK)
513GP - 153G - 143A -296P

Pekka Koskiranta - #74 - G (BUF,PHI)
316GP - 156W - 0.913SV% - 27SO

Draft Lottery
1.Tampa Bay Bandits (+1)
2.Philadelphia Cavaliers (-1)
3.Kansas City Knights
4.Cleveland Lions
5.Arizona Rattlers
6.Toronto Nationals
7.Colorado Mountaineers
8.Buffalo Stampede
9.Las Vegas Bulls
10.Los Angeles Rams

Brand Changes
Buffalo Stampede - The Stampede update their jerseys to include the popular Buffalo head instead of the standing buffalo logo. 


Colorado Mountaineers - The Mountaineers had a thicker white border to their current Icon and Clash sets. They also add a new mountain midnight statement jersey, with their primary color ways. 


Washington Admirals - Washington has a brand update with new primary logo and an updated blue and red color way. They also added a new statement jersey that honors the cherry blossoms in the capital district. 


Entry Draft


Top Contract Extensions
Dallas Gladiators extend Pekka Rissanen to a 7yr x $9.629M contract

Houston Stealth extend Michael Adams to a 8yr x $9.150M contract

Manitoba Moose extend Luis Filion to a 8yr x $8.057M contract

Manitoba Moose extend Curtis Hall to a 7yr x $7.999M contract

Montreal Cougars extend Bertram Sturm to a 7yr x $10.335M contract

Tennessee Tigers extend Brandon Pierce to a 6yr x $7.966M contract

Top Free Agent Moves
Arizona Rattlers sign Denis Kulikov to a 2yr x $4.301M contract

Charlotte Blazers sign Dick Barton to a 3yr x $6.573M contract

Michigan Rams sign Angus Robertson to a 4yr x $7.798M contract

Tennessee Tigers sign Rory Wade to a 3yr x $6.010M contract

Toronto Nationals sign Ben Dube to a 3yr x $6.756M contract


Next up season 8 regular season!