Expansion Teams
RHL16 will marked the 4th straight season of expansion in the RHL, as we welcom the Victoria Cougars and an unnamed franchise headed by Ward Bahner, formerly of the KC Blaze. On ice success is usually difficult for an expansion team, but some have done exceptionally well in their 2nd and 3rd years of existence. The Aviators finished 12th in their 2nd season and became the fastest expansion team to qualify for the playoffs. The Rovers set the ultimate bar in their 3rd year by finishing 4th overall and winning the King’s Cup.
Ima Dumass
Expansion Year
500s 33 pts 0.250
AVI 47 pts 0.356
GPS 17 pts 0.315 (after 27 games)
RAY 57 pts 0.432
REA 29 pts 0.220
ROV 35 pts 0.265 (Kings Cup's winner - RHL13)
SEL 17 pts 0.129 (Premier Champion - RHL14)
SNO 47 pts 0.356
SPE 34 pts 0.258
THU 28 pts 0.212
TME 11 pts 0.083
WIC 34 pts 0.258
YDP 57 pts 0.432
Year 2
500s 49 pts 0.371
AVI 72 pts 0.545 (Qualified for playoffs)
RAY 52 pts 0.394
REA 32 pts 0.571 (after 28 games)
ROV 52 pts 0.394
SEL 15 pts 0.114
SNO 39 pts 0.295
SPE 43 pts 0.326
THU 38 pts 0.288
TME 27 pts 0.205
WIC 47 pts 0.356
YDP 57 pts 0.432
Ima Dumass
Expansion Year
500s 33 pts 0.250
AVI 47 pts 0.356
GPS 17 pts 0.315 (after 27 games)
RAY 57 pts 0.432
REA 29 pts 0.220
ROV 35 pts 0.265 (Kings Cup's winner - RHL13)
SEL 17 pts 0.129 (Premier Champion - RHL14)
SNO 47 pts 0.356
SPE 34 pts 0.258
THU 28 pts 0.212
TME 11 pts 0.083
WIC 34 pts 0.258
YDP 57 pts 0.432
Year 2
500s 49 pts 0.371
AVI 72 pts 0.545 (Qualified for playoffs)
RAY 52 pts 0.394
REA 32 pts 0.571 (after 28 games)
ROV 52 pts 0.394
SEL 15 pts 0.114
SNO 39 pts 0.295
SPE 43 pts 0.326
THU 38 pts 0.288
TME 27 pts 0.205
WIC 47 pts 0.356
YDP 57 pts 0.432
posted by Howard | 12:24 AM
5 Comments:
If the tiered format remains, it will make it much more difficult for anyone to win quickly. If we had a tiered format in RHL13, I'd just have won the Premier division, and then have been promoted with no guarantee of being able to do it again the next season.
The stars were aligned that season, for sure.
And I will keep thanking you... ;)
But you're right. Some success early for a new franchise can actually hinder long-term growth. Teams start making decisions to try and continue their winning ways, but usually do not have the capacity, because they are new and don't have the prospects/resources/RFAs, to sustain it.
The Panther/Sens situations illustrate this perfectly. Florida got to the cup much too early for the long-term health of their team, as evidenced by their record since their unlikely run.
The Sens, on the other hand, built slowly but deliberately. It hurt to be a fan in the early years (I know), but look where they are now.
Speaking of sustainability, Steve your team is still the model. 3rd straight year at the top plus next year, then on the next disk you've got prospects like Bergeron, Frolov, Horton, Hall, Liles, Lehtonen, Grigorenko, Phaneuf, Richards, Michalek and Malkin coming onto the team. Great drafting and sweet trading.
I think you need to take the 500's and Thundercats out of the discussion of expansion success compared to all the other teams. The 1st expansion in the RHL (RHL4)was done with some of the owners dead against expansion, and the rules so restrictive that you couldn't get a competitive team. In RHL5, when the AVI started, there was the first dispersal if I remember correctly, and the first member of the team was Jagr. I think my 1st line center in expansion was Joel Otto. Quite a difference. :-) Anyway, guys who have had success like Steve, Richard, some others did excellent jobs with their teams. But, you can't fault the T-Cats for their 'lack of success' simply because we had no shot to be any good in RHL4, RHL5, etc. Jason tried the 'Florida Panthers' route by trading for impact players (with big salaries) in their early years (Al Iafrate), and it didn't work out, so it has put him behnd the 8-ball ever since it seems. So, anyway, I don't see RHL4 as expansion, I see it as giving all the unused players to new teams so that they can play the game. :)
Totally agree, at the other end of the spectrum you’ve got the Stingers who benefited from five teams dispersing at once, not to mention being the only expansion squad. I believe this landed them two franchise players (Nash and Ovechkin). However, I guess you could chalk up the two experiences to the ‘era’, really no different from the roaring 80’s to the tight trapping 90’s.
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