12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
The above lines should be aligned with the bottom row of numbers each under the
0s in the top row.
This document was written with notepad on a notebook running Windows XP. It is
best viewed on GameFAQs.com, or copied to notepad or pasted into Word as
unformatted text.
NHL 2004 Created Team FAQ
Written for the PlayStation 2
Copyright 2003 The Nemesis15
Created on: October 8, 2003
Last updated: February 20, 2004
Version: 2.4
Submit your created teams for this guide! See sections VII and VIII for more.
================================================================================
*I*) Table of Contents
================================================================================
*I*) Table of Contents
*II*) Version History
*III*) About this FAQ
*IV*) Create Team: Overview
*V*) Create Team: In-depth
*VI*) Tips and suggestions for creating teams
*VII*) Themed/submitted created teams
*VIII*) In closing
-+-+-+To skip to a specific section, press ctrl+f to bring up the find window,
and enter the correspondint roman numeral surrounded by asterisks.
Example: If you wish to skip to section 5 (create team: in-depth), enter
"*V*" (without the quotation marks).+-+-+-
================================================================================
*II*) Version History
================================================================================
Oct 8, 2003
FAQ Started
Oct 9, 2003
V. 0.1
Table of contents complete
About this FAQ complete
Oct 11, 2003
V. 0.25
Overview complete
In-depth complete
Oct 13, 2003
V. 0.5
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Canada and happy Columbus day to everyone in
the US.
Tips and suggestions complete
Oct 15, 2003
V. 0.8
Themed/submitted created teams section complete
Closing complete
Oct 16, 2003
V. 1.0
That's it, I've finally completed the FAQ's initial version. It will now be
submitted to GameFAQs. Of course, it's all made more difficult by the fact that
my desktop comp running Win98 doesn't really like notepad files over 35Kb, which
is where this sits. Every time I tried to type something there, it told me there
was insufficient space. Oh well, I can always do my writing on the laptop.
Dec 6, 2003
V. 2.0
After seeing it online, and receiving some feedback, I have come to the
conclusion that much of this guide is unnecessary, and some of it is pretty
self-explanitory if you just play the game and try the custom team mode. That
said, I've overhauled the guide to be a little more streamlined and aimed more
towards more experienced gamers rather than people who are completely new to
the game.
-The Val d'Or Dragons team roster has been altered. Several new family combos
have been added, while the Ferences, along with Niko Kapanen have been dropped
as they are not related to anyone on the team.
-4 new teams of my creation have been added.
-A "sleeper picks" section, detailing some of my favorite unsung talents has
been added to the "Tips & Suggestions" section of this guide.
Jan. 11, 2004
V. 2.1
-Assorted belated happy holidays to everyone.
-Since it appears that DynamiteHack91's transactions guide is no longer posted
on GameFAQs, I have removed as many references within this guide as I could find
-Fixed sleeper pick/custom team rosters to reflect players who have changed
teams.
Feb 9, 2004
V 2.2
-Added two new themed teams (the Albequerque Roosters, a team of "busts", and
the Grand Rapids AHL All-Stars, a team comprised of any available players in
this game that made the 2004 AHL all-star teams)
-Fixed sleeper pick/custom team rosters to reflect players who have changed
teams. (Mike Comrie, again...)
Feb 11, 2004
V 2.3
-Fixed my header date/version number (with the V 2.2 update I forgot to change
the "last updated" date and the version number)
-Added two new teams (both of which were submitted to my by others, which makes
them the first two submitted teams. Thanks to Kyle Abbott and Moondogg)
Feb 20, 2004
V 2.4
-Fixed sleeper pick/custom team rosters to reflect playesr who have changed
teams.
-Added a new custom team (thanks to Tom Rudmin for the submission)
A note about updates: I'll do my best to update whenever it is both necessary
and possible. Any changes/corrections will be updated whenever there is
sufficient amount for it to be worthwhile. Any created teams will be added after
I have either a) 3 or more teams to add in one update or b) two weeks pass
since the last update, whichever comes first.
================================================================================
*III*) About this FAQ
================================================================================
So you want to create a team in NHL 2004? Well, after several years of fans
complaining to EA that they want more control over the team than simply putting
players onto the pre-created EA Blades and EA Storm, the create team function
has been given the diversity that it deserves. This FAQ was made to guide
players through the process of creating a team using the tools of NHL 2004.
Although I play the game on the PS2, and I am using the PS2 as the basis for
everything contained within the FAQ, I don't see why most, if not all, of what
is in this FAQ can't be used for the other platforms.
Now you're probably asking exactly what it is that I can guide you through?
Well, the first thing I'll do is overview the feature for those who haven't seen
it, or for those who simply want to know exactly what the create team function
is capable of. After that, I'll begin to explain more deeply at the feature,
examining the various options that are available to you. After that I'll take a
look at some tips for making solid, balanced teams, and finally I'll finish up
with a list of some example created teams, including some "themed" teams.
================================================================================
*IV*) Create Team: Overview
================================================================================
Several years ago, EA told fans that they could have an option to create their
own teams. Unfortunately, this option wasn't all that is was cracked up to be,
as players found out. The option did nothing more than allow players to place
players onto the aformentioned pre-fab Blades and Storm. The jerseys were set,
the arena was set, and there was nothing extra for the player to do.
Well, with the 2004 edition, all that's changed. The revamped create team option
lets players choose almost everything. From the city you play in to the logo on
your jerseys, to even the look of the stairs and seats in your custom-named
arena. When it comes to picking players, there's a little wrinkle that wasn't
present in the days of the Blades and Storm. No longer can you man your roster
with clones of a single player. Once you select a player, his name on the real
team is greyed out and he can not be selected again. However, you shouldn't
need to duplicate players, as you can select players from all the NHL squads,
including all-star teams (so technically you can duplicate some players), the
international teams, and all the teams from the 3 european elite leagues.
All the specific details of creating a team will be further explored in the
next section, "create team: in-depth"
================================================================================
*V*) Create Team: In-Depth
================================================================================
Of course, the first step in creating a team is actually getting to the create
team option. To do so, from the main menu, select "My NHL". "Custom Teams" is
the second option in the "My NHL" menu, below "Create Player". Now, you're in the
Custom Team option, so its time to get started.
--------------------------------
First screen: Choose custom team
--------------------------------
The first screen you see will be the "Choose custom team" menu. This list will
have "<NEW>" at the top, for creating a new team, and below it will be any teams
that you have previously created. If you select a previously made team with the
X button, it'll load that team and all its data. If you press circle while
highlighting a previous team, you'll be shown a confirmation box asking if you
want to restore the custom team to default. Selecting yes will take you to the
next step in the create team process, but instead of loading the selected team's
data, everything will be default data (as if you had chosen "<NEW>"), and the
data that you enter now will be saved over the previous team. This is the only
true way to get rid of an old team you no longer want, as you cannot delete a
team outright without deleting your entire NHL 2004 data block. If you reset a
team and then cancel out of the process using the triangle button, the team will
be restored to the state that it was at before you chose to reset it.
-------------------------------
Second screen: Team Information
-------------------------------
This is the first screen in which you actually edit the properties of your team.
The details here deal with the team name, and the sounds of your arena.
City Name: Here you choose a city for your team to call home. You are given a
list of 131 pre-defined cities across North America and Europe. This will also
serve as the name by which your team is called in the play-by-play announcing. I
have noticed that a great number of the North American cities are from places
that have CHL or AHL teams (such as Val D'Or, Red Deer, Milwaukee and Syracuse).
There are also a couple of "in-joke" cities. They are Capital City (from the
Simpsons. There's also a Springfield, but there is also an AHL franchise in
Springfield.), and Charlestown (From the greatest hockey movie of all time:
"Slap Shot")
Team Name: The nickname for your team. It has no bearing on commentary, just
some written elements that call for the nickname. The name can be a maximum of
12 characters.
Abbreviation: The shortened name that will appear on the score display.
You are limited to 3 letters. Most teams' abbreviations in all sports are taken
from the city/region name (ie Vancouver becomes "VAN", Minnesota becomes "MIN"),
with the only exceptions found in cities/regions with more than one team (like
New York with the Islanders and Rangers, where their abbreviations are "NYI" and
"NYR" respectively)
Goal Horns: Here you select a sound to be played when you score a goal. There
are a few generic horn sounds, as well as several that fit into themes based on
some of the logo choices (like dragon screeches, bear roars, etc).
Period Horns: This is the horn that sounds at the end of periods. There is a
generic horn and a bunch of odd sounds, like bells, whistles and such.
Crowd Chant: The chant that your home crowd yells from time to time. There are
a few standard chants like "Go team!" and "We are the best" as well as the
ever-popular Slap Shot chant "Fight to Win"
Of course the horns and the crowd chant only come into play when you are the
home team.
-----------------------------
Third Screen: Team Appearance
-----------------------------
This screen has relatively few options, but they are among the most important.
Here you select how your team will look on the ice.
Team Logo: This option chooses the logo that your team will display on their
jerseys.
Next you pick the home and away jerseys based on blank jerseys from all 30 NHL
teams. The jerseys are listed in alphabetical order by NHL team. The only catch
is that the Phoenix jerseys are the design from last year, not their new jerseys
-------------------------
Fourth screen: Team Arena
-------------------------
Here you pick the look of the stadium in which your team plays its home games.
Arena Name: Pick the name for your arena, which will be displayed on the game
loading screen. You are limited to 15 characters (including spaces).
Board Style: Choose the colour of the strip along the top of the boards.
Board Ads: Selectg whether you want ads written on your boards, or blank boards.
Red Line Pattern: Choose the look of the centre ice red line
Seat Colours: Choose the colour of the seats for your arena's top, middle and
bottom sections respectively.
Aisle Colours: choose the colour of the aisle stairways
Jumbotron: select a Jumbotron scoreboard for your arena from a set of choices.
----------------------------
Fifth screen: Choose Players
----------------------------
This is the last step in making your team. Here you must fill your team's roster
with players from all the teams in the game (NHL/All-star, International, and
European Elite League)
The breakdown of players chosen by position will be shown below your roster on
the right side. Keep in mind that you cannot choose a player more than once off
of the same team (although several players make it onto an NHL roster, two of
the four all-star teams and an international squad, so you could have as many
as four copies of some players.) You can select no more than 40 players total,
and the team will not be complete until you have at least 18 skaters and 2
goalies. Once you have chosen your roster, press start to finish. The created
team will be placed into the custom team list and will now be available to play.
Now, your team is finished, so you have to know what to do with it. Well, if
you want to edit the lines, you will find the created teams, listed in order of
creation, before the NHL squads in the edit lines screen (that is, you start on
Anaheim, if you press L1 to scroll back, you will be taken to your most recently
created team, then the next most recent, and so forth. Or you can use R1 to go
forward until after the SM-Liiga teams.)
If you want to use a created team for an exhibition game, they are located at
the end of the NHL team list (after the all-star teams) in order of creation.
If you want to use a created team in the Season, Euro league, Tournament or
Dynasty mode, press circle while on the select team screen, choose the team you
want to insert and press x. It will replace the team that your cursor was on
when you pressed circle.
================================================================================
*VI*) Tips & Suggestions for creating teams
================================================================================
Although it isn't my place to tell you what you can and can't do in making a
team, there are some general tips that I can offer you in terms of making solid,
enjoyable teams.
1) Fight the urge to make an "all-star" team. If you make a team with an overall
rating in the 90s, you may find that the CPU becomes rediculously easy. Further,
if you play against a friend of relatively equal skill, it would force them to
pick the same team or risk being faced with clearly superior firepower. My rule
of thumb is to try for teams whose overall rating is somewhere in the 80s.
2) When picking players, try and create realistic depth. It isn't realistic to
have players rated in the high 80s manning your 3rd and 4th lines. It's also not
realistic to have 1st and 2nd lines filled with nothing but players in the 90s
(unless you're the Avs, but that's a different story). This is the breakdown I
find works well for creating a team with realistic depth:
-2-3 skaters in the 90s (If you pick a high 90s player like Forsberg, go with 2,
if you pick players on the fringe of the 90s [90-92], take 3)
-3 skaters in the high 80s
-4 skaters in the low 80s
-5 skaters in the high 70s
-the remainder of the skaters in the low 70s and below
-Your starting goalie can be any rating
-Back-up goalie should be between 75 and 85
-Depth goalie should be below 75
3) If you pick players according to the ranges above, mix up the ratings and
avoid trying to pick in the upper limits of each range. What I mean is that if
I suggest 3 players in the high 80s, don't just stick to 88s and 89s. try and
spread out the ratings.
4) "Sleeper" picks are always a good idea. Pick players that are not stars or
fan favorites. A good example of this is someone like Brad Isbister of the
Oilers, or Jaroslav Spacek of the Blue Jackets. They have solid ratings and are
not choices that would be expected. Fielding a team of sleepers can give you an
edge if you are playing against friends who don't have rediculously large
amounts of NHL knowledge. The same goes for goalies. Everyone will expect a
Hasek or a Giguere or a Broduer, but it is less expected to have a goalie like
Jocelyn Thibault, Roberto Luongo or Kevin Weekes.
Here are some of my favorite "sleeper" players listed by team:
*Note: Players are listed by their current team, and as such, may not be on the
same team if you are using the default roster. Created players, or imports from
the European Leagues (such as Joni Pitkanen or Tuomo Ruutu), are not included
(CAPs because not everyone will have them and EL players because they are
overpowered for the NHL if you don't tone them down yourself, which is
essentially nothing more than making a CAP)
Anaheim:
========
D Keith Carney (79)- A prototypical physical blueliner.
LW Jason Krog (72)- designation as a LW hides his high faceoff skill
D Vitali Vishnevski (77)- Has low endurance and limited offence, but a solid
stay-at-home defenceman with solid checking.
G Martin Gerber (81)-Being in Giggy's shadow hides this back-up's above average
talent.
Atlanta:
========
D Garnet Exelby (71)- High potential, young physical defenceman.
LW Shawn McEachern (82)- Veteran scorer has blazing speed and a great shot.
C Marc Savard (79)- He may be riding Kovalchuk's coattails, but he's good on the
faceoff and a solid passer.
D Andy Sutton (78)- Stepped up his presence on the Thrashers' blueline last year
and could do the same in this game.
D Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (80)- Up-and-down performer in reality, can be a punishing
force on a 2nd defensive pairing in this game.
Boston:
=======
LW P.J. Axelsson (81)- Has been a "Mr. Everything" for the Bruins. Can score,
can also play defence.
RW Martin Lapointe (80)- He's overpaid and underachieving in real life, but he
doesn't have to under your command.
Buffalo:
========
RW Maxim Afinogenov (85)- Developing finesse winger has all the tools to
dominate.
D Dimitri Kalinin (81)- High potential blueliner can handle most situations.
G Miika Noronen (81)- Capable now, will grow into a #1 stopper.
Calgary:
========
RW Shean Donovan (79)- Has decent offensive upside, good size and is a teriffic
skater.
D Denis Gauthier (77)- When he hits you, you'll know it.
LW Martin Gelinas (84)- Solid all-around player with a good scoring touch.
LW Dean McAmmond (85)- His speed allows him to get away from defenders or chase
down any puck carrier.
Carolina:
=========
D Bret Hedican (81)- Very quick defender with a wicked shot.
RW Radim Vrbata (81)- Has all the tools to put up solid offensive numbers.
G Kevin Weekes (89)- Gets no press in Carolina despite having bonafide #1 skills
RW Justin Williams (77)- emerging as an offensive threat in this league.
Chicago:
========
G Jocelyn Thibault (89)- A little undersized, but lightning fast.
LW Eric Daze (89)- Big body with a hard accurate shot. Injuries and poor
support are the only reason he hasn't become a legitimate star.
Colorado:
=========
LW Steve Konowalchuk (85)- Was lost in the shuffle in Washington. Posesses all
the skills of a solid 2-way forward.
Columbus:
=========
D Jaroslav Spacek (80)- Quietly effictive for the real Columbus, can log serious
minutes.
RW David Vyborny (83)- Can do a little bit of everything on offence.
G Pascal Leclaire (83)- Future #1 can be a good back-up in the present.
Dallas:
=======
G Ron Tugnutt (85)- Quiet veteran is better than some teams' starters.
Detroit:
========
D Jiri Fischer (82)- unsung contributor on an all-star blueline.
Edmonton:
=========
LW Brad Isbister (85)- Power forward on the verge of being labeled a bust, but
somehow escaped with an above-average rating in this game.
D Alexei Semenov (78)- Has a booming shot, but may be better suited to a stay at
home type of role.
Florida:
========
RW Viktor Kozlov (86)- Prone to cold slumps and injuries, still can play a big
role in an offense.
Los Angeles:
============
RW Mike Cammalleri (79)- Has some scoring touch now. Will only get better with
time.
Minnesota:
==========
LW Andrew Brunette (80)- Isn't a flashy offensive player, but gets the job done.
D Filip Kuba (81)- Quietly leads the Minnesota defensive corps.
C Wes Walz (87)- Has blazing speed (he beat 2003 all-star skills competition
winner and teammate Marian Gaborik in the Wild skills competition last year.)
and a powerful shot.
G Manny Fernandez (88)- While Dwayne Roloson got all the press, Fernandez is
quietly effective.
Montreal:
=========
C Yanic Perrault (81)- Just might be the best face-off man in the game today.
G Mathieu Garon (82)- Last year some people saw a goaltending controversy in
Montreal. Given a couple years, they may see one again.
Nashville:
==========
LW Andreas Johansson (83)- Castoff from the Rangers, the shifty Johansson has a
home in Nashville.
D Kimmo Timonen (81)- Rock solid on the blueline, even for the shaky preds.
RW Scott Walker (87)- Has battled injuries lately, but remains an offensive
threat.
New Jersey:
===========
LW Jeff Friesen (89)- Cast off by the Sharks and Ducks, Friesen has finally
emerged in, of all places, the defence-first atmosphere of New Jersey.
RW Grant Marshall (80)- Gritty forward goes unnoticed quite often.
New York Islanders:
===================
RW Jason Blake (86)- Though is breakout season last year gained him some
attention, he still isn't recognized as much as his talent should warrant.
C Justin Papineau (76)- Doesn't get much playing time on an Isles squad that's
deep down the middle, but Papineau is good with the puck and with 98 potential,
can only get better.
C Dave Scatchard (85)- Teriffic face-off man, also has all the necessary skills
to put the puck in the net.
New York Rangers:
=================
LW Jan Hlavac (79)- Underachieved the last couple of years, but his speed and
hard shot would be an asset to any team.
G Dan Blackburn (80)- Sidelined with injuries this year, he is still a capable
young netminder with boatloads of potential.
Ottawa:
=======
C Mike Fisher (84)- Gritty centre can do a little bit of everything for the Sens
C Todd White (84)- Has quietly anchored the top couple of lines for Ottawa.
Philadelphia:
=============
*No notable "sleepers" with the departure of Justin Williams*
Phoenix:
========
G Zac Bierk (80)- Came from relative obscurity to challenge Brian Boucher for
the backup role. With Burke gone, he's the backup to the now-starter Boucher.
C Daymond Langkow (83)- Quietly productive for the Coyotes.
LW Ladislav Nagy (85)- Perhaps the most underrated forward in the league.
LW Tyson Nash (75)- One of the NHL's better pests.
C Mike Sillinger (86)- Great on the draw, also has speed and a knack for passing
Pittsburgh:
===========
*No standout "Sleepers"*
San Jose:
=========
D Mike Rathje (80)- Hard-hitting, veteran leader.
LW Marco Sturm (85)- Unknown talent with blazing speed.
LW Scott Thornton (82)- Gritty forward does well on the 2nd-4th lines.
G Vesa Toskala (81)- Usurped Miikka Kiprusoff as the Sharks' back-up.
St. Louis:
==========
RW Eric Bouguniecki (84)- Has emerged as a legitimate threat on the Blues' top
lines.
D Alexander Khavanov (81)- Is lost among the hype on Pronger, MacInnis and
Jackman.
RW Jamal Mayers (80)- Injuries have left him out of action lately, but he has
killer speed and a hard check.
Tampa Bay:
==========
D Jassen Cullimore (76)- Has been called one of the most underrated defencemen
by the Hockey News.
LW Fredrik Modin (84)- Has a wicked shot, but some troubles hitting the net.
Toronto:
========
C Harold Druken (77)- After leaving Vancouver and bouncing for eternity between
Carolina and Toronto, Druken seems to have finally found his place on the Leafs.
Vancouver:
==========
C Matt Cooke (77)- Skilled agitator, but is deceptively talented offensively.
RW Brandon Reid (77)- Didn't make the team in reality, but the speedy Reid can
contribute to your team in the game.
D Sami Salo (83)- If he winds up the slap shot, get out of the way.
Washington:
===========
G Maxime Ouellet (81)- One of the game's best young goalies (I bet Philly
regrets giving him up for Oates now...).
RW Mike Grier (82)- Tough, grinding, hard-worker that every team needs.
C Jeff Halpern (80)- Goes unnoticed behind Lang and (formerly) Jagr, but is a
solid 2-way presence with a hard shot.
D Brendan Witt (80)- departure of Ken Klee has left Witt to hold down the fort
as the defensive leader on the blueline.
================================================================================
*VII*) Themed/submitted created teams
================================================================================
This section contains created teams that were put together by either myself or
submitted by someone else. Some of the teams may have a binding "theme" to them,
such as having players all from a similar background, or maybe an alumni team.
If a team has a theme, it will be noted above the roster. For information on
submitting a created team, see the "In Closing" section at the end of this FAQ.
In addition to listing all information on the team that is given to me, I will
also give some comments on the team (ie strengths, weaknesses, etc). If you are
submitting a team and have comments that you would like placed alongside your
team, please make a note of it.
My teams
--------
The following teams are created by myself. Pretty much all of them have some
sort of theme to them. I give names for the sake of organization, but I'll leave
all the details outside of the roster up to you. Each team's overall rating is
listed in brackets next to its name.
Note: Source team for all players are according to the most recent rosters. To
get the most recent rosters, either check to see if EA has released roster
updates or check around the internet/GameFAQs message boards for the location
of a transaction list
1) Kelowna Vipers (83)
Theme: This team is comprised of players born and or raised in B.C
My take: The first "region" team that I made, because I am a British Columbian
myself. All in all, it turned out surprisingly well. There are enough players
with scoring touch to put together a capable offence and then there are several
key role players and grinders to make checking lines. Defensively, there is a
nice mix of stay at home toughness and offensive capability. In order to give
the team a no. 1 defenceman, I placed Scott Niedermayer on the team. He may have
been born in Alberta, but he was raised in B.C. along with Rob, who was born in
Cassiar. If the team has one weakness, it's goaltending. The tandem of Wade
Flahrety and Jason LeBarbera is not exactly Stanley Cup calibre.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Kris Beech (Pittsburgh)
Adam Deadmarsh (Los Angeles)
Dallas Drake (St. Louis)
Travis Green (Boston)
Mark Hartigan (Columbus)
Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton)
Paul Kariya (Colorado)
Steve Kelly (Los Angeles)
Chuck Kobasew (Calgary)
Jordan Krestanovich (Colorado)
Jason Krog (Anaheim)
Jason Marshall (Minnesota)
Darren McCarty (Detroit)
Brendan Morrison (Vancouver)
Bill Muckalt (Minnesota)
Rob Niedermayer (Anaheim)
David Oliver (Dallas)
Stephen Peat (Washington)
Mark Recchi (Philadelphia)
Mark Rycroft (St. Louis)
Joe Sakic (Colorado)
Jared Smithson (Los Angeles)
Turner Stevenson (New Jersey)
Jason Wiemer (Minnesota)
Steve Yzerman (Detroit)
Defencemen
----------
Murray Baron (St. Louis)
Eric Brewer (Edmonton)
Scott Hannan (San Jose)
Barret Jackman (St. Louis)
Jon Klemm (Dallas)
Brad Lukowich (Tampa Bay)
Steve McCarthy (Chicago)
Willie Mitchell (Minnesota)
Steve Montador (Calgary)
Shaone Morrisonn (Boston)
Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey)
Todd Simpson (Ottawa)
Brandon Smith (NY Islanders)
Goalies
-------
Wade Flaherty (Nashville)
Jason LaBarbera (NY Rangers)
2) Red Deer Barons (86)
Theme: This team is composed of players born and or raised in Alberta.
My take: Alberta has produced a surprising number of highly talented NHL players
While Jarome Iginla is the only player with an overall in the 90s, this team can
still ice 4 solid lines with players all above 80 and 3 defensive pairings above
79 as well. Goaltending is not as solid as I would hope, but the combo of Chris
Osgood and Jamie McLennan is talented enough to get the job done.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Stu Barnes (Dallas)
Blair Betts (Calgary)
Kyle Calder (Chicago)
Jason Chimera (Edmonton)
Mike Comrie (Phoenix)
Shane Doan (Phoenix)
Josh Green (Calgary)
Josh Holden (Toronto)
Jarome Iginla (Calgary)
Kris Kolanos (Phoenix)
Daymond Langkow (Phoenix)
Trevor Linden (Vancouver)
Jamie Lundmark (NY Rangers)
Dean McAmmond (Calgary)
Tyson Nash (Phoenix)
Steve Reinprecht (Calgary)
Dave Scatchard (NY Islanders)
Ryan Smyth (Edmonton)
Brian Sutherby (Washington)
Darcy Tucker (Toronto)
Scottie Upshall (Nashville)
Shaun Van Allen (Ottawa)
Wes Walz (Minnesota)
Defencemen
----------
Jay Bouwmeester (Florida)
Mike Commodore (Calgary)
Andrew Ference (Calgary)
Brad Ference (Phoenix)
Cale Hulse (Phoenix)
Richard Matvichuk (Dallas)
Derek Morris (Colorado)
Chris Phillips (Ottawa)
Mike Rathje (San Jose)
Jason Smith (Edmonton)
Brad Stuart (San Jose)
Darryl Sydor (Tampa Bay)
Jim Vandermeer (Philadelphia)
Glen Wesley (Carolina)
Goalies
-------
Jamie McLennan (Calgary)
Chris Osgood (St. Louis)
Alex Auld (Vancouver)
3) Quebec City Falcons (87)
Theme: This team contains players born/raised in La Belle Province.
My Take: I toned the goaltending down a little bit, just because it would be too
easy to pick a set of uber-goalies. Brodeur, Gigeure, Theodore, Cloutier, the
list goes on. Therefore I made sure to pick a starting calibre goalie and put in
realistic back-ups behind him. That said, team Quebec could probably use an
all-star goalie tadem. If there's one thing the QMJHL is famous for, its high
scoring forwards. This team has that in abundance. Of course the reason they get
such high scores is because it often feels like defence is not at a premium like
scoring and goaltending. Not one Quebecois D-man has a rating above 83, and
after the top 6, its a "nice drop-off" into the mid to low 70s.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Ramzi Abid (Pittsburgh)
Pierre-Marc Bouchard (Minnesota)
Daniel Briere (Buffalo)
Pierre Dagenais (Montreal)
Vincent Damphousse (San Jose)
Eric Daze (Chicago)
J-P Dumont (Buffalo)
Pascal Dupuis (Minnesota)
Simon Gagne (Philadelphia)
Martin Gelinas (Calgary)
Ian Laperriere (Los Angeles)
Martin LaPointe (Boston)
Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay)
Guillaume Lefebvre (Pittsburgh)
Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh)
Eric Meloche (Pittsburgh)
Yanic Perreault (Montreal)
Brandon Reid (Vancouver)
Luc Robitaille (Los Angeles)
Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay)
P.J. Stock (Boston)
Alex Tanguay (Colorado)
Defencemen
----------
Francois Beauchemin (Montreal)
Marc-Andre Bergeron (Edmonton)
Marc Bergevin (Pittsburgh)
Mathieu Biron (Florida)
Joel Bouchard (NY Rangers)
Patrice Brisebois (Montreal)
Eric Desjardins (Philadelphia)
Jason Doig (Washington)
J-F Fortin (Washington)
Denis Gauthier (Calgary)
Jonathan Girard (Boston)
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (Atlanta)
Patrick Traverse (Montreal)
Pascal Trepanier (Tampa Bay)
Goalies
-------
Mathieu Garon (Montreal)
J-S Giguere (Anaheim)
Pascal LeClaire (Columbus)
Maxime Ouellet (Washington)
4) Brampton Knights (89)
Theme: This team contains players born/raised in Ontario
My take: The strongest "regional" team of the bunch. Ontario has a large amount
of very talanted players coming from it, and the toughest part of creating this
team wasn't finding enough players, but trimming the roster in a way to not have
the team be too powerful. Even though I tried to make sure to avoid stacking the
team, it still turns out with a high rating. Probably the weakest piece of the
puzzle is goaltending, for which I purposely avoided using the best 'tenders
available (ie Turco, Burke) in favor of a younger, slightly lower rated Kevin
Weekes.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Dave Andreychuck (Tampa Bay)
Matthew Barnaby (NY Rangers)
Mark Bell (Chicago)
Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver)
Rod Brind'Amour (Carolina)
Andrew Brunette (Minnesota)
Anson Carter (Washington)
Andrew Cassels (Columbus)
Matt Cooke (Vancouver)
Mike Danton (St. Louis)
Tie Domi (Toronto)
Shean Donovan (Calgary)
Mike Fisher (Ottawa)
Eric Lindros (NY Rangers)
John Madden (New Jersey)
Grant Marshall (New Jersey)
Jamal Mayers (St. Louis)
Rick Nash (Columbus)
Gary Roberts (Toronto)
Steve Rucchin (Anaheim)
Brian Savage (Phoenix)
Marc Savard (Atlanta)
Jason Spezza (Ottawa)
Joe Thornton (Boston)
Jason Ward (Montreal)
Justin Williams (Carolina)
Mike Zigomanis (Carolina)
Defencemen
----------
Adrian Aucoin (NY Islanders)
Rob Blake (Colorado)
Dan Boyle (Tampa Bay)
Nick Boynton (Boston)
Adam Foote (Colorado)
Dan McGillis (Boston)
Chris Pronger (St. Louis)
Scott Stevens (New Jersey)
Andy Sutton (Atlanta)
Greg de Vries (NY Rangers)
Goalies
-------
Kevin Weekes (Carolina)
Ray Emery (Ottawa)
Michael Leighton (Chicago)
5) Moncton Marauders (86)
Theme: This team contains a mixture of players from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the
Maritimes (PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) and the Territories
My Take: Yes, this team is a little wider in scope than the previous 4, but I
have good reason. Originally I planned to make an all-Saskatchewan team, but I
couldn't find enough players from that province. So I decided to merge it with
players from Manitoba. This team lasted for while, until I attempted to create
a team from the Maritime provinces. With a shortage of players there, I decided
to include them into my Saskatchewan/Manitoba team. Realizing that Geoff
Sanderson was the only player from the territories, I included him on the roster
as well. All in all this team is well balanced with solid goaltending from Ed
Belfour and Corey Schwab.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Eric Boulton (Buffalo)
Curtis Brown (Buffalo)
Brad Chartrand (Los Angeles)
Daniel Cleary (Phoenix)
Harold Druken (Toronto)
Jeff Friesen (New Jersey)
Scott Hartnell (Nashville)
Jason King (Vancouver)
Darren Langdon (Montreal)
Mike Leclerc (Anaheim)
David Ling (Columbus)
Patrick Marleau (San Jose)
Jim McKenzie (Nashville)
Brendan Morrow (Dallas)
Glenn Murray (Boston)
Steve Ott (Dallas)
Brad Richards (Tampa Bay)
Geoff Sanderson (Columbus)
Peter Schaefer (Ottawa)
Mike Sillinger (Phoenix)
Jon Sim (Los Angeles)
Jared Stoll (Edmonton)
Tyler Wright (Columbus)
Defencemen
----------
Brad Brown (Minnesota)
Garnet Exelby (Atlanta)
Chris McAllister (RETIRED [formerly Colorado])
Kyle McLaren (San Jose)
Wade Redden (Ottawa)
Nick Schultz (Minnesota)
Darrel Scoville (Columbus)
Brent Sopel (Vancouver)
Don Sweeney (Dallas)
Derrick Walser (Columbus)
Rhett Warriner (Calgary)
Colin White (New Jersey)
Brendan Witt (Washington)
Nolan Yonkman (Washington)
Goalies
-------
Ed Belfour (Toronto)
Corey Schwab (New Jersey)
6) Val-D'Or Dragons (88)
Theme: This team is filled with sets of players who are related to one another.
Additionally, at least one player in each familial set is an NHL player.
My take: There aren't as many siblings/cousins/etc as I would've hoped, but
there was thankfully enough to put together a team. There are some pretty potent
line combos, especially my favorite: with Sergei Fedorov centering Marian and
Marcel Hossa
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Pavel Bure (NY Rangers/retired)
Valeri Bure (Florida)
Chris Drury (Buffalo)
Ted Drury (Hamberg of the DEL)
Fedor Fedorov (Vancouver)
Sergei Fedorov (Anaheim)
Marcel Goc (San Jose [or Mannheim of the DEL])
Marcel Hossa (Montreal)
Marian Hossa (Ottawa)
Jorgen Jonsson (Farjestad of Elitserien)
Sami Kapanen (Philadelphia)
Mikko Koivu (TPS Turku of SM-Liiga)
Saku Koivu (Montreal)
Daymond Langkow (Phoenix)
Kip Miller (Washington)
Rob Neidermayer (Anaheim)
Keith Primeau (Philadelphia)
Wayne Primeau (San Jose)
Sean Pronger (Vancouver)
Jarkko Ruutu (Vancouver)
Mikko Ruutu (Jokerit of SM-Liiga)
Tuomo Ruutu (Chicago)
Daniel Sedin (Vancouver)
Henrik Sedin (Vancouver)
Defencemen
----------
Mathieu Biron (Florida)
Nicolai Goc (Schwennigen of the DEL)
Sascha Goc (Mannheim of the DEL)
Kenny Jonsson (NY Islanders)
Chris Pronger (St. Louis)
Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey)
Goalies
-------
Martin Biron (Buffalo)
Kimmo Kapanen (Timra of Elitserien)
Scott Langkow (Assat of SM-Liiga)
Ryan Miller (Buffalo)
6)Hamilton YoungStars (85)
Theme: This team is made of rookies and other newer players in the league.
My take: Speed and scoring are this team's strengths. The defence is very mobile
and can provide offence. Goaltending is not quite at NHL standards, but it
should be enough to keep you in the game. (NOTE: some of the players are former
elite league players now in the NHL. In such a case, I have listed their current
NHL club first, and their elite league club second. For the sake of parity, you
may wish to use CAP to duplicate and "tone down" these players, otherwise they
will be superstars compared to some of the other rookies.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Ramzi Abid (Pittsburgh)
Eric Boguniecki (St. Louis)
Pierre-Marc Bouchard (Minnesota)
Pavel Brendl (Carolina)
Stanislav Chistov (Anaheim)
Eric Cole (Carolina)
Mike Comrie (Phoenix)
Alexander Frolov (Los Angeles)
Marian Gaborik (Minnesota)
Ales Hemsky (Edmonton)
Niko Kapanen (Dallas)
Jason King (Vancouver)
Ales Kotalik (Buffalo)
Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta)
Antti Miettinen (Dallas/HPK)
Rick Nash (Columbus)
Brandon Reid (Vancouver)
Tuomo Ruutu (Chicago/HIFK)
Daniel Sedin (Vancouver)
Henrik Sedin (Vancouver)
Jason Spezza (Ottawa)
Scottie Upshall (Nashville)
Josef Vasicek (Carolina)
Radim Vrbata (Carolina)
Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit)
Mike Zigomanis (Carolina)
Defencemen
----------
Jay Bouwmeester (Florida)
Christian Ehrhoff (San Jose/Krefeld)
Steve Eminger (Washington)
Jonathan Girard (Boston)
Barret Jackman (St. Louis)
Rostislav Klesla (Columbus)
Tomas Kloucek (Nashville)
Mike Komisarek (Montreal)
David Tanabe (Phoenix)
Marek Zidlicky (Nashville/HIFK)
Tomas Zizka (Los Angeles)
Goalies
-------
Kari Lehtonen (Atlanta/Jokerit)
Pascal Leclaire (Columbus)
Maxime Ouellet (Washington)
7) Helsinki Ravens (87)
Theme: This team is an "All-SM-Liiga" squad.
My take: Like the Ontario team,I've toned this team down a bit to keep balance
with regular NHL squads. Because the European League rating scale is different
than the NHL one, the Ravens are a much stronger team than they probably would
be in reality. The Finnish league has quite a few ex-NHLers, and I attempted
to include several of them on the team. The possible future of the NHL in net
is represented on this team, with Teemu Lassila of the Hawks, Kari Lehtonen of
the Thrashers and Hannu Toivonen of the Bruins between the pipes.
Note: Several of these players have since moved on to play for NHL clubs (such
as Tuomo Ruuto and Antti Miettinen). I have listed their SM-Liiga club, not the
NHL club. If you need to know where a certain player went, You'll have to find a
resource that lists all of the transactions that have happened. However, in the
case of players who start outside of the league and must be placed there (such
as Ladislav Benysek), their SM-Liiga club is listed.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Mika Alatalo (TPS)
Sean Bergenheim (Jokerit)
Miko Eloranta (TPS)
Mikael Holmqvist (TPS)
Jussi Jokinen (Karpat)
Ladislav Kohn (Blues)
Toni Koivisto (Lukko)
Mikko Koivu (TPS)
Robert Kron (Lukko)
Antti Miettinen (HPK)
Jesse Niinimaki (Ilves)
Ville Peltonen (Jokerit)
Eric Perrin (JYP)
Tuomas Pihlman (JYP)
Timo Parssinen (HIFK)
Mikko Ruutu (Jokerit)
Tuomo Ruutu (HIFK)
Tommi Santala (HPK)
Eero Somervuori (HPK)
Petr Tenkrat (Karpat)
Marko Tuomainen (Blues)
Lubomir Vaic (SaiPa)
Juha Ylonen (Blues)
Defencemen
----------
Ladislav Benysek (HIFK)
Sami Helenius (Jokerit)
Antti Hulkkonen (SaiPa)
Lasse Kukkonen (Karpat)
Antti-Jussi Niemi (Jokerit)
Joni Pitkanen (Karpat)
Martin Strbak (HPK)
Marko Tuulola (HPK)
Marek Zidlicky (HIFK)
Goalies
=======
Teemu Lassila (TPS)
Kari Lehtonen (Jokerit)
Hannu Toivonen (HPK)
8) Stockholm Goblins (89)
Theme: This team is an "All-Elitserien" squad.
My Take: Even though there were less recognizable names in Elitserien than there
were in SM-Liiga, this team is surprisingly strong, squeaking just under the bar
with an overall of 89, and ranking in 90s across the board in scoring, defence,
powerplay and penalty killing. Still, there were some ex-NHLers to be found, and
I made sure to include several for the sake of recognition.
Note: Similar to the Helsinki Ravens, current NHLers that were on Elitserien
rosters by default are listed by ther Elitserien team. Ex-NHLers that were
on NHL or free agent rosters by default are also listed by Elitserien squad.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
========
Mikael Andersson (Frolunda)
Niklas Andersson (Frolunda)
Johan Davidsson (HV 71)
Mika Hannula (Malmo)
Hannes Hyvonen (Farjestad *Note- Use the 86 one, not the ex-CBJ one rated 73)
Jonas Johnson (Frolunda)
Jorgen Jonsson (Farjestad)
Tomi Kallio (Frolunda)
Mikael Karlberg (Leksand)
Jens Karlsson (Frolunda)
Juha Lind (Sodertalje)
Joel Lundqvist (Frolunda)
Tommi Miettinen (Brynas)
Niklas Nordgren (Timra)
Kristofer Ottosson (Djurgarden)
Daniel Rudslatt (Djurgarden)
Andreas Salomonsson (MoDo)
Alexander Steen (Frolunda)
Per Svartvadet (MoDo)
Mathias Tjarnqvist (Djurgarden)
Defencemen
==========
Tobias Enstrom (MoDo)
Per Gustafsson (HV 71)
Kari Haakana (MoDo)
Pierre Hedin (MoDo)
Magnus Johansson
Niklas Kronwall (Djurgarden)
Richard Lintner (Djurgarden)
Bjorn Nord (Djurgarden)
Fredrik Olausson (HV 71)
Richard Pavlikovsky (HV 71)
Thomas Rhodin (Farjestad)
Ronnie Sundin (Frolunda)
Martin Wilde (MoDo)
Goalies
=======
Kimmo Kapanen (Timra)
Stefan Liv (HV 71)
Henrik Lundqvist (Frolunda)
9) Munich (or Munchen, if you prefer) Vikings
Theme: This is an "All-DEL" Squad.
My Take: Future and former NHLers abound, the Vikings possess a lot of firepower
along with the defensive presense to back it up. Munich sports familiar faces
such as Ted Drury, Dominic Roussel and Jason Podollan, along with NHL freshmen
Christoph Brandner, Christian Erhoff and Marcel Goc. The only downfalls of this
team is limited speed and moderate goaltending ability. Still, it's a fun team
to play as.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
========
Greg Adams (Frankfurt)
Jesse Belanger (Hamburg)
Christoph Brandner (Krefeld)
Rene Corbet (Mannheim)
Yvon Corriveau (Berlin)
Ted Drury (Hamburg)
Marcel Goc (Mannheim)
Mark Greig (Hamburg)
Rober Guillet (Nurnberg)
Greg Leeb (Augsburg)
Trond Magnussen (Dusseldorf)
Xavier Majic (Dusseldorf)
Cameron Mann (Ingolstadt)
Jason Podolllan (Mannheim)
Martin Reichel (Nurnberg)
Leo Stefan Dusseldorf)
Tore Vikingstad (Dusseldorf)
Ilja Vorobjev (Mannheim)
Steve Walker (Berlin)
Defence
=======
Chris Armstrong (Augsburg)
Frederic Bouchard (Augsburg)
Christian Ehrhoff (Krefeld)
Nicolai Goc (Schwenningen)
Sascha Goc (Mannheim)
John Gruden (Berlin)
Chris Joseph (Mannheim)
Justin Kurtz (Krefeld)
Anders Myrvold (Mannheim)
Stephane Richer (Frankfurt)
Darren Van Impe (Hamburg)
Goalies
=======
Patrick Ehelechner (Hannover)
Dominic Roussel (Frankfurt)
Andrej Trefilov (Dusseldorf)
10) Charlestown Bandits
Theme: The ultimate "goon squad."
My Take: You feel the urge to crack some skulls? well then, this is your team.
I've provided a top line that boasts some powerful scoring touch, but by making
it from Joe Thornton, Todd Bertuzzi and Jarome Iginla, its not like that same
top line couldn't knock the opposition around on its own. As for goaltending,
I doubt anyone will argue that Ed Belfour and Dan Cloutier are two of the more
"fiery" goalies in the league. All in all, this team is loaded with the toughest
enforcers, hardest hitters and most hated agitators in the game. Oh, and Darren
Rumble, because how could you make a goon squad without the guy named "Rumble"
heh.
One last thing. What self-respecting goon squad would be complete without
the addition of the kings of "Old-time hockey": The Hanson brothers. I made the
Hansons quite simple. Between Jeff, Jack and Steve Hanson, pick one to play each
forward position, then turn their play stats to "enforcer". Of course, there are
several modifications to make them work in the game. The centre Hanson should be
more skilled at the faceoff, and one of the wing Hansons should have a decent
shot. The last thing to do is max out the Agressiveness and Checking stats on
all 3. (The Hansons, as created players, are listed in all caps)
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
========
Matthew Barnaby (New York Rangers)
Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver)
Jesse Boulerice (Carolina)
Eric Boulton (Buffalo)
Donald Brashear (Philadelphia)
Mike Daton (St. Louis)
Tie Domi (Toronto)
JACK HANSON
JEFF HANSON
STEVE HANSON
Darcy Hordichuk (Florida)
Jarome Iginla (Calgary)
Matt Johnson (Minnesota)
Georges Laraque (Edmonton)
Sandy McCarthy (Boston)
Darren McCarty (Detroit)
Steve McKenna (Pittsburgh)
Tyson Nash (Phoenix)
Krzysztof Oliwa (Calgary)
Scott Parker (San Jose)
Jarkko Ruutu (Vancouver)
Jodey Shelley(Columbus)
P.J. Stock (Boston)
Joe Thornton (Boston)
Scott Thornton (San Jose)
Vaclav Varada (Ottawa)
Peter Worrell (Colorado)
Defence
=======
Bob Boughner (Carolina)
Zdeno Chara (Ottawa)
Denis Gauthier (Calgary)
Derian Hatcher (Detroit)
Bryan Marchment (Toronto)
Willie Mitchell (Minnesota)
Mike Rathje (San Jose)
Darren Rumble (Tampa Bay)
Scott Stevens (New Jersey)
Jason Strudwick (Chicago)
Goalies
=======
Ed Belfour (Toronto)
Dan Cloutier (Vancouver)
11) Albequerque Roosters (77)
Theme: This team is compiled from several "bust" players, according to the
Hockey News' list of "Disappointing picks". See below for more info
My Take: You want a challenge? Well, here's your team. This team is pretty much
middle-of-the-road in all aspects, except goaltending, which is shaky at best.
In creating this team, I consulted the June 2003 issue of The Hockey News, which
was the draft preview issue for this past draft (Fleury, Staal and the like's
class.) As a sidebar to each team's draft report, a list of their best and worst
picks over the last 10 years was given. Categorized as "Astute selections" and
"disappointing picks", the methodology for creating the lists was as follows:
Astute selections were players who were picked lower than they would've been, had
scouts known how productive that player would be in the future (an example is
Pavol Demitra. He is one of the league's elite scorers, but he went 227th in '93.
Similarly, Kim Johnsson is a solid defender for Philly, but he was the dead last
pick in his draft.). Conversely, disappointing picks are players who have not
performed as well as they should have given the slot they were selected in
(Alexandre Daigle [and you'd better believe he's on this team], was an absolute
bust for the 1st overall pick.). Keep in mind that this does not mean that a
listed player is a total failure. There are several guys who are decent NHLers
or fringe NHL/AHLers, however, more was expected of them from their lofty draft
position (ie Wade Belak at 12th overall).
Before you flame me, remember that the players on these lists were THN's choices,
not mine. I simply tried to do my best to pick players that were in the game,
recognizable and either in the 1st round or as close to it as I could get. I did
excuse some players (Raffi Torres springs to mind) from making the team, even though
they were on the list, simply because they were (IMO) drafted fairly recently and
haven't had enough time to develop, or if they have come into their own in this
season (like Torres).
Just for kicks, I will list the draft postion, year and team drafted by after
I list the team that said player is currently on.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Milan Bartovic (Buffalo)- Drafted 35th overall in 98 by Buffalo
Jason Botterill (Buffalo)- Drafted 20th overall in 94 by Dallas
Pavel Brendl (Carolina)- Drafted 4th overall in 99 by the NY Rangers
Eric Chouinard (Minnesota)- Drafted 16th overall in 98 by Montreal
Marc Chouinard (Minnesota)- Drafted 32nd overall in 95 by Winnepeg
Dan Cleary (Phoenix)- Drafted 13th overall in 97 by Chicago
Tim Connolly (Buffalo)- Drafted 5th overall in 99 by the NY Islanders
Alexandre Daigle (Minnesota)- Drafted 1st overall in 93 by Ottawa
Brad DeFauw (Carolina)- Drafted 28th overall in 97 by Carolina
Boyd Devereaux (Detroit)- Drafted 6th overall in 96 by Edmonton
Rico Fata (Pittsburgh)- Drafted 6th overall in 98 by Calgary
Chris Gratton (Phoenix)- Drafted 3rd overall in 93 by Tampa Bay
Josh Green (Calgary)- Drafted 30th overall in 96 by Los Angeles
Todd Harvey (San Jose)- Drafted 9th overall in 93 by Dallas
Jeff Heerema (NY Rangers)- Drafted 11th overall in 98 by Carolina
Josh Holden (Toronto)- Drafted 12th overall in 96 by Vancouver
Steve Kelly (Los Angeles)- Drafted 6th overall in 95 by Edmonton
Chad Kilger (Montreal)- Drafted 4th overall in 95 by Anaheim
Manny Malhotra (Columbus)- Drafted 7th overall in 98 by the NY Rangers
Rob Neidermayer (Anaheim)- Drafted 5th overall in 93 by Florida
Wayne Primeau (San Jose)- Drafted 17th overall in 94 by Buffalo
Patrick Stefan (Atlanta)- Drafted 1st overall in 99 by Atlanta
Daniel Tkaczuk (Free Agent)- Drafted 6th overall in 97 by Calgary
Defencemen
----------
Nolan Baumgartner (Vancouver)- Drafted 10th overall in 94 by Washington
Wade Belak (Toronto)- Drafted 12th overall in 94 by Quebec
Aki Berg (Toronto)- Drafted 3rd overall in 95 by Los Angeles
Mathieu Biron (Florida)- Drafted 21st overall in 98 by Los Angeles
Anders Eriksson (Columbus)- Drafted 22nd overall in 93 by Detroit
Dan Focht (Pittsburgh)- Drafted 11th overall in 96 by Phoenix
Martin Grenier (Vancouver)- Drafted 45th overall in 99 by Colorado
Richard Jackman (Toronto)- Drafted 5th overall in 96 by Dallas
Kristian Kudroc (Florida)- Drafted 28th overall in 99 by the NY Islanders
Kyle Rossiter (Florida)- Drafted 30th overall in 98 by Florida
Nikos Tselios (Phoenix)- Drafted 22nd overall in 97 by Carolina
Andrei Zyuzin (Minnesota)- Drafted 2nd overall in 96 by San Jose
Goalies
-------
J-F Damphousse (Montreal)- Drafted 24th overall in 97 by New Jersey
Patrick DesRochers (Carolina)- Drafted 14th overall in 98 by Phoenix
Eric Fichaud (Montreal)- Drafted 16th overall in 94 by Toronto
Brian Finley (Nashville)- Drafted 6th overall in 99 by Nashville
12) Grand Rapids AHL All-Stars (77)
Theme: this team is comprised of players who were selected to play in the 2004
AHL All-Star game in Grand Rapids, either on the Canadian squad, or on the
Planet/USA squad.
My Take: Another "challenge" team (as evidenced by the fact that I lost 7-3 to
the above listed "busts" team in my first game using this squad), and maybe a
good team to take into a dynasty. It has a little bit of punch, and the
goaltending is young and solid, but there are a couple of big problems with this
team. It is undermanned. There are barely enough skaters to form the team, and
there are only 11 natural forwards, so one blueliner will be playing up front.
Still, with some youth and some veterans, I'm sure a skilled GM can sign a
couple of free agents, make some shrewd trades and make this small squad into a
decent NHL contender.
NOTE: three players (Niklas Kronwall, Kari Lehtonen and Eric Perrin) are default
elite league players. I will list their NHL club followed by their elite league
club in each case.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Eric Beaudoin (Florida)
Pavel Brendl (Carolina)
Benoit Gratton (Montreal)
Steve Kelly (Los Angeles)
Josh Langfeld (Ottawa)
Eric Perrin (Tapma Bay/JYP)
Brandon Reid (Vancouver)
Scottie Upshall (Nashville)
Kyle Wanvig (Minnesota)
Chad Wiseman (NY Rangers)
Miroslav Zalesak (San Jose)
Defencemen
----------
Carlo Colaiacovo (Toronto)
Mike Komisarek (Montreal)
Niklas Kronwall (Detroit/Djurgarden)
Bryan Muir (Los Angeles)
Curtis Murphy (Nashville)
Travis Richards (Detroit)
Dennis Seidenberg (Philadelphia)
Brandon Smith (NY Islanders)
Goalies
-------
Ray Emery (Ottawa)
Ryan Miller (Buffalo)
Kari Lehtonen (Atlanta/Jokerit)
13) Kamloops Moose (##)
Submitted by Moondogg
My Take: A very young and talented team. The fist team submitted to me by a
reader, and the first non-themed team in this FAQ. Of course, it's no theme, no
problem, as this is a fun team that mixes young, slick players with a touch of
veteran grit and a touch of toughness. If there is a problem, it is that the team
is made up of the minimum 18 skaters and 2 goalies, but that leaves a lot of
customization for people who want to take this team into a season or dynasty.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Daniel Briere (Buffalo)
Alexandre Daigle (Minnesota)
Pascal Dupuis (Minnesota)
Alexander Frolov (Los Angeles)
Jochen Hecht (Buffalo)
Trent Hunter (NY Islanders)
Niko Kapanen (Dallas)
Ethan Moreau (Edmonton)
Rick Nash (Columbus)
Taylor Pyatt (Buffalo)
Matt Stajan (Toronto)
Raffi Torres (Edmonton)
Stephen Weiss (Florida)
Defencemen
----------
Adrian Aucoin (NY Islanders)
Carlo Colaiacovo (Toronto)
John Erskine (Dallas)
Bryan McCabe (Toronto)
Shaone Morrison (Boston)
Sheldon Souray (Montreal)
Goalies
-------
David Aebischer (Colorado)
Andrew Raycroft (Boston)
14) Halifax Juniors
submitted by Kyle Abbott
Theme: This team is made up of players who have suited up for the Canadian
squad at the World Junior Championships over the past 4 years.
My Take: Another young, fun team. There's lots of potential in this squad and
lots of speed. Of course since several of these players haven't yet made the NHL,
there are a few CAPs on this squad. All CAPs are listed in all capital letters.
You can find most of the CAP stats at www.geocities.com/ftw61poppa/61. The only
exception is Kyle Wellwood. You'll have to make him on your own if you want him,
because I don't have the stats to make him
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Jared Aulin (Los Angeles)
Pierre-Marc Bouchard (Minnesota)
BRENT BURNS (Minnesota)
Mike Cammalleri (Los Angeles)
BOYD GORDON (Washington)
Chuck Kobasew (Calgary)
JOFFREY LUPUL (Anaheim)
Rick Nash (Columbus)
Steve Ott (Dallas)
Jason Spezza (Ottawa)
Matt Stajan (Toronto)
Brian Sutherby (Washington)
JORDIN TOOTOO (Nashville)
Scottie Upshall (Nashville)
Stephen Weiss (Florida)
KYLE WELLWOOD (Toronto)
Defencemen
----------
Jay Bouwmeester (Florida)
Carlo Colaiacovo (Toronto)
Steve Eminger (Washington)
DAN HAMHIUS (Nashville)
Barret Jackman (St. Louis)
Steve McCarthy (Chicago)
Nick Schultz (Minnesota)
Goalies
-------
MARC-ANDRE FLEURY (Pittsburgh)
Josh Harding (Minnesota)
Pascal Leclaire (Columbus)
15) Hartford Nor'Easters (85)
submitted by Tom Rudmin
Theme: Comprised of players born in New England (Connecticut, New Hampshire,
Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont) who currently play in the NHL.
creator's take: A pretty average team with a huge roster. If you create this
team and plan to use them in a season or dynasty type game note that the New
York Islanders will not have any goalies as both are on the Nor Easters.
My take: A better team than the creator gives it credit for. There's enough
talent to put together two solid scoring lines, and still have enough pop for
the occasional goal from your third and fourth units. The defence lacks a
stand-out star to anchor it, but it is deep enough to work without much trouble.
Goaltending, while not overwhelmingly strong, should be enough to keep you in
most games.
Roster:
+++++++
Forwards
--------
Tony Amonte ( Philadelphia)
Eric Boguniecki (St. Louis)
Chris Clark (Calgary)
Niko Dimitrakos (San Jose)
Ted Donato (Boston)
Chris Drury (Buffalo)
Tom Fitzgerald (Toronto)
Bill Guerin (Dallas)
Steve Heinze (Free agent [I think. Formerly Los Angeles])
Joe Hulbig (New Jersey)
Dan LaCouture (NY Rangers)
John Leclair (Philadelphia)
Shawn McEachern (Atlanta)
Marty McInnis (Free Agent [again, nto positive. Formerly Boston])
Eric Nickulas (St. Louis)
Jay Pandolfo (New Jersey)
Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis)
Steve Young (Dallas)
Defencemen
----------
Bobby Allen (Edmonton)
Bryan Berard (Boston)
Keith Carney (Anaheim)
Jim Fahey (San Jose)
Hal Gill (Boston)
Rob Hainsey (Montreal)
Doug Janik (Buffalo)
Jeff Jillson (Boston)
Brad Norton (Los Angeles)
Brain Pothier (Ottawa)
Tom Poti (NY Rangers)
Deron Quint (Chicago)
Goaltenders
-----------
Brian Boucher (Phoenix)
Rick DiPietro (NY Islanders)
Garth Snow (NY Islanders)
================================================================================
*VIII*) In Closing
================================================================================
Contact info
------------
If you wish to contact me, I can be reached at thenemesis15@shaw.ca
Depending on the volume of mail in my inbox, I may get back to you the same day,
or the next day or it may take several days. I do try and answer pretty much
everything that is sent to me. For general e-mail, please include NHL 2004 in
the subject bar. You can e-mail me for:
-Questions regarding gameplay. I will attempt to answer any questions you have
regarding the game itself. However, I cannot answer anything relating to online
play, as my game is not currently set up for online features. If I cannot answer
your question, you should probably try and get your answer on the NHL 2004
message board at gamefaqs.com
-comments, suggestions and feedback about this FAQ. I welcome all feedback from
readers of this FAQ. If you have a suggestion for something I can add/alter, I
will seriously consider it. General comments such as praise/criticism are also
welcome. Alerting me of any errors in this guide are also welcome, as I do not
always catch all of my mistakes.
-General NHL comments. Want to talk NHL hockey? Want my views on an issue or a
game/team/player? I welcome that, as it is a refeshing change from gameplay
issues.
-Submitting created teams. If you would like your created team included in this
guide, you may submit it for me for inclusion in the next update. There are a
few guidelines for submitting teams:
1) Please make sure the subject bar reads "NHL 2004 created team". I make sure
to handle these e-mails before more general ones
2) Include as much info as you want shown with your team. What I mean is if you
just want the roster included, give me that. If you want the appearance settings
included, add those, and so forth. For the sake of organization, at least give
the team a name for me to use as a heading.
3) If you have a theme in mind for your team, be sure to make a note of it.
4) Please limit your team's overall rating to below 90, preferably in the 80 to
88 range. This ensures that the team is on relatively even footing with the NHL
clubs
5) If you include created players, make sure that you list all the necessary
info for making them, and do something to highlight them in the roster list
(such as place special characters around the name, list the name in all caps,
anything to make it stand out)
Beyond that, the only rule I have for e-mail is keep it tasteful. Avoid an
excess of profanity and other inappropriate material.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
assorted legal info
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This document is copyright 2003 Matt "The Nemesis15" Vignal, and may not be
reproduced or re-used in any way, shape or form without my consent. As of the
time of submission of this version of the FAQ (December 6, 2003), the following
sites are allowed to use my FAQ:
---------------------------------------
www.gamefaqs.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wilsoncup
www.cheats.de
---------------------------------------
GameFAQs is copyright Jeff "CjayC" Veasey.
All game data taken from NHL 2004 is copyright Electronic Arts and the NHL
I am in no way affiliated with any of the above
The opinions expressed within this guide are solely my own, and are not
representitive of the opinions of GameFAQs, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, the NHL,
NHLPA or any of their affiliates. Any opinions of players contained within this
guide are specifically meant for recreational use within the game.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
