Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Alpha Flight Depth Chart

Hockey and Comics combines for Ultimate Geekery! We were at Steeps again, Hallis "Nite-Owl I" Fray and I, chatting about the connection between Canada's Premier Superteam = Team Canada and Canada's other premier superteam = Alpha Flight!!! Hallis suggested some lines that I liked but, at the time, I couldn't remember enough role players to fill up the checking lines let alone the defence. So after a quick roll through the alphanex, here are your Stanley Cup contenders: The 2006-2007 Alpha Flights!

Forwards
PuckGuardian (C)Vindicator
NorthstarAuroraPuck
Yukon Jack Major Mapleleaf (A)Snowbird
WildchildNemesisPuck II

Defense

ShamanSasquatch (A)
Diamond 'Lil Box (M. Jefferies)
TalismanManbot

Let's breakdown the lines from top to bottom:

1st Line
In Guardian (James "Mac" Hudson) we have the quintessential captain-center ala Sakic, Yzerman, Captain America, Koivu, Sundin pedigree. Vindicator (Heather MacNeil/Hudson) is like a doppelganger to Guardian but with more speed vs. less power, it's tempting to place her in a similar position on another line, but it's also impossible to deny the allure of having the two star players on the same line: they have natural chemistry and she fits the profile of an elite winger. Rounding it out Puck (Eugene Jodd) brings grit and energy to this star line, originally a position filled by X-buyout Wolverine (he's everywhere) Puck is a natural fit for the comparables: he'll be the one delivering the hits and driving hard to the net for the rebounds and deflections. On the blueline we have two more powerhouses: Sasquatch (Walter Langkowski) is the physical presence and will control the corners as well as clear the front of the crease with his dominating checks yet smart play. Shaman (Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen) on the other hand will strip the opposing players with his skillful stickwork and has the skills to set plays in motion with his breakout passing and immaculate puck control. Very solid star line.

2nd Line
The second line is speed, speed and a touch of grit. To seperate the Beaubier twins would be to severly limit their potential so the line uses their sibling chemistry and telepathic passes and lightning speed to overwhelm and terrorize opposing defenses. Jean-Paul seems like more of the natural winger with Jean-Marie more of the spiritual center and playmaker. Keeping guard is once again Puck (Jean-Puck?) reprising his position from the first line, his durability allows him to log the hard extra minutes, his toughness keeps the opposition from taking undue shots on the twins and his compact frame allows him to keep pace with the speedy siblings. In the defensive zone, a stay-at-home oriented pair keeps the guard with the forward trio often out of sight. Box IV ( Madison Jefferies) provides a combination of steady puck control and zone enforcement while Diamond 'Lil (Lillian Crawley-Jefferies) adds a hint of aggression while remaining a somewhat stalwart defensive presence. An extremely skilled line, the elite pairing of the Beaubier's would be first line on any lesser team.

3rd Line
Our checking line is a strong combination of muscle and two-way play: Major Mapleleaf (Louis Sadler Jr.) is a skilled and responsible locker room leader who can be counted on to create scoring opportunites without sacrificing defensive lapses in the Peca/Linden/Storm mode. Yukon Jack (name unpronounceable) brings grit and strength on the forecheck and despite his often difficult nature, should lead the line in hits and penalty minutes as the enforcer, Snowbird (Narya/Anne Mackenzie) will be a more subtle but still stifling presence with her ability to adjust to the opposition and a high degree of skill and puck control. Our six and seven defenders will curtail the easy minutes, Manbot has a very similar developing skillset to Box and should do nicely and if the younger Twoyoungmen, Talisman (Elizabeth Twoyoungmen), develops into even a partial comp to Shaman she'll be projected as a top 4 defenceman. A strong forechecking line to shutout opposing scoring lines.

4th Line
Like the final defensive line, the 4th line is a kids and junior version line featuring callups from the AHL affilates of Beta Flight and Gamma Flight. Injury/death prone Nemesis brings a nice bit of skill and toughness and the strongest experience of the three and in the event of her likely absence, can be replaced by the aging Centennial (Rutherford Princeton) who would be an excellent guiding hand for the rookies. You could make the case to interchange with any other AHL callups but I picked the younger Puck (Zuzha Yu) and Wildchild (Kyle Gibney - pending a trade to the Weapon X team) for their toughness and checking which should compliment Nemesis nicely during the stray minutes. The playmaking skills of Ghost Girl especially deserve a mention as she'll be pushing for a place in the big leagues and only her defensive frailtys preclude her from an automatic spot in the roster.

Special Teams
Powerplay is where I go with Hallis' opinion that Guardian should be paired up with the Beaubiers on wing. So the stellar first unit would be Aurora/Guardian/Northstar with Shaman and Puck providing the D, Second unit would be Nemesis/Vindicator/Snowbird with a backup pairing of Box and Talisman; it's a weaker line than I'd like but the absence of offensive specialists allows the right wing position to be open to anyone on a streak or a promising skilled rookie (Ghost Girl/Persuasion etc.).
On the PK, I'd go with a first unit of Puck/Major Mapleleaf and Vindicator to create havoc with breakaways. I'd keep my defensive lines intact for this one (Shaman/Sasquatch). Second unit would be an equally strong line of Yukon Jack/Guardian/Northstar with either a Box/Lil, Box/Talisman or all bot Box/Manbot combo. No one's going to get the easy goals on this team.
Shootout lineup would probably vary according to hot streaks, but a tentative order would have: Northstar/Guardian/Vindicator/Aurora/Snowbird.

Anyways due to sheer numbers, team Alpha Flight is somewhat of an underdog in a league that includes the Avengers, the X-Men and that dirty hitting Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; but due to their unique combination of skill and heart as well as their Northern pedigree, you can count on Alpha Flight to go deep into the playoffs.

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