There’s one thing about next year’s team that has me a little perplexed.
The Everett party line is that the Tips are going to be a younger team next season. I don’t necessarily disagree with that. I doubt Everett will limit itself to one 16-year-old next season, the way it has the past two seasons. And there’s several new faces who will probably make the team next season as 17-year-olds.
But then there’s this: Shane Harper, Vitaly Karamnov, Zack Dailey, Jesse Burt, Lukas Vartovnik, Mike Alexander, Tyler Kieffer and Shayne Barrie. What do all those players have in common? They’re all born in 1989, making them 19-year-olds next season. Eight 19-year-olds is a lot, even if a team is trying to win it all. For a team like Everett, which isn’t expected to be a serious contender, that’s probably too many, especially considering that group has generally been role players. A team looking to peak again in another year or two will probably want younger players to fill those type of roles, allowing those younger guys a chance to develop.
So I wouldn’t be surprised to see a deal or two during the offseason to lessen those numbers.
Anyway, here’s some other things I expect:
– Harper will become a point-a-game player. He’s always had the skills, but it’s taken a while for those to translate to the games. He took a big step forward this season, and I think he’s ready to take another step forward next season.
– The 1990s will become the core of the team. Kyle Beach has already been a key player for two seasons, but the rest have been in the background. The likes of Matt Ius, Jordan Mistelbacher, Tyler Skauge and Chris de la Lande will be important players next season.
– Barrie will be fine between the pipes. There was always a worry about what would happen once Leland Irving moved along. But I think Barrie showed enough this season that he’ll be fine taking over the No. 1 spot next season.
Next: 2008-09 lookahead: rookies
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