Hardly any league this season will be throwing a team into the fray of the upcoming Champions Hockey League season that possesses the kind of underdog character presented by the DEL’s Grizzlys Wolfsburg.

by Chapin D Landvogt

Year on year, the team enters the season with a predominantly no-name line-up, beckoning pundits to predict a non-playoff finish. And many oblige with just that. Year for year, the team finds itself among the league’s most competitive playoff teams, often finishing the regular season among the league’s top six, having come in 4^th over last season.

This past season, as in  the 2010-11 season (when they were ranked first in the entire DEL), the Grizzlys first packed away their equipment upon conclusion of the DEL finals. Valiantly fought, the constantly thin line-up simply couldn’t push the Munich Red Bulls – also CHL contenders – to the limit due to injuries to several key players in the league finals. Before that, the Grizzlys had seen their seasons first end in the semi-finals for three straight years.

For a club that regularly features one of the smallest budgets in the league, this is a true attest to the work invested by the staff, most particularly GM Charlie Fliegauf and Head Coach Pavel Gross. The astute manager places a lot in faith in character and players needing a new start and a bigger chance; the coach then molds them into contributors for teams that are usually four lines deep unless injuries hit. As August approaches and most of the CHL participants begin their rigorous training for the upcoming CHL season, the line-up will be rather homogenous, with 26-year old NLA/EBEL/AHL veteran Kris Foucault (Canadian) being the only real addition of note.

Who to watch

The key to this team in the playoffs was, as is often the case, workhorse goaltender Felix Brückmann. Posting a 2.31 GAA and .925 save percentage in 14 playoff games, he often willed his hard-working team to victory. On the blueline, US defender Jeff Likens has proven to be a true beast in the playoffs for several years now, always able to pick up every facet of his game when it matters most. His nine goals, 36 points, +8 rating and whopping 119 penalty minutes in 67 total contests showed just how valuable he is to the entire Grizzly game concept.

Up front, relatively unknown former AHLers Mark Voakes and Captain Tyler Haskins are coming off of career years and each has seen his career take flight in the DEL, having grown from supporting players to absolute go-to guys. This said, the heart and soul of the team lies in loyal and long-time Grizzly Sebastian Furchner, one of the few German players who possesses above-average speed and skating, even at the international level. His power-forward play (despite a smaller frame) and drive make him a handful for any opponent. His 25 goals led the team last season while his 53 points had him second to only Haskins. National team members Patrick Reimer and Phillip Gogulla were the only Germans to outscore Furchner last season.

Keep an eye on

Last season, winger Fabio Pfohl came out of nowhere to contribute eight goals and 33 points in 65 total games, having slown down his regular season pace in the playoffs. This earned him the league’s Rookie of the Year award. Pfohl will first turn 21 in October of this year. This season, Polish-born winger Alexander Karachun, already 21, will be given a shot to do the same after a 13-goal season for Freiburg in the DEL2. His father, a long-time member of Belarus’ national team, spent many years playing in Germany and filling nets with pucks, most often in the nation’s 2^nd league.

Outlook

By September 9^th, the team will have completed the four games of the first round. From the outside looking in, the two games against the Frölunda Indians will certainly pose the Grizzlys with a herculean challenge. The reigning SHL champions are once again expected to be one of the top teams in all of Europe. Wolfsburg’s other opponent will be Dynamo Pardubice, a team that had found itself playing in the Czech Extraliga relegation round last season. For the Grizzlys, it’s clear that the game plan will be to scare Frölunda, but take both of the contests against a Czech club that has made significant changes this summer.

Team facts

CHL seasons:

The team is making its debut this season

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