Ikhlas vs. Shukr
We'll kick off the 2015-16 I-Slam Hockey season with this matchup between Ikhlas and Shukr.
Ikhlas, beneficiaries of the top pick in the draft, will be lead by the two Khan's: Waqar and Farrukh (no relation). To augment the group, savvy GM's Ahmad Ibrahim and Mohammad Hamoud used some late picks to add what they described as "serious sleeper picks".
This includes Nadeem Faqiri, Yasser Malik and Fawad Shaikh. The team will be backstopped by Kaunain Saiyed - who, I believe, has not played in I-Slam since capturing the championship in 2013.
Shukr brings the brainchild of Fahad Mallik and Naeem Akhtar. This team was drafted with a simple philosophy: Defense, Centers and Friends.
Mallik and Akhtar will provide the defense, top picks Aazar Zafar and Mehmed Rizvanovic will provide the centers and Shabil Ahmad, Imran Abdullah and Amir Baig will play the role of long-time friends of Mallik and Akhtar. The team also pulled out a sleeper pick in Montreal native Danish Qureshi who joins the Toronto ball hockey scene.
Burning Questions?
Shukr - and their strengths as a skilled and smart team, will have to matchup against Ikhlas with the identity of size and aggression.
Players to Watch:
Mehmed Rizvanovic, the big center reminiscent of Sundin in his playing style will be interesting to watch. He's talented but has never played against players as talented as Waqar Khan and company. It will be interesting to see how he does.
Who's Hot?
No one yet!
Haya vs. Sabr
Sabr has been labeled (by their own GM) as the "team of hot heads". Huzaifa Manjra and Hanif Kasuji - the two GM's are known to lose their cool and the team is stocked with players with passion and aggression.
This means the two sets of brothers, the Mohammad's (Junaid and Naveed) and the Siddiqui's (Kamran and Farhan) will have their work cut out to keep this team under control and have their energy channeled in the right direction.
Sabr has lots of speed up front and is thought to have the biggest sleeper pick in Ismail Malek and Ziyad Syed.
Haya, on the other hand, tried to add some defense right off the bat with the two Salman's: Khalid and Syed. Khalid will control the defense and be counted on to play big minutes while Syed will be expected to use his speed, skill and creativity to create goals and setup his teammates who have big shoots like GM Nadeem Qureshi and Imran Lakhanpal.
And with experienced veteran Rizwan Ali in goal, the team knows it has one of the better goalies helping them out game after game.
Burning Questions?
Can Sabr come together as a team? Can Huzaifa Manjra perform in a leadership role?
Player to Watch:
Imran Lakhanpal - given time, Lakhanpal can score and owns perhaps the most lethal shot in the league. In the bigger arena, I think Lakhanpal will be a deadly offensive weapon.
Who's Hot?
No one yet.
Ihsan vs Emaan
In my mind, even though this is week one, this is the match-up between the top two teams.
On Emaan's end, they lack depth. And though you can say that about pretty much any team in the league, it seems a bit exaggerated on Emaan's end. On the flip side, Emaan likely has the best first line in the league featuring the Soliman brothers (Hani - Yousuf - Osama).
Emaan also added some rugged defenders in Naiem Malik, Sajid Khan and Firasath Ali. And in net they have Sadiq Rehman who is certainly not the biggest goalie but is known for his high compete level.
For Ihsan, the mirror is flipped in many ways. Ihsan may be the deepest team in the league - but only at forward. The team did not draft many defenders but did pull what they called their biggest sleeper pick: goaltender Mohammad Kasuji.
GM and coach Kashif Taqiuddin said this: "I expect us to be the Oilers of the 80s and win games with lots of goals". Presumably that makes Kasuji this league's version of Grant Fuhr - a good goalie without support.
Burning Questions?
Can Ihsan utilize their speed in this game against such a tough opponent?
Player to Watch:
Osama Soliman makes his debut in I-Slam Hockey and will likely turn many heads with his offensive skill.
Who's Hot?
No one yet.
