Bears1 is essentially a AAA team again this season. Should be favorites.
AAA kids? I thought those bears kids were players who were 3rd liners on AAA team and not really AAA standouts?
That's an oversimplification. First of all, the nucleus they started with was pretty good. You can go back and look how the PWAA team did 2 years ago, as well as looking at the Bantam A team that went 14-1 and won SCAHA.
I don't know each and every kid that joined the club this season, but they are not all as you describe although I'm not sure it matters even if they were. They are additions to an already solid nucleus, where you start with at least 2 (that I know of) big skilled and physical '04 D players they've developed. No recruiting needed.
Obviously politics and coaching predilections come into play with every team, but lets not forget that PT had such an abundance of options and eager participants that he managed to get people to sign onto a 12 forward roster!
I don't want to say too much about the Bears2, other than it's primarily the PWAA '05 team with the addition of 3 or 4 solid 04 players. Neither of the girls are back, which is fairly typical of what happens at the Bantam transition, but otherwise you have most of the kids that the coach has had 3 years with now. Depending on what happens with that team, they could give some lower Flight1 teams a run for their money, although there are question marks in terms of the D vs. O question there.
We'll see soon enough, but I wonder who will be scrimmaging PT 04 Bears?