Here’s a partially informed view and some wild guesses on how the teams seem to stack up. If anyone knows birth year composition and/or first two round Jamboree opponents for any of these teams, please speak up. I have tried to rank only because Flight 1 could be anywhere from 6 to 10 teams, and the devil is in finding the dividing line. Very tough trying to sort out the bottom half/Flight 2...
1a. Ice Dogs 1 (Riley). 06 birth year team. Looks like 2/3 of the team that took second in AA Flight 2 last season and added in AAA/AA players from other clubs. Took second at Minnesota Stars and Stripes and competed at Elite (true AAA) level at CS. Gets Kings 1 and the Reign to start Jamboree. Lock for Flight 1.
1b. Kings 1 (Calder). I believe another 06 birth year team. Easily the best PWAA team in El Segundo and the overwhelming favorite among Kings 1 parents. Looks like 2/3 PWA alumni and a couple PWBB studs topped off with AAA/AA players from last year. Can’t say if ID1 or K1 (or GSE 2) is better on paper, but its more fun to put Kings 1 as 1b, and it relieves them of the pressure of being the favorite. Gets Sharks 1 and ID1 to start Jamboree. Lock for Flight 1.
3. 1.c. GSE 2 (North). Based on the weekend, looks like the best team in NorCal, with a fair amount of separation from the other NorCal teams. Tough to calibrate with SoCal teams but upon confirmation that they dominated GSE 1 as well can't have them at third. Get Gulls 2 and Ducks 2 to start Jamboree. Lock for Flight 1.
4. Empire. PWA team from last season returns largely intact. Forward lines stronger than Ducks 1 on paper and beat them on ice. Can an Empire parent comment on birth year composition of the team? Big gap between them and Top 3 but should be a Flight 1 team regardless of size of Flight.
5. Ducks 1 (Runtso). 07 core from PWA last year, but lost key 05D and some scoring. Added in some 06s (on blue line?). Various pre-tryout incarnations of the team scuffled, and they already lost a scrimmage to Empire (but beat Wave). But tough to see CAHA not giving Ducks a Flight 1 team. After that, the team has great coaches and should only get stronger each week. Gets Gulls 1 and Wave to start Jamboree. Only danger is if SCAHA goes with 6 team Flight 1.
6. Gulls 1. Said to be an 06 core group returning most players from last year’s team that took 5th in Flight 2, with PWA/BB and Squirt A players mixed in. A version of this team played tight games against Cal Patriots (Kings 1-ish) and Ducks 1 at CS. Gets Ducks 1 and Sharks 1 to start Jamboree.
7. Wave. A lot of top PWA players with a couple of AAA/AA alumni mixed in. Seems stronger than Runsto Ducks on paper but lost to them on ice. Other warning signs: close games against Bay Area Blazers and ID2 at CS and was (is?) still looking for skaters after tryouts. Gets Ducks 1 and ? to start Jamboree.
8. Sharks 1. Mainly returning PWA players from last season. Based on weekend play, seems to be at least one step below GSE 2. Good indication that division is weaker is that a Sharks team is in the discussion for making Flight 1. Gets Gulls 1 and Kings 1 to start Jamboree.
9. GSE 1 (South). Don’t think a GSE team has ever finished outside of Top 10 at PWAA. Seems to have had trouble generating offense this last weekend. Gets Ice Dogs 2 and ? to start Jamboree.
10. Ice Dogs 2 Semenov. 06-07 team. This team has some veterans of tier play that will have to get most of the playing time to be mid pack team at Flight 1. Very disappointing showing at CS. Match ups at Jamboree should help. They may be in danger of getting the 17-18 Flyers' treatment if CAHA goes with a 10 team Flight 1. Gets GSE 1 and Gulls 2 to start Jamboree.
11. Ducks 2 (Tex). Looks like a top group of Squirt A players joining core of 07 birth year team that had a great showing last season … at Squirt A. Tough to predict which players' games will translate at AA level. They clearly have political pull in the Ducks to get an AA slot in place of an 06 team, and Ducks have great influence within CAHA. Wouldn’t be surprised to see CAHA put them in Flight 1 over a better team(s) like last season. Gets GSE2 and ? to start Jamboree.
12. Blackhawks. Bueller? Bueller? Don’t know anything specific about this team. Club had poor showing in Flight 1 last year, and last year’s PWA team was awful. Seems like a stretch for the club to make Flight 1. Gets Sharks 2 and Kings 2 (?) to start Jamboree.
13. Kings 2. 08-07 core team. Gets Blackhawks and ? to start Jamboree.
14. Gulls 2. 07 based team. Said to be core 07 from Squirt A with PWAA, A and BB players mixed in. Gets GSE 2 and ID2 to start Jamboree. Fun times.
15. Valencia. Looks like the core of the group is a talented group of Squirt A players from last season. Aggressive practice schedule and good coaching, but still a reach for Flight 1. No PWA team potentially makes a target for relegation
16. Pasadena Maple Leafs. A bunch of PWA kids with some Squirt BB studs mixed in. Still looking for players after tryouts. No PWA team potentially makes a target for relegation.
17. OCHC. Little carry over from last year’s AA teams. Pre-tryout group did not fare well at PWA at the Rinks tournament
18. Jr. Reign. Traditionally field weak “multi-rink†PW AA teams that don’t practice as a team. Was still looking for players after tryouts.
19. Sharks 2. Eyeballing the roster, the core of team seems to be from their Squirt A team. Club has had recent problems at AAA and AA level and probably does not have depth for two AA teams. Had a tough weekend and would look like a possible candidate for relegation. Gets Blackhawks and Kings 2 to start Jamboree.
