THE CANADIAN CORE CRYSTALLISES
Image courtesy of the club
Two very important signings were announced over the past few days: our potential 2nd and 3rd line centres. This leaves us with a probable 1-2-3 of Canadians down the middle of our forward group. This kind of full replacement at the most important forward position, the literal 'pivot' on which the team and each line relies, sets us up for a more structured and consistent creation of our own plays and destruction of the opponents' plays. These are very exciting times here for Olimpija!
You know I love a projected lines arrangement, so let's get it out of the way before a deeper dive into the two players:
Mahkovec - Boychuk - Sabolič
Polei - Petan - Meyer
Simšič - Quince - Mehle
Pance - Beričič - Sodja
Reserves: Kapel, Kumanović
Notes: Firstly, this shifts the look of this team in a far brighter direction than the last projected lines I did in the 'Bye-Bye Bonino' article. Solidifying the lineup down the middle is extremely important for sustainable success in hockey and we have accomplished that. Something to note is that Meyer is listed as a wing or centre and Petan is listed as a C/RW, so they could conceivably swap places in the above 2nd line, if Coach Cooper so desires.
Versatility is an excellent trait for the individual player to have, but it's even more valuable when spread across a lineup. It allows for a creative coach like Mr Cooper to do what Bill Belichick of the NFL's New England Patriots used to do (no, not what he's been in the news for recently...) and tailor the lineup each week to take advantage of the weaknesses and tendencies of specific opponents.
Comparisons to a coaching great are a bit premature, to be sure, but it's something the team can legitimately aspire to accomplish this year, thanks to the new coach and player recruits. The alternative philosophy, of course, is to craft an identity so clear and tangible that you do not need to change it for any opponent. It'll be such a pleasure to see either approach take shape later in the year. I feel the team has really hit this offseason out of the park, so to speak, and I have real belief that, with Coach Cooper and the injection of talent such as the two guys below, we can make a proper run at automatic playoffs this year. Like Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers said in a recent article in The Athletic:
"You can’t sit there and say, ‘I’m going to build a roster to win a Stanley Cup. You say, ‘I’m going to build a roster to put us in a place where we have a chance'... I think when we come to training camp, we’ll have a roster that when we look at it, we’ll say, ‘You know what? You guys can compete. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but at least it looks like this is a roster where we have a chance.’"
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6466659/2025/07/02/panthers-free-agency-bennett-marchand-ekblad/
While we haven't assembled a team of the Florida Panthers' level (no one in the world has!), I do believe that this offseason we have given ourselves this kind of chance to win the ICE League next year.
Marly Quince (C)
Image courtesy of the club - Quince looks like an extra from Russell Crowe's Gladiator film, but with the name of a Charles Dickens side character!
Let's start with Marly Quince, the first of the two that was announced. Quince's background is similar to Kale Kerbashian of last year, in that he has ECHL experience (essentially the 3rd best pro league in North America, after the AHL and NHL) as well as some European playing time. He's a 31-year-old centre who seems to be the replacement for Maris Bičevskis as our 3rd or 4th line centre. While his statlines in North America contain low points totals, suggesting a more physical 'grinder' kind of playstyle, his offense really took off once he moved to Europe, which bodes well for us.
Below are his stats from his entire European experience. Each of these sees him scoring at a very healthy rate, with considerable penalty minutes and a varying +/-. The penalty minutes suggest he isn't scared to stand up for his teammates, which is certainly welcome after the departure of Arvin Atwal (our main enforcer from last year). The +/- is less obvious to break down: his -10 last year in Slovakia may have just meant he was trusted to play tough matchups, rather than any defensive worries on his part. This seems like a really positive signing for the team and we should look forward to seeing him make an impact for us.
Now, this signing may mean that Beričič and the 'kid line' stays down in the 4th line at the start of the season, but competition is what's best for the club and players like Quince can help teach the younger guys how to handle themselves as pros. Regardless of that thinking ahead, right now this seems a clear upgrade on Bičevskis, so well done to the front office.
Alex Petan (C/RW)
Image courtesy of the club - I'm glad Petan will be getting out of those colours and into ours!!
Petan is an interesting player with an interesting background to his decision to sign with us. Let's begin with the latter element: his father is originally Slovene, from just outside Ljubljana! This is a serendipitous coincidence that should help bind him to the club and give some added meaning to pulling on the green-and-white jersey.
Now for the rest of his interesting background: this is a player who performed very impressively in college for Michigan Tech, ending up as their Captain in his senior year. He top-scored for them, beating out Matt Roy, currently of the Washington Capitals in the NHL and Joe L'Esperance, who also played NHL games. Out of interest for the real hockey nerds amongst you, Pheonix Copley (yes, that is how his first name is spelled!) was in the same squad as Petan in his earlier years at Michigan Tech (Copley was the LA Kings backup goalie in 22-23 and has played for the Capitals as well as AHL affiliates).
Back to Petan, he has acquired extensive international experience through playing for Italy. His dual citizenship on Elite Prospects makes it look like he's Mexican, but as impressive as finding a Mexican ice hockey player would be, this is not the case!
Playing internationally gets you accustomed to high-pressure situations, which is always an asset for a player to have. What's more, he has played 7 (!) full seasons in the ICE League (2 for Bolzano, 3 for Fehervar, 2 for Pustertal). He has averaged 39 points per season in this time. This is a guy who knows how to succeed in this league and I expect him to be another very valuable acquisition, whether this is at centre or on the wing. The fact that he has stayed for one season at each of his ICE League stops is also a big positive, as it suggests he's unlikely to be a one-and-done with Olimpija this season.
As mentioned above, I am curious to see where Petan fits into the lineup. The Bonino-sized hole at 2C seems to be beckoning him, and that's worth talking about. Clearly we cannot reasonably expect Petan to do everything Nick Bonino did for us. That's not a fair comparison to make. I do think the club have done very well to sign Petan, though, and I do think he can do a great job for us. Especially if he can give us some insider intel on how to beat Pustertal in the playoffs...
To finish off, here are my projected PP units, because projecting lineups makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside:
PP1
Boychuk, Polei, Meyer, Petan, Kirichenko
PP2
Quince, Mehle, Sabolič, Mahkovec, Lalonde/Mašić
I've tried to set these up equally, so both have the following (in order): Play-directing centre, tough net-front guy, circle sniper, circle sniper, defenseman PPQB. I could be way off in these, but regardless, I can't wait to see how these stack up to the reality in September and onwards.
There's one more signing on the way, according to the team, so I will report on that once it's announced. Until then, enjoy your summer! I'm certainly enjoying being back home and at half the temperature of Ljubljana!
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