hockey boards .com says

9. Belleville Bulls
The Bulls are definitely re-tooling this year, thanks in part to the losses of six of their top eight scorers (Tangradi, Mashinter, Tanaka, Palmieri, Subban, Pither), and their starting goaltender (Mike Murphy). The remaining two, Bryan Cameron and Shawn Lalonde, are likely trade targets. That leaves a roster filled with guys expected to take a significantly larger role this season. Offensively, the team could actually still be fairly deep. The Bulls have some quality, hard working young talent. The likes of Stephen Johnston, Andy Bathgate, Luke Judson, Matt Tipoff, and Cody Alcock could form some solid scoring depth. Not to mention whoever the Bulls eventually get in return for Cameron and Lalonde. Defensively, Lalonde is still around and in camp, so we have to assume he at least starts the season in Belleville. He’ll be joined by Stephen Silas, who will likely assert himself as one of the top draft eligible defenseman playing in the OHL this year. Rounding out the top 4 will be two stay at home guys in Bjorn Krupp and Marc Cantin. In goal, the duties are likely to be split between Import Phil Grubauer (whom showed glimpses of brilliance last year), and first rounder Tyson Teichmann. The combination of youth at every position, with inexperienced goaltending, could be the kiss of death for the Bulls playoff chances this year. They’ll likely be some long nights in Belleville this year. Adversely, the potential is there for a lot to cheer about too. It’s unknown as to how capable this roster is, with the majority of players taking on larger, new roles. This team could likely play many of the teams in the East pretty hard. While I don’t expect they’ll be anywhere near the top of the Division, Belleville could definitely surprise a lot of people by making a serious push for a lower playoff seed.

10. Brampton Battalion
If it’s going to be a long year in Belleville, it’s going to be even longer in Brampton for the defending Eastern Conference Champions. While all of Cody Hodgson, Matt Duchene, and Evgeni Grachev are eligible to return this year, the likelihood is that none will. Grachev and Hodgson were no shows for training camp, suggesting that they are ready to move on, while Duchene has to be considered very likely to make the Colorado Avalanche. Without them, the team is pretty likely to struggle offensively. That leaves Scott Tanski and Thomas Stajan as the veterans returning at forward. They’ll be surrounded by the newly acquired Sean Jones, the youthful Sam Carrick, Phil Lane, and Dominic Alberga, and Import Valeri Knisev. In particular, keep an eye on Phil Lane. Lane recently signed with Brampton after spending last year in Buffalo Junior A, where he was one of the top younger players in the league. His under the radar signing could pay big dividends for the Battalion in the years to come. Defensively, this team will be led by Anaheim second rounder Matt Clark, who’ll have to take on a larger role offensively this year. He’ll be joined by two overagers, Ken Peroff and Brad Albert. Rounding out the top 4 will be the inexperienced Kyle Pereira. While that defense looks half decent on paper, I’d be surprised if it stays together all season. Clark and Peroff could likely fetch a fair amount in trades, should the Battalion look to a full rebuild. In goal, the enigmatic Patrick Killeen will be given the reigns and he’ll have his hands full. I’m not sure if he’s a good enough goalie to make up for the lack of goals the Battalion will score. I truly envision it being a very long season for Brampton. I’m just not sure I see a worse team in the Eastern Conference, perhaps even the OHL.

Thoughts? Your predictions are welcome too!