Thursday: Panthers, Penguins and Polar Bears

Hey guys, it's Thallos with the first of (hopefully) many weekly posts to help out Ryan. I'm still trying to work out the kinks of blogspot, but I'm getting there. Today we've got an assortment of concepts, with an animal theme, I've found. We've got a fantasy league concept, and one based off the USA's Men's Basketball look.

Also don't forget to vote for the COTW for August 13-19, we've got some great nominees. And remember, the Dallas Stars Rebrand competition has a new rule which is important, and all votes for your top-5 are due on Saturday. Get those in as soon as possible!

COTW Aug 13-19 vote (ends Thursday @ 11:59pm EST)

STARS COMP Top 5 vote (ends SATURDAY @ 11:59pm EST)

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Vancouver Millionaires concept (by Montana W.)

 This concept is pretty simple and straight forward. Inspired by the original Vancouver Millionaires team, Montana incorporates the sleeve stripes from the past without going overboard. I feel as though the logo doesn't fit. It's beveled look and black outline is out of place with the simple 2-color look of the jersey design. The execution here is fine. (6/10)

Pittsburgh Penguins concept (by Kevin W.)

Paying homage to the days of Lemieux and Jagr with the "robopen" and the yellow, Kevin goes old school with some modern twists. I love the color choice of going back the yellow-black-white scheme. The vegas-gold color the Pens use today feel like there's something left to be desired due to it's lack of contrast. The sleeves are perfect, and I don't mind the hem stripe stopping at the bottom. I'd get rid of the shoulder outline. (8/10)

Florida Panthers concept (by Stephen T.)

Stephen digs the piping. Not many people are overly fond of them, but they make a heavy presence here. I'm not a fan of completely getting rid of yellow in the white jersey. The consistency with the red jersey is a bit off with the apron stripes being navy, while the shoulder outline is yellow. I'd make them one color or the other. Otherwise, there's not much new with this look. (6/10)

Toronto Legion concept (by Dustin F.)

This concept is for a team in a fantasy league called the Victory Hockey League. I like how simple and effective the jersey design is. With a two tone blue look, Dustin pulls this off quite well with superb execution. The logo I feel is more suited for a video game, but with the CN Tower in the background of the logo, the Toronto theme is tied in nicely. (8/10)

USA Basketball concept (by Brady Sufat)

Brady goes for the stark contrast with a bright red, white and navy color scheme. It pops a lot. The design is fairly consistent, although I feel some navy is missing from the hem of the white jersey. A thicker stroke on the USA logo on each jersey would really make this standout. (7/10)

Denver Cutthroats concept (by Justin C.)

Justin takes a stab at what he thinks the new CHL team will look like for their inaugural season in 2012-13. As always, Justin's execution is "streets ahead". The secondary logo is superb. As for the jersey design, it's a traditional look. It's not over-the-top because it doesn't need to be. The design as a whole fits very well with this new team, and Denver wouldn't go wrong with wearing these on opening night. (9/10)

Danville Dashers concept (by Matt R.)

We don't see too many FHL concepts here, so it's a nice change of pace to see this concept. With the design based off of the Everett Silvertips' previous look, Matt incorporates the black and gold color scheme quite well. I find these theme fits well with the Dashers identity. (8/10)

Quebec Nordiques concept (by Dave C.)

Properly cited and all, Dave uses a fantastic set of logos and uses them well in each jersey. It's a fresh look on an old team that I think needs to get away from the igloo logo. I'm not a fan of the font choice of the primary jerseys (clashes too much with the traditional jersey design). I love the subliminal fleur-de-lis, but my favorite part of this concept is the third jersey. I'm a fan of this two-color scheme, especially with how it's worked with the polar bear logo. Get rid of the shoulder outline, and you've got perfection. COTW nomination from me. (9/10)