Tuesday: HJC Open Madness

Hey hey howdy there everyone! Hope everyone's having a good week so far, especially with the fair amount of HJC Open entries coming in. It's always great to see everyone's best work all at once. I love the HJC Open as it's something to look forward to in the mostly hockey-less summer. Plus, it's a chance to see the best work out of some of the best concept artists we get to see on the site. You've got until tomorrow night to get in your first round entry so go ahead and get those in, I know I still have to.

And if you're not planning on entering or already have, send in your COTW votes to get yourself warmed up for all the voting that's needed for the first round of the HJC Open!

2nd Quarter Vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW July 7-13 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

HJC Open Round 1 entries (due Wednesday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

HJC Open Entries

Andrew W.

Ben A.

Coby S.

Joey F.

 Justin S.

Mike S.

Nate F.

Ricky M.

Stephen T.

William B.

And now onto our normal daily concepts...

Nashville Predators Alternate Jersey Concept - Martin L.

Martin wants to get Nashville in on the baby blue train that was a pretty big trend for awhile. The color scheme doesn't look bad, but why add a color unnecessarily? The white boxes around the name and numbers are unnecessary as well and they make it look like the designer didn't know how to get a transparent background behind the text, even if it was on purpose. The arm striping isn't bad, maybe thicken the blue stripes a bit... Also the lack of a hem stripe is a shame. The chest stripes under the logo are way too think and could barely be seen from further away, I'd thicken them up, make them match the arms, and move them down to the hem of the jersey so they can go all the way around the jersey.

Rating: 4/10


San Jose Sharks Alternate Jersey Concept - Jarrett T.

First off, presentation is very important with concepts. The jersey should be centered in the image unless there is equipment to be shown as well. Right now it just looks sloppily thrown onto an image. Also, there's no ID. I had no idea who made this concept. Someone could post this image as their own elsewhere and you'd have no proof you did it... Anyway...

A new alternate jersey is what Jarrett is suggesting and he keeps it black. I'm not against the striping pattern and white yoke but it'd be nice if they matched. I'd prefer the yoke be teal, it makes the jersey look darker, the white is just too bright and throws everything off. TV numbers on only one side are probably a no-go in today's NHL so probably best to move them back to the arm instead of the yoke so that way you can have 2 sets of TV numbers and the shoulder patches. I like the way the white and orange interact in the trim of the colored swoops on the jersey. The logo should also have some sort of outline or stroke to set it apart from the black base of the jersey.

Execution note, the Sharks' logo on the shoulders should be bleeding off of the jersey, as is right now it looks  like there are two Sharks' logos on the right shoulder.

Rating: 5/10


Colorado Avalanche Concept - Mario A.

Mario gives the Av's a new set and gets rid of black, for the most part. I like the idea of adding some arm striping to the elbows of the sleeves, adds something new to a set of jerseys that I think most people agree are kind of dull.... but the striping that Mario went with look way too blocky and paint bucket-y. The little mountains on the hem of the jersey look way out of place too. They should at least bleed off of the hem of the jersey instead of just stopping. They should also probably be white or silver on the burgundy jersey.

Rating: 5/10


Nashville Predators Alternate Jersey Concept - Phil B.

Phil would like to see the Predators take the ice is a yellow jersey featuring large white fangs on the jersey... at least that's what I see them as. I'd get rid of the blue and white on the shoulders, makes the jersey look too busy with all the large fangs. I think the large white blocks/points on the arms and hem of the jersey make the jersey look pretty amateur. I think the idea itself could work, but as is right now, the blocks of white look too big and just, I don't know... Bleh. If anyone has any ideas how to make the fang idea work let us know in the comments.... personally I'd make the fangs thinner and maybe only have them on the arms.

Rating: 6/10


Toronto Maple Leafs Heritage Night - St. Pats - Concept - Leo D.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Leafs take the ice once or twice a year decked in green like this. I like wordmark inside the chest stripe. I don't care for the amount of thin white stripes on the sleeves. I'd get rid of the top 6 or 7 stripes on the arm so that way nothing is interfering with the TV numbers. The omission of the name on the back and helmet/pants logos adds to the old timey feel of the jersey.

Rating: 6.5/10


Sudbury Wolves (OHL) - Scott B.

I'm a fan of the Wolves' logo used here. There jersey itself has the look of a very dark Flyers jersey. Not a bad look. However, I'd like to see the extended yoke a lot thicker, so the TV numbers are completely within it. Also, the stitching inside the jersey here should be deleted or altered. This jersey cut would not have the traditional yoke visible.

Rating: 7/10


Arizona Coyotes Alternate Jersey Concept - Christian L.

Hey, you get a new team name, why not a new jersey? This jersey is very busy compared to their other jerseys. I feel like the gradient is a dated design element on hockey jerseys. I think they could be done right and still look good today but when paired with the flag pattern on the jersey the whole thing just looks way too busy, at least for my taste. The new primary logo is a plus though.

Rating: 7/10


Toronto St. Pats What If Concept - s2dio

What if the Pats never changed their name and we never got the Leafs? Hmm... Looks like we've got another great series from s2dio and I'm lookin' forward to it. I'd like to see a white version since the team would have two jerseys nowadays. I really like the striping between the hem and the arms. Normally chest stripes and hem stripes don't go together well but I don't mind it here. I think the socks should have the sleeve/hem striping applied on them instead of a bold white stripe. I would think a green helmet would be used as well. Now, the shoulder logo is neat and makes sense to us since it's half a clover and half Leafs logo, but if there never were a Maple Leafs that logo wouldn't make a lot of sense... at least that's how I see it.

Rating: 8/10


Well there you have it folks. A lot to look at and soak in today! You might have to go through the post a second or third time... Why not eh?