Saturday: Short and Sweet

Hello everyone! In today's post we have a few hockey-to-soccer translations, a few alternates, and some concepts for teams that I guarantee you have never seen on this website! Which, considering the sheer amount of concepts that have been posted on HJC over the years, is impressive. 

Unfortunately, some urgent family business came up this weekend, and I'm not able to write my usual  comments and observations. I'll have something good for you all next week, though. That being said, let's just get straight to business.

St. Louis Blues "Hockey 2 Soccer" Concept - Phil B.

Positives: Phil's soccer series has shown us some new approaches to designs. This concept in particular has some unique elements with the pinstriping.

Negatives: I'm not digging the numbers, especially the zero.

Overall: This has some creative elements. (7/10)

Tampa Bay Lightning "Hockey 2 Soccer" Concept - Phil B.

Positives: I like the idea of sash-type design for the Lightning, however...

Negatives: ...I wish that it more closely resembled a lightning bolt. Those old Tampa numbers don't match the new identity at all.

Overall: Lack of a true lightning bolt sash is a missed opportunity. The Lightning's past does not match it's present. (6.5/10)

Toronto Maple Leafs "Hockey 2 Soccer" Concept - Phil B.

Positives: The front of the jersey looks good. I like the use of the Maple Leaf logo here.

Negatives: Although the front looks good, the back presents some difficulties with the name and numbers. I think something similar to what Phil did with the Leafs logo on the front would look better, but it is difficult to say. It's definitely a tricky thing to work around and keep the jersey from looking too busy.

Overall: Not many teams to wrap-around chest striping. It's hard to work with. (7/10)

Minnesota Wild Alternate Jersey Concept - Dallas O.

Positives: Dallas shows some creativity here. Dallas makes a 'W' out of the trees in the Wild's logo. The jersey itself is clean and well executed. I really like the number font used. I think it's the Blue Jackets alternate jersey font, which is one of my favorites in the NHL.

Negatives: I appreciate the creativity, but the logo isn't my thing. I prefer the numbers on the sleeves, but I see why Dallas would try them on the shoulders. The arms on this particular template have always seemed too short to me. Personally, I would lose the phantom yoke, and the contrasting-color hem and cuffs.

Overall: Creative and clean, but not my favorite design. (6.5/10)

Sodertalje SK (Swedish Tier 2) Concept - Zach W.

Positives: We don't see many Swedish Tier 2 teams on the site, so it's great to see something different. The striping is interesting. Zach added a logo to the helmet, so he is paying attention to some of the details.

Negatives: There are some loose pixels around the logo, collar, and various other places. Part of the hem doesn't line up properly. The socks on a dark jersey shouldn't be white. 

Overall: I like the basic idea behind the striping, but this concept needs a little more work. (6/10)

Ottawa Lumberjacks Fantasy Team Concept - Christian L.

Positives: I like the faux-flannel striping. The logo isn't bad, either. Christian makes good use of S2udio's template. Execution is great. Christian's work has been top-notch recently.

Negatives: Some details are not as easy to discern compared to a more traditional template. I usually like to see the backs of jerseys as well.

Overall: Very solid from Christian on his fantasy team. (8.5/10) COTW nomination from me!

Carolina Hurricanes "Gray Alternates Series" Concept - Nate F.

Positive: I think the Hurricanes could get away with a gray alternate, as S2udio showed us earlier this year, with a concept that used this exact template. Hurricane flag striping looks good, even if the arm striping is a bit too close to the numbers. The Swirlicane is well-suited as a shoulder patch, but needs to be sized down here.

Negatives: The logo doesn't work. The word "hurricane" is too long for a wordmark like that on the front of a jersey, and it doesn't complement the logo well. I think the flag logo from Carolina's current alternate would work better here. I would change the white pants, too. White pants just don't look good in hockey.. Black would be preferable, but red could work. The stick and helmet overlap oddly. 

Overall: Close, but more work is needed here. (7.5/10)

Hope you all enjoyed the post. It was a bit shorter than usual, but I'll make it up to all of you next week. Here are my weekly gifs:

Reward gif for those who voted.

Shame gif for those who didn't vote.

Keep working on your entries for the Grand Rapids Griffins competition. Entries are due August 31st, and be sure to read the rules of the competition thoroughly! There aren't many rules, but some people have been sending in entries that violated them. Stay tuned for Ryan's Sunday post tomorrow. See you then!