Friday: Draft Day Delight

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  Tonight marks the start of the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas, and with it comes one of the most exciting nights of the offseason.  As teams look to build toward the future of their success, we finally get to see the next generation of hockey take shape after months of speculation.  Additionally, it has the potential to send off a frenzy of trades, which could send a lot of players we already know and love to new teams (cough... Erik Karlsson.. cough...).  The most exciting part of this draft to us here at HJC, however, is the potential to see the first round of third jerseys from the Adidas Adizero system.  We already know that the Hurricanes have confirmed that they will be debuting their new alternate jersey at the Draft, and we're willing to bet that other teams will capitalize on the hype of such a high profile night to premier theirs.  Accordingly, we will be following draft night closely and will update y'all on any jersey news and leaks, so be sure to check the site and our twitter for the latest jersey news.  

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for June 15-21, with polls closing Friday at noon EDT.  We also have a special Saturday concept post going up tomorrow, so be sure to check back at the regular time for that.  

 COTW June 15-21 vote (ends Friday @ noon EDT) 

 Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episode every Monday!) 

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Now on to today's concepts!

Anthony C.- Providence College Friars

Our first concept of the day is Anthony C.'s design for the Providence College Friars.  I like the striping design here, it's simple yet effective.  I like that the chest stripe goes all the way around the jersey, that's a huge pet peeve of mine, and the numbers work well with it.  The yoke and hem treatment work well on both jerseys, which is surprisingly difficult when used consistently across a set.  While I do like the chest stripe treatment and the striping design, I'm not sure how I feel about this pattern being used as a chest stripe, it's a little too simple for me.  Additionally, I'm not a fan of the logo choice, especially when the Friars' hockey team has its own logo.  Gear looks good, but going forward try to put both sets in the same image.  Final verdict: a decent design for the Friars, but I think the chest stripe was a miscue.  7.5/10

Burkus Circus- New York Rangers

Next up is Burkus Circus with an alternate design for my beloved New York Rangers.  I'm usually a tough customer when it comes to Rangers designs, but I have to admit that I really like this design.  The Rangers have shown multiple times in recent years that they can still rock a navy jersey, and it makes sense to bring back the Lady Liberty logo, beautifully recolored, from their original navy alternate.  I like the striping pattern, and the red yoke with the striping looks great, but I wish the yoke striping continued all the way on the back of the jersey.  While I'm not usually a fan of white collars on dark jerseys, it works surprisingly well here, and the navy pentagon looks good.  While I can see where you were going with the font choice trying to match the logo, I think it's a little bit too modern looking for a such traditional jersey.  Gear looks good, and presentation is solid.  Final verdict: a good looking alternate for the Rangers, and with a few tweaks could be perfect.  8.5/10

Dylan T.- New York Islanders

We follow up the Rangers with an alternate design for the other, inferior New York team, the Islanders.  Per our resident Isles beat writer Phil, the Islanders will indeed be going with an orange alternate this year, so this one seems right on track.  The striping pattern is on brand with the Isles' current identity, and the addition of the white stripe above the blue looks great here.  The use of the isolated NY logo is a no-brainer, as it was the only redeemable part of their last alternate jersey.  I'm not a fan of the Adidas split collar design, and the inclusion of black laces on the tie-down seems like an unnecessary nod to the (pardon the pun) darker days of their design history.  Final verdict: a decent looking design, and seems like a plausibly prediction, but I wish more risk had been taken.  7/10

Jay S.- Quad City Mallards

Our final design of the day is Jay S.'s design for our dearly beloved, recently departed, Quad City Mallards.  As noted in our story yesterday on the new Quad City Storm identity, the Mallards were not only a favorite identity of ours, but also fairly good friends to the site, with some of our contests helping their jersey design department.  As such, I try not to let that relationship cloud my judgment in the name of impartiality, but these are just too good not to gush over.  I love the full length yoke for the Mallards, and the downplay of orange and use of green as the primary color is a fantastic move.  I love that the striping pattern is consistent across the set, and yet it has a different look on each of the jerseys.  The yoke on the alternate looks great, and the striping in it is a nice touch.  Logo and font choices are great, and presentation is immaculate.  My only note is that the TV numbers on the road jersey might work better in white rather than the black.  Final verdict: a fantastic design that I'm sad we'll never see on the ice.  9.5/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

That's all for me this week, see y'all next Friday!