Monday: The Beginning of the Week, the Beginning of an Era

Hello, everyone! My name is Gack Jablaoski, er-- Jack Jablons--, I mean Jack Godlewski, and I am the new Monday writer here at HJC, and that means that you get to start your week off with my long-winded cynicism and terrible jokes!

A little bit about me. I'm 17 years old, about to finish up my senior year in high school. I love hockey. It's the only pro sport I really watch. My family has been huge into hockey for generations, and I followed in their footsteps. When it comes to teams, I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, so I love my Blackhawks to death (even before they won the cup)! I also have another favorite team, the Ducks. I loved the Mighty Ducks movies as a kid, and the thought of making a real team based on it blew my little mind. I've never actually visited California though, so there's that. I started making concepts in 2014, and had just found this website not only 8 or so months ago. And now look where I am! Remember, everyone. Anything can happen.

Before I let the post really begin, let me tell you about this fantastic thing you can do right here on Hockey Jersey Concepts RIGHT NOW! That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. You can vote! Check out the best concepts from last week, and also vote on the slew of concepts from our Get Your Own Jersey competition!

COTW April 26 - May 2 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern
Get Your Own Jersey Comp (ends Sunday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

This week, we’re only posting entries from our latest competition, “Get Your Own Jersey.” If you haven’t seen it yet, click on the rules bar at the top. If you’re too lazy to do that, it’s basically where we take the AHL teams that share incredibly similar jerseys with their NHL big brothers. The Concept of the Week for this week will be whichever jersey wins the competition!

So, let's get to the concepts!

Ryan H. - Stockton Heat

I’m gonna bite the bullet on my first post ever and review my boss’ jersey.

Pros: The first thing I have to say is, it’s clean. Incredibly well executed. Your stripes are all even and well placed. Also, fantastic job using my favorite template (Thank you based Wonka). The colors just really stand out, especially when there is no white in the jersey itself. I love the yellow on the sleeves. I also love what you did with the numbers, it looks like you just flipped the 2 180 degrees. All I can think about when I see this is “firefighter,” so with a team named the Heat, that’s a pretty fantastic start 

Cons: As much as I love laces, I don’t know if they truly are necessary here. The TV Numbers seem a little on the small side to me, or it might just be the fact that they’re so far from the stipes. The arm striping looks a little bare to me as well, the fact that it doesn’t really have that same flare as the hem makes it look weak. Also, just a personal preference here, but shoulder patches are wonderful additions to every concept! Just throw on the Flames logo and it would make this look leagues better.

A great jersey, but there are just a few tweaks I would make to really pull this jersey together. 8.5/10

John E. - Utica Comets

This is John’s second entry to the competition, and might I say you outdid yourself.

Pros: This is one sharp looking jersey. It almost makes me wish that the Comets were a professional team, that way they could wear these on the ice. The shapes of the stripes, the use of the stars from the logos throughout, the color choice. I just love how it looks like that bottom stripe got curved and thrown around like a comet’s tail on the sleeve. And of course, your execution is near flawless.

Cons: There are some slight issues I have with the execution, though. The logo does seem a tad small, and the “A” could be made a little bigger or moved closer. I also really don’t like the Iceborn template because it has Iceborn spewed all over it. You could have had a nice logo on the helmet. If you took all that out and replaced it with the proper logos, this would be an easy 10. Another simple thing is the pants, I feel like they just need a touch of green somewhere.

This is just a beautiful jersey, excellent job. 9.75/10.

Tristan M. - Toronto Marlies

This one is a strange one, it combines vintage stripes and modern piping.

Pros: First of all, excellent execution. The use of shadows really helps makes this concept look professional. Kudos for using the same striping around the logo, it ties the entire concept together. The striping looks even better on the arms, and the shoulder patch is the perfect size where it fits and looks like a piece of the team’s identity rather than the Maple Leafs’.

Cons: This is a beautiful design held back by one thing, that piping. It just seems like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Every other element is a perfect vintage-style jersey, so it looks tacked on.

That piping, wow.

This is a great start, but that tacked-on piping is a big reduction. 7.5/10

Vaughn R. - Bridgeport Sound Tigers

This is a very simple and clean jersey, but I don’t know if that’s a great thing for this team.

Pros: It’s simple, clean, and I love the lack of white in this concept, but…

Cons: There are just a lot of glaring issues with your execution. The first thing I noticed was that the stitching carries on below the hem stripe, make sure that it stops at the hem stripe.  The “A” on the chest needs a stroke or something to make it pop. The fact that the TV numbers are a different color than the number on the back looks awkward. The logo doesn’t really pop or come out at the viewer, and the fact that there’s one shoulder patch that doesn’t belong to the Islanders is confusing. Another big issue that can be easily fixed, look through the blog or check the tutorials section to find how to get rid of those pesky ghost pixels in the collar. Also, the fact that the underflap is white makes the rest of the concept confused.

A good start, but a bit more High School template and a little less crazy AHL jersey. I don't mean to shoo you away with, but there are just many things that can easily be changed to make your concepts that much better. 4/10.

Jeff H. - Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Here’s our second Sound Tigers concept of the day, and it’s a lot different from the last one.

Pros: Stellar execution! You really used the Iceborn template to its true potential here. I love every piece of this jersey, especially that insane tiger striping. It’s an incredibly original idea that doesn’t seem too overbearing. If you just used it in the yoke, then it would have been tacky. If you had used it for the entire fill of the jersey, it would’ve looked tacky. Right here it might just look tacky. But heck, I absolutely love it.

Cons: The only bad thing I have to say about this jersey is that the pants need a touch of orange somewhere, but that’s really more a personal choice.

This is one of, if not my favorite concept from the competition. Really struck it out of the park with your originality here. 9.75/10.

There you have it, folks! My first post is coming to a close. There were some fantastic jerseys today. Come back next week for my first real post, or just come back tomorrow to see more AHL madness! Keep the concepts coming, guys. We’ve got a whole week left for the contest!

Once again, do not forget to vote on which of these concepts you think as best, as well as which of the three concepts from last week you think is best.

Last but not least, Jack G. signing out for the first, but certainly not last time.
GO HAWKS! GO DUCKS!