Prediction Check 2011-12

We don't do much prognosticating here at Hockey Wilderness. Mostly because it tends to just make us look even more stupid than we already look most of the time. The other reason? Because we generally forget to make predictions until it is too late. Also, because we can't find two sets of people that agree if stats are predictive or not, so we just leave it for the people who have seen the replay.

Turns out, I have a history of this type of curse. Make the jump for those details, and a check up on the predictions I made this year.

History of the Curse

I am not a big jersey guy. I tend to have a great number of things on the list of things I need to buy (or likely fix), so dropping $100-300 on a shirt is not normally the top priority. Still, I have plunked down the cash on a few rare occasions.

It's sick, really.

My Current Curse

This year, I even tried to humor my way out of the curse, admitting fully I was a jinx. It didn't work. Even apologizing for choosing Latendresse as my breakout pick did not correct my hockey karma. Here are my predictions from earlier this year:

Thirteen points, a -7, and he has played a game since December 6th. The curse continues. My bad. Apparently I must have punched babies in a former life or something. Anyone have a player they want to miss significant time in the 2012-13 campaign? I'm taking bids.

Second prediction was a "dark horse" candidate on the Wild to break out. Here is what I went with:

Twenty-two points in 39 games played, on pace for 46 points. Not bad, but certainly not breakout numbers. Plus, he got a busted nose due to an unpunished dirty hit from behind. Yeah, this one's on me, too.

Next up, I was asked to pick the Wild player I thought would breakdown. My answer?

Cue high pitched voice: Nailed it. Nine points in 27 games. That puts him on pace for 27 points for the year. Huge numbers that would, in his career, best only last year. When he skated in only 46 games.

Finally, I was asked to determine just who, with the loss of Burns, and assuming Zidlicky would be there, would play the point on the power play.

Keep in mind this was in September. Early September, so Scandella's jump to the big time had not happened yet. Prosser is up, after Falk and Scandella claimed their spots. Last I checked, Spurgeon was taking time on the power play point. He has 15 points, putting him on pace for about... 30.

Results

I certainly am still cursed. Any player I pick to do well is either injured or leaves town. I have twice predicted, if only by accident, the player most likely to be injured and miss significant time. I'm not proud of this. Yet, I still have a fairly strong prediction record going for this season. Maybe I can become a millionaire like my stat friends soon.

Any predictions for the remainder of the year, Wilderness? List them below, and you can be wrong, just like me.