Golden

With no one even knowing what adidas NHL jerseys look like, or any other history for the NHL's 31st franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, we have no idea what their inaugural jerseys will look like. I took a stab at them, invoking a sash from the Las Vegas flag and some red trim around a primarily grey jersey.

What do you think? Comment below!

The Original Seven

What if the NHL's Original Six was an Original Seven? And what if those Original Seven didn't include the actual O6? That's what I explore in today's post.

First up are the Calgary Cowboys. The current Flames take their name from their old location, Atlanta, so I named this team after the old WHA franchise. 

Next: the Dallas Stars. We'll pretend the North Stars don't exist, and they take their name purely from Texas culture. The logo is a de-modernized version of the current crest, with the old bright colour scheme.

The least likely of all these teams are the Panthers, but in this fictional universe, they're a traditional hockey powerhouse. Like the Stars, the logo is a simplified version of their current alternate logo.

The Wild's design takes cues from their current green jersey, and adds a large white yoke. The logo is an unused one for their inaugural season.

The least far-fetched of the series are the Penguins, as the NHL had already experimented with Pittsburgh in the O6 era. I used their inaugural logo, and a variant of the upper-arm design used throughout their history. 

The Canucks use an earlier version of Johnny Canuck from the old Western Hockey League, and a primarily green design taking cues from their current look.

Finally, the Blue Jackets use a barberpole look and a cannon logo.

What do you think? Comment below!

Beantown Gold

The Boston Bruins have one of the best looks in the league right now. They are one of the few examples of a Reebok Edge rehaul done right. But with all their history, they could pull off any number of looks and still look mesmerizing.

From the 40s to the 60s, the Bruins' look used a ton of gold. I was inspired primarily by their 1957-58 set, which their first Winter Classic uniform was based on to create this golden look.

What do you think? Comment below!

The Flying V: Classic or Modern

Most would scoff at that question, and rightfully so. The Flying V jerseys were part of one of the worst design ideas in NHL history, right up there with gradients and full-jersey logos, and were anything but classic. But today I present you two options for the Canucks inspired by those very jerseys. Classic or modern? I'm not too sure.

The "Classic" uniform has a toned down V chest stripe front and center. On the white jersey, it's separated into a green and blue stripe, while on the dark, I used the pattern Vancouver currently use on their home jerseys. The Johnny Canuck V logo is on the chest, and the Stick in the Rink is on the shoulders and pants. The entire set is in classic royal blue and green colours, along with a classic hockey font.

On the "Modern" Set, the V is much more pronounced. The Orca logo is front and center, with a navy blue V as a backdrop on both jerseys. I used the current font and the whale's current colour scheme for a modern double blue look. The double striping pattern on the arms matches the logo, while navy blue equipment tops it off.

What do you think? Comment below!

Oversimplification

Today's post stars two teams whose uniforms aren't bad by any means, but whose striping patterns are oversimplified. The Blue Jackets' uniforms are nice and simple, but they don't have an actual striping pattern. Considering how much blue the Panthers feature in their logo, it's almost non-existent in their jerseys. But they both have solid looks, and these problems are nothing that can't be fixed.

For Columbus, I kept the full length arm piping, but added striping. On the home, that striping is inspired by the Ohio flag, as many Jackets concepts are, with a hint of grey to match the logo. On the away, it's inspired by the design used on their "March With Us" ad campaign.

For Florida, I kept the logo and shoulder number treatments, but added some blue into the striping, which is now moved down to the hem. I also used all blue gear, and put the updated leaping panther on the pants.

What do you think? Comment below!

Star-Struck

Today's post centers on two teams who have a solid enough identity, but there's still enough things off which allow me to get creative.

The Dallas Stars' identity is a hit or miss to most people. I love everything about it, but today I'm throwing back to the days of the North Stars for a unique look. I took their gold-white-gold pattern and applied it everywhere I could, including the collar and gloves. The colouring in the logo here was actually proposed but unused in 1990. These could be seen as two options for an outdoor game, so I kept the green helmet on the away jersey.

Finally, the LA Kings' set is now iconic, seeing as it won the franchises' only two Cups, but I feel their uniforms are missing the regal feeling that their founder imagined for them. I was inspired by this year's Central Division All-Star jerseys to lose the black for forum blue. and added a matching shoulder yoke on both jerseys.

What do you think? Comment below!

25 Years of Sens

The Ottawa Senators have been around for 25 years now, but they still haven't stabilized their on-ice look. Some fans clamor for the heritage jerseys to be used as primaries; some want the currently unused side-profile mark to be used. And almost no one likes the 3D centurion, especially paired with one of the worst Edge templates.

Today, I present you with my fix. It takes design cues from their original set, the heritage jerseys, and uses that awesome side-profile, which I think could be one of the best identities in the league. I basically modernized their the original double arm stripe and single hem stripe set, but used the O as a shoulder patch and added a second stripe to every red stripe, creating what I think could be a modern and classic look at the same time.

What do you think? Comment below!

California's Future

With the Sharks getting even more competitive, the Anaheim-San Jose rivalry is heating up. Today, I look ahead to the future, with concepts for their California affiliates, the San Jose Barracuda and the San Diego Gulls.

Both jerseys are currently good enough, but I wanted to give them both looks that they could own, while clearly being affiliated with their respective NHL teams.

For the Barracuda, I pretended that the wave in the background is just that, a wave, and not an advertisement. I cleaned up the colour patterns, and applied them in wave designs on the arms and hem. The rest of the set takes cues from the Sharks' current uniform, including the equipment and shoulders, while swapping out the current curling shark for that of the Los Tiberones logo set.

For the Gulls, I was inspired by the Mighty Ducks era. The arm and hem striping takes the angles from those jerseys, but uses a pattern from the SD logo. To give the jerseys more of a modern touch, I applied the current Ducks yokes to this set.

 Comment below!

A Bit About Me

I've been making concepts for over a year now, so I've decided to create a blog to showcase my work.

My name is Lucas Daitchman. You may recognize me from the Icethetics page, from HJC, or from the Creamer boards under the username ldconcepts.

My first ever concept was a Buffalo Sabres logo concept slapped onto a vintage jersey with an added yellow yoke.

I've since improved my craft, using a tonne of better templates. I won my first HJC COTW with a Colorado Avalanche last February...

And my Identity Swap between the Coyotes and Panthers earned me third place in Icethetics' annual concept ranking in 2016...

I now switch between templates made by Josiah Bosch and Jordan Roberts.

So that's a bit about me. I'll post some of my newer concepts every few days. Comment below!