Season 84 Vancouver Wolves Draft Review
A draft 25 seasons in the making.
With the firing resignation of @Nykonax from Vancouver, I was selected to retake the reigns. Except in a new location as I last managed the team when they were known as the Quebec City Meute (Season 58). It's truly an honour to have the opportunity to run the franchise again. Especially during such tumultuous times with the introduction of the hybrid system and a recent dip in recruitment. It's okay though we all survived meta, so we we're pretty much invincible now. Now I will shut up and review Vancouver Wolves picks.
Round 1, Pick #7: C - Dogwood Maple @dogwoodmaple
Dogwood Maple fresh off a Founders Cup win with Las Vegas, after beating San Diego in 6 games. Who was the manager of San Diego you may ask? Me, yes that's right if you can't beat them draft them. When I interviewed Maple ahead of the draft I had the foregone conclusion that he would be long gone by our pick. Lucky for us the other six GM's had a brain fart and Dogwood fell right into our lap at 7th. Honestly Season 84 was a very deep draft and any other draft Maple could have easily gone top 3. First gens who show the activity he has displayed over the past season and a bit tend to go very high in the draft. I have little doubt in my mind that Maple will be a top center in the VHL throughout his career and the sky is the limit. He was excited at the thought of joining Vancouver and that's always an important part of drafting players. If they don't want to play for the team that's selecting them then you're probably going to have a bad time. In the VHLM this season Maple put up 29 goals 53 assists for 82 points in 72 games stellar numbers, but the even more impressive total is the +60 rating. Dogwood Maple can be described as an offensive minded center who is no slouch in his own end, I think I can confirm that with the stat line and the eye test watching from the nose bleeds in San Diego. We hope Maple can be our franchise center through the rebuild and into our window of contention. "The man is the real deal" - Me.
Prospect Grade: #1 or Franchise Center
Round 2, Pick #22: D - Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz
"Vancouver would be one of my top places to play." Sometimes the draft interview can be the deciding factor. At this point in the draft there were so many good options still left on the board. We weren't going to draft for need but sometimes the stars align, and it did with this pick. After watching so many games between San Diego and Las Vegas this past season, Jimmy always stood out to me as a great defensive defensemen. With Brandt Fuhr currently manning the crease and @Tate's willingness to commit long term it'll be important to surround him with a strong defense that can play both ends of the ice. Jimmy's play style and his interest in joining the Wolves was a match made in heaven and a pick we couldn't pass up. This past season in Las Vegas (Vegas again? Weren't you the San Diego GM...?) MacElroy posted 49 points in 72 games and a +50 rating with 217 hits and 101 shot blocks. Shot blocking is the one aspect MacElroy would like to focus on as he makes his way up to the bigs, which I'm sure Brandt Fuhr appreciates.
Prospect Grade: Top Pairing Shut Down Defensemen
Round 3, Pick #34: LW - Fred Hampton @TownBizness
Another Vegas Player? Yes. I'll always go for best player available and with the way the draft unfolded. Fred Hampton was #1 on our draft list and I was elated he was still available when we picked. Another player we had a close eye on this season in the VHLM. During the interview process we really appreciated his honest approach. It's nice to when a player tells you how things are and how they see themselves going forward. Makes the picture a lot clearer when you're trying to make your selections. Hampton who joined part ways through Season 83 didn't really get the offensive opportunities that the two players above had but he still put up decent numbers in a top 9 role. This season will be his coming out party in the VHLM. I look forward to seeing how Hampton progresses from his time in the VHLM this season to the VHLE next, and eventually his rookie season in Vancouver. I can already see Hampton and Maple slotting next to each other on a line with the Wolves.
Prospect Grade: Top Six Forward
Round 4, Pick #50: Joshua Bolton V @B3llol1
At this stage of the draft most users hadn't updated in weeks or logged on in months. I saw a tiny glimmer of hope with Joshua, the user had logged on Wednesday just ahead of the draft. While we haven't had any contact with the player since, there is still hope they will return and become the draft steal we know they can be. In the M this season they posted 50 points in 72 games for Philadelphia and if they can regain their activity, they'll post even better totals this season.
Prospect Grade: Depth Forward with Steal Potential
Overall out of 10 I think I would rate our draft a @Spartan self pat on the back/10. But maybe that's just me being generous. I really like the team that's taking shape in Vancouver we have a nice mix of players brought in by he who shall not be named and the prospects selected in this draft. I can see a nice core forming with @Tate, @Esso2264 , @Bigb33, @DarkSpyro, @Ryan Li and those mentioned above. We have room to grow with free agency opening tomorrow and 10 picks over the two drafts. Exciting times in Vancouver.
1007 words (1009 including those words) (wait when do I stop counting how many words I've written?)
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