Spartan

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new segment from the VSN Scouting Department! We're all still recovering from the thrills that were the VHL and VHLM draft in the past week, but the draft hype train never stops. As the S78 Draft closed up shop, the portal opened up the player listing for the S79 VHL Draft - leading @Patrik Tallinder and myself to get the hype going nice and early, with a wayyyyy too early mock draft. While this draft class has only really existed for a few weeks, it has the potential to be a very strong class, featuring multiple players from high profile agencies, such as the commissioner's office, the recruitment team, and many other recreates. It'll certainly be a very strong top of the class, but the dropoff from the top players may not be as steep as the dropoff in the S78 class, making this a very exciting group to cover over the next season. Before diving into the mock draft, I'd like to mention that this is merely a very, very early guess at how the draft will play out, as well as explain the rationale behind the order of the draft. I briefly conjured up a projected power rankings for the VHL, which is not the official season preview/predictions endorsed by VSN. The "Around the VHL" crew will be providing more depth into a season preview later this week. For now though, this article uses a very loose speculation of how teams will finish off the season. Enjoy! 1st Overall RW - Tyler Reinhart - @Zetterberg This is a relatively simple selection for the Vancouver squad that has committed to the retool. In a fiercely competitive NA conference, look for the Wolves to end up with the top odds in the lottery, and the opportunity to select the clear #1 prospect in the class - Tyler Reinhart. The smooth skating sharpshooter looks to become the next offensive juggernaut in Vancouver, as the franchise will be looking to replace Andrew Su, their former face of the franchise. Reinhart is not very physical, but more than makes up for the lack of physicality with silky-smooth hands and a fantastic offensive and defensive IQ, making him the surefire #1 selection. 2nd Overall D - Poopy Peepants - @JardyB10 This may come as a mildly surprising selection to many, considering that Peepants is barely in the top 5 of the class in terms of TPE, but his earning and former reputation suggests that he could easily earn his way into the top 3. Moscow selected defenseman Hard Markinson with the 2nd overall pick in the S78 draft, but they could still use a 2nd high-ceiling defense prospect on their very young and unproven defense core. Peepants will be closely examined by many GM's over the course of the season, as they'll all like to know whether Peepants can develop into a top pairing role in the VHL. 3rd Overall C - Jonathan Ori - @ROOKIE745 Malmo is in desperate need for a center, as current centers Kevin Sterk and Arthur Dayne are each within a few seasons of retirement, with no clear replacement in the Nighthawks' prospect pool. Recent S78 selection Nathanial Minion could surely grow into the role, but for now, his growth is a question mark and Malmo could look to Jonathan Ori to fill the void. Ori is a newcomer to the VHL and VHLM, only declaring his intent to participate in the league in the past week, but has already showed a massive willingness to learn - exponentially increasing his growth. This class is looking very thin for centers, with only Omi Aberg as the other center, so look for Malmo to fill a key hole while also selecting a premium position. 4th Overall LW - Jerome Reinhart - @MexicanCow123 Davos follows a similar principle to Malmo at 4 overall and selects a position that fills a hole on the squad, while also selecting the best player available. Jerome Reinhart only declared his eligibility for the draft in the past week, but he comes from a very strong agency that managed the career of Jacob Tonn, the former star goalie for Seattle, Moscow and London. The only potential risk here is if Jerome wants to eventually play with fellow Reinhart, 1st overall selection Tyler Reinhart. That’ll be for the GM’s to evaluate and decide though. 5th overall (from CGY) D - Erlantz Jokinen - @jRuutu Fate is certainly on Seattle's side as they land yet another player from jRuutu's agency, one they are very familiar with from the era of Jim Bob. Like his predecessor, Jokinen brings a consistent two-way game to Seattle, looking to slowly develop his physical side as well. Seattle's largest weakness of the future is their aging defense corps, and Jokinen would provide a fresh new face to keep Seattle's window open for even longer (does Seattle even know what rebuilding is?) A familiar face at a position of need feels like a no-brainer - pencil in Jokinen to Seattle if Calgary's selection happens to fall between 4-6 overall. 6th overall (from NYA) G - Papa Emiritus - @Beketov This draft is really shaping up to be a dream come true for almost every team involved so far. Warsaw is fortunate enough to hold NYA's 1st round selection, while also conveniently being in the market for a new franchise goaltender with the retirement of incumbent starter Ajay Krishna approaching quickly. All the teams that have selected so far all have franchise goalies in place, or have recently selected goaltenders to be their franchise netminders of the future. Warsaw stops Emiritus' fall, and selects one of the best prospect goaltenders to come out of the M in quite a while - a truly fantastic pairing. 7th overall (from DCD) RW - Taylor Mourning - @scoop Prague barely misses out on selecting their replacement for Grekkark Gyrfalcon, but are awarded a very strong consolation prize in Tayor Mourning. Mourning would immediately slot in on either the first or second line and provide a strong two-way game, as well as consistent playmaking to set up the other shoot-first forwards - this could potentially be the replacement Prague will need for retiring star forward Thomas Landry II. Scoop’s development has shown consistency, and has continued to grow each week at a very high level. Expect to see this young man drafted in the top 10 on draft day for sure. 8th overall D - Lilith Lunar - @Lilith_Lunar In what may eventually be perceived as a tad bit of a reach, Helsinki addresses the largest team need of defense, even if it means selecting a player above their projected rank. In a shallow defenseman class, new GM Frank Funk will need to decide whether to go with the best player available, or take a chance on the best defenseman available in Lunar. Another new entrant to the VHL, GM’s will be keeping an eye on Lunar to determine whether she can be consistent both on the ice, and in her development. Coming out of the gates swinging with very intense training sessions, Lunar could easily lay a serious claim to be considered a top 10 selection, but she’ll have her work cut out for her to prove that ranking. 9th overall LW - Miroslav Tsarov - @PadStack With the 9th pick in the draft, Los Angeles decides to take the best player available with Miroslav Tsarov. The Ukrainian winger will join a group of young forwards in LA, and he will get the chance to grow among the likes of wingers Trevor Wallace, Henri le Massif and Lenny Sanderson. This is a group with good potential, and they will have the abilities necessary to complement their elite center group. Tsarov earns around 8-10 capped TPE every week, making him a reliable option for the team in the future. He will need a season to develop after the draft in all likelihood, however he has the potential to be a real contributor in the VHL once he does get there. 10th overall RW - Baby Bob - @Baby Boomer Moving on to a first gen with quickly increasing potential, London picks up recent Mississauga draftee Baby Bob. Bob played 2 games to end S77, signing with Mexico City right before the season concluded. Although he didn’t record any points, he did show a lot of potential in those two games. With this selection, London gets a player with upside that is rivalled by few players that go below him in this mock draft. He could inject some youth into the United’s forward unit, and bring the scoring touch that he has been working on this offseason. This is a player who could quite possibly end up higher on this list by the end of this season based on his TPE earning resume so far. 11th overall (from SEA) D - Bob Beach - @Big Bob After grabbing a future first line center at 3rd overall, Malmo aims to add some depth to their blueline with Yukon’s Bob Beach. Beach is a smooth skater with a precise shot and a good mind for the game. He will have to compete with some quality prospects for ice time in the big league when he gets there, but there will certainly be spots available to replace some of the aging pieces of the team’s defense. Bob Beach is likely the best player available at this slot, and it would make sense for the Nighthawks to vary their picks a little bit in terms of position. 12th overall G - Em Em Flex - @oilmandan User oilmandan has long been one of the most dependable users in the league, always creating solid players with no streaks of inactivity whatsoever. This dependability makes him a very enticing option in the crease, as a goalie fallen inactive can seriously damage a team’s situation. Prague can absolutely count on Em Em Flex being their starter of the future, as they add another core piece to the puzzle after selecting Jerome Reinhart earlier in the round. Flex is a netminder with exceptional ability down low; His skating technique and rebound control allows him to direct play from the ice and cover the bottom of the net with ease. 13th overall G - Emiko Spector - @Emi This pick from Riga would mark the first time since S73 that two goalies were drafted back to back in the first round of the VHL draft, when Grekkark Gyrfalcon and Jean Pierre Camus went 6th and 7th overall. Emiko Spector is a goalie with stunning potential, capping out in the first week of her young career. She will have the chance to prove her worth in Halifax this season, where she will serve as the backup behind Jonathan Bustard. After an early retirement with her last player, Emi may find herself below Em Em Flex to begin the season, but that could always change when you consider the impressive TPE earning that has continued into her second career. 14th overall (from TOR) C - Omi Aberg - @osens This pick is an interesting one. It presumes that Aberg starts earning TPE like osens’ last player did, because he has only earned 2 TPE since recreating two days ago. Osens is a well-liked member in the community, and it would be no surprise if he was picked even earlier than this pick if he begins earning again. He would join Tyler Reinhart in Vancouver, possibly forming a future C-LW duo for the team. Aberg is a playmaker that makes the players around him better; Slotting him with goalscorers will almost surely boost the numbers of his linemates. 15th overall LW - Jakub Brozik - @Wolverine Chicago already has a very well-established forward core, and for this reason they can confidently take a bit of a risky pick to shoot for high upside to eventually replace some of the older forwards on the roster. User Wolverine has retired early multiple times in the past few seasons, but there is no doubting that he is an extremely active member with tremendous upside as a player. Perhaps Brozik will go the distance for a full career, and the Phoenix will be over the moon with this pick. Brozik has capped out for four straight weeks to kick off his new career, and he is looking to make an early impression with the Hounds after being chosen 25th overall in the VHLM Draft. 16th overall (from WAR) RW - Luke Pastrnak - @GoldGear88 With their third and final selection in the first round of this draft, Malmo drafts Luke Pastrnak of the Mexico City Kings. Although Pastrnak wasn’t placed in a large role on the Aces last season, he did gain some valuable playoff experience on a 9 game run that was cut short in the second round. This season, Pastrnak will showcase his skills in a more prominent role with the Kings. If Malmo likes what they see, maybe he will land here at 16th overall. --- Thanks all for reading this mock draft! Myself and @Patrik Tallinder will claim this for 2 weeks each.

G - Ajay Krishna @Enorama

the plane was honestly my favorite part of it, and one that I really wanted to be part of the logo - glad we got it in there haha

D - Cowboy Prout @Gaikoku-hito

F - SS Hornet @Enorama

D - Matty Socks @Gaikoku-hito

We're all doing this now eh? Might as well do this now so I don't forget about it like I did in S76! Alternate: Duncan Idaho - @OrbitingDeath Our first alternate is just in his second season, but has already showed tremendous leadership both on the ice and in the locker room. He leads by example, faithfully serving not only his lord Paul Atreides, but also assisting the entire team whenever they may need it. Alternate: Bob Tristan - @N0HBDY Tristy quickly became one of the most vocal players in the locker room, making him an easy selection for an alternate designation. He's got some tread on his tires, which means plenty of experience to share with our plethora of rooks. Maybe we can finally get him some playoff experience soon, yeah? Captain: Cole Newhook - @GrittyIsKing09 Our faithful S72 lad is approaching the twilight of his career, and in Moscow tradition, the longest serving member of the team receives the captain's C. Even if he wasn't the longest tenured Menace player (along with Pietro Angellini), Newhook's leadership has always been evident, keeping team morale high during our first rebuilding season in a decade. We'll be relying strongly on him to continue his great work for the team this season, and we hope to send our stud out on a high note! Congrats to all three of you!

F - Onde Sandstorm @Enorama

Fantastic choice using Jared McCann! Love the sig

The past few days since the draft feel like they've really flown by. We completed the draft on Thursday, and it featured some really amazing graphics by Sonnet who needs a lot more credit for that than what he's gotten so far. It was really awesome to see in real time, and hopefully it got more people off the portal and watching the stream. In terms of the draft from a Moscow perspective, I'm honestly quite pleased with it. We selected a disproportionately large amount of wingers in the draft, but I like to think of them as luxury picks. Snagging Steez and Seabass at 2 and 3 was really the main goal of the draft - shoring up our defense and adding a franchise 1B center. I've said many times that I'd love to try to emulate the one-two punch the Penguins have with Sid and Geno, and I think that's exactly what Atreides and Seabasstard can become for Moscow. Adding Lemieux, Markov, Johnson and Takala all in the 2nd was a cherry on top, as I've had great interactions with all 4 before the draft and really wanted to find a way to get all of them on the team. It was a nice combination of veterans and first-gens, older and younger members that has already made the locker room a fantastic place to be. Drafting 4 wingers, 5 if you count the IA Mack, really wasn't the plan I had going into the draft, but seeing them available at our picks was just something I couldn't pass up on. Takala and Johnson both had top 20 grades on my draft board, so I was happy to trade with Toronto to move up and select them. Our middle 6 winger group may be the most uncertain position on our team long-term, and I think Lemieux, Markov and Takala can all remain active and earn consistently to fill in those spots alongside some combination of the 3 rookie wingers we called up this season. It's a deep prospect pool at the position, and now only time will tell how we fare. The cap change will greatly benefit us, as getting that extra 5 million to ensure roster spots for the next 2-3 seasons was huge, and will give us more flexibility in evaluating our rookies/prospects. Lastly, Leroy Johnson may have been the most under-appreciated player in the class. Goalie was not a very coveted position, as is typical for the position. But Kobe had been in our LR for a few weeks before the draft, and he had expressed a desire to play for Moscow. Having Malone entrenched as the starter and Bowman coming up as a prospect gave us very little wiggle room, so I challenged Kobe to max earn up through the draft to prove that he could be a starting goalie. He rose to the challenge, and is one of the few players in this class to really earn his roster spot. I'm very excited to see how he can grow over the next few seasons and potentially blossom into our goalie of the future after Malone - it'll certainly keep Bowman on his toes! Anyways, well over word count so I'll stop it here, but I'm just excited to build more relationships with new faces and continue turning Moscow into a serious threat!

Excited and sad for one last season of Newhook, was an absolute pleasure having you on the team for this long. Let's send you out on a high note!

There's just something special about being an openly rebuilding team. You appreciate the wins a lot more, shrug off the losses much more easily. I've definitely noticed that the focus is more on the people and in my case, testing out various things with very little at stake. I'm grateful that I was put into a situation where this was even possible, as coming in with super high expectations to make Moscow win now would definitely have stressed me out at a time I really didn't need more stress, that being my end of the semester as well. Honestly, same to all points here. I'm realistically busier than I was at college, probably because I have more of a schedule now to avoid just lazing around, and now that I'm fully vaccinated and my friends are as well, we're finding more things to do together and in person. I was at a grad party on Sunday with some close friends and it was just really nice to be in a group of fully vaccinated folks, and able to just spend an afternoon/evening drinking and hanging out with a care in the world. Plus I've been productive in other aspects, so I just feel much better than the past few months. Working out of a basement still sucks though lol. We should play Town of Salem online again sometime

F - Valtteri Vaakanainen @Gaikoku-hito

Congrats on a fantastic career man!

1. animal74 F - Aloe Dear F - Timothy Brown F - Dakota Lamb D - Erik Killinger D - Viktor Alexei Kamenov G - 2. Victor F - Taro Tsujimoto F - Luke Thornton F - Duncan Idaho D - Latrell Mitchell D - Alex Letang G - 3. Enorama F - Groovy Dood F - Ryan Schwarz F - Robin Winter D - Tyler Walker D - Battre Sandstrom G - 4. Spartan - GM F - Valtteri Vaakanainen F - Onde Sandstrom F - SS Hornet D - Matty Socks D - Cowboy Prout G - 5. Gaikoku-hito F - Jim Bob F - Thomas Landry II F - D - Kasper Kankkunen D - Jolly Greene Giant G - 6. Jubo F - Christian Mingle F - Venus Thightrap F - D - Roque Davis D - Chris Hylands G -

1. I was definitely disappointed that we couldn't keep him after his solid showing in S76, but we're always glad to have him back now! 2. I hope you have nitro, because the dancing dragon emote is top tier. Unfortunately my nitro ran out right after I had Eno edit it and add it to the LR. 3. I think it's always nice to see the next generation of VHLers. We're not going to be around forever, so someone else has to step up and be the face of the franchise. 4. Both of them were potential first round selections, and definitely 2nd round picks, so good on Eno to snag both of them! 5. From our time in Moscow in S76, I've seen Olson play lights out. I think he had the best GAA/SV % that season but the lack of starts lost him award nominations. 6. The warmth when sunlight hits your face when you step out of a shadow just feels much different in the late spring/early summer than in fall/winter. Odd choice but that's very pleasing.

Welcome back Riley, good to have you active again!

Hey I joined the EFL first and had to be coaxed into joining the VHL

Welcome back @Emi, best of luck with your new player!

*cough*

Congrats Rayz! Excited to be working with you again

Thanks for giving us a shot Plate, love you loads. Best of luck in London!

EUROOOOOPEEEEE LETS GOOOOOOOOO