1. What kind of feelings are you feeling right now? Very excited for the draft!
2. Any idea when you might be picked? I’d say early 3rd round!
3. In the ideal world, what team or teams would be the ones that pick you? A team looking for a future elite goaltender!
4. Any friendly rivalries going on with other draftees? Hans Gruber and I are excited to see who gets drafted first lol
5. Who would you say is going to be the biggest steal in the draft? Hans Gruber, I think he will go late in the second but I feel he will prove to be elite
6. If a draftee is looking to do some last minute draft stock tanking - what would be some good ways to do that? Not sure I understand what your asking here
7. Going to play in the juniors next year? I plan to yes!
8. What in your opinion is the main difference between hockey in VHL and VHLM? VHL is much more competitive and where we all want to be. VHLM is just a stepping stone and place to develop.
9. Have you told any lies in the team interviews so far? Never
10. Would you rather get picked first overall and end up into a not so good team or get picked lets say 35th overall and end up into a good team? I’d rather go 35th and go to a better team!
There’s been so much hype and projection so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. I am very excited to get drafted to a VHL organization and start my professional hockey career!
Do you have any family or friends joining you on draft day?
Yes my mother and father will be there as well as my one year son, Clayton Park Jr. Also my good friend Hans Gruber will be there waiting for his name to be called!
At what point in the draft do you think you will be drafted? As well what is your draft projection for your friend @TheFlash Hans Gruber?
I think I will drafted late in the 2nd round or early in the 3rd round. If I’m being completely honest I believe there is only one goalie better then me in the draft and that is Owen May. Hopefully teams don’t wait to long to draft me as they might miss their opportunity! In regards to Hans Gruber I think he will be drafted mid to late in the 2nd round of the draft. He is a very talented hockey player with a very high hockey IQ.
Have many teams contacted you prior to the draft and how did it go?
I have been contacted by a few VHL GM’s expressing interest and I feel the talks went really well. I am confident that a team looking for an elite goaltender prospect will draft me without hesitation.
Lastly, tell VHL GM’s what you bring to the table and why they should draft you.
You should draft me because I am well on my way to being an elite VHL goaltender. I play hard every night and quit is not in my vocabulary! Last season, I had a 0.894 save percentage, a goals against average of 2.99 and picked up 3 shutouts. I did all this with a team that was weak defensively and I faced a total of 2010 shots with a average of 28 shots per game. If you want a goalie who is going to be your future between the pipes, I’m your guy! Draft me and let’s win a championship together!
There’s been so much hype and projection so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. I am very excited to get drafted to a VHL organization and start my professional hockey career!
Do you have any family or friends joining you on draft day?
Yes my mother and father will be there as well as my one year son, Clayton Park Jr. Also my good friend Hans Gruber will be there waiting for his name to be called!
At what point in the draft do you think you will be drafted? As well what is your draft projection for your friend @TheFlash Hans Gruber?
I think I will drafted late in the 2nd round or early in the 3rd round. If I’m being completely honest I believe there is only one goalie better then me in the draft and that is Owen May. Hopefully teams don’t wait to long to draft me as they might miss their opportunity! In regards to Hans Gruber I think he will be drafted mid to late in the 2nd round of the draft. He is a very talented hockey player with a very high hockey IQ.
Have many teams contacted you prior to the draft and how did it go?
I have been contacted by a few VHL GM’s expressing interest and I feel the talks went really well. I am confident that a team looking for an elite goaltender prospect will draft me without hesitation.
Lastly, tell VHL GM’s what you bring to the table and why they should draft you.
You should draft me because I am well on my way to being an elite VHL goaltender. I play hard every night and quit is not in my vocabulary! Last season, I had a 0.894 save percentage, a goals against average of 2.99 and picked up 3 shutouts. I did all this with a team that was weak defensively and I faced a total of 2010 shots with a average of 28 shots per game. If you want a goalie who is going to be your future between the pipes, I’m your guy! Draft me and let’s win a championship together!
Welcome to the S66 VHL MOCK Draft, Presented by the Unofficial VHL Scouting Network!
Hosted by me (Renomitsu) with plenty of help from rjfryman!
Want to make a mock of your own? Click here! This sheet, made by @rjfryman, will be updated shortly after posting to adjust for recent trades. This mock goes to 40 picks (4 rounds), when almost all picking teams are 3+ players deep at 3+ positions. Now with understanding of wing positions!
Round 1
1. Riga Reign – C Hunter Hearst Helmsley @Beaviss
HHH has the most TPE of any player in the draft and is one of only two players currently above 300 TPE. He'll crowd the Riga depth chart a bit at center, but gives Riga a lot of wiggle room and trade power. This pick gives the Reign a choice between dominating while fielding a very deep team, or building a team of young stars without sacrificing much current power. Another option is taking Shane Mars, and setting themselves up at a wing spot for a long time. Frankly, that may be the better option, provided HHH is Beavis's player and would likely leave for Vancouver after his rookie contract is up.
2. Vancouver Wolves (from Davos) - LW Shane Mars @Spade18
Mars is the perfect player to fill out Vancouver's LW spot; he'll get second-line minutes from the get-go, with a chance to start over Mulligan by the start of S67. He'll have minutes to play with centers Rauno Palo and Beau Loth, which should do wonders for his rookie season. If the Reign opt for Mars, Beaviss gets his dream fulfilled and can take his own player.
3. Seattle Bears (from Calgary) - LW Julius Freeman @rjfryman
The Bears need a left wing - not just for depth, but to have one at all - and Freeman is a no-brainer here. He's ridiculously active, just posted a VHLM mock draft of his own yesterday, and as a brand-new part of the Recruitment Crew, is as close to a guaranteed thing in this league as there is among first-gens. He's a slam-dunk pick for Seattle.
4. HC Davos Dynamo (from Vancouver) - RW Mikko Aaltonen @GRZ
Davos is a reasonably deep team already - but they'll want to set up for when newly-acquired S60 oldie Veran Dragomir and prime S62 draftee Ryuu Crimson retire. Aaltonen gives them this option, though he may not have minutes for a little while.
5. Moscow Menace (from New York) - C Jet Jaguar @gorlab
I doubt Jaguar plans on falling this far (nobody ever does), but he's the best option at this pick by a handfl of TPE, and gives Moscow an immediate second-liner at center. He'll sit behind S64 draftee Mark Gebauer for a little while, but will have a starting job waiting for him.
6. Riga Reign - LW Dimitri Volosenkov @SirRupertBarnes
Volosenkov fills a future and current need, as Riga tries to figure out their wings of the future. He'll take the second LW spot immediately, and the Reign probably look for another wing to put over inactive Kisshan Shan - that'll probably be VHLM standout Shawnomir Jagr unless the Nighthawks take him.
7. Malmö Nighthawks - D Jerry Garcia @GustavMattias
With this pick, Malmö picks up a first-pair defender for the foreseeable future. There are four left wingers between 200-230 TPE, so I think Advantage sees the value of a pick at another position of need here and takes Garcia. I also fulfill my daily quota of GustavMattias tagging with this post.
8. Riga Reign (from Seattle) - D Aron Nielsen @solas
Seeing Garcia picked at 7 will probably spur the Reign into action; seeing as they've got a ton of picks back-to-back-to-back, they elect to take the next best defender in Nielsen to set their second defensive pair for the next couple of seasons. Charlie Paddywagon is also an option here, but there's a 30+ TPE drop-off between Paddywagon/Nielsen and the next best guy. Riga will try to get a second D if they're available in the second round.
9. Riga Reign (from Helsinki) - RW Shawnomir Jagr @TheLastOlympian07
Riga needs to fill out their wingers - at this point, they have two excellent starters in LW Randoms and RW Preencarnacion, but Preencarnacion is getting older and Riga would like to have a pair of active second-line wings waiting in the... well, wings. Preencarnacion has regression staring him in the face, and randoms is two seasons behind - so Jagr and Volosenkov could be playing starting roles on a competitive team in just a few seasons
10. Moscow Menace (from Toronto) - G Owen May @FacebookFighter
Moscow need a goalie? They get a goalie. Now they're on to getting active wings and defensemen.
Round 2
11. Moscow Menace - RW Arnor Sigurdsson @bluesfan55
The Menace could opt for a defender here just to get another active one on the books, but I think they opt for the highest-TPE pick here and go for Arnor Sigurdsson. He's very close to Shawnomir Jagr, but since there's a slight TPE difference, we'll say Sigurdsson goes here. The Wranglers get a little uneasy, as the last 250+ TPE winger gets taken off the board by a smart Moscow team.
12. Calgary Wranglers - LW Chico Smeb @xDParK
The Wranglers get sweaty palms after Arnor Sigurdsson is taken off the table, and opt for the next best wing in Chico Smeb. They're aware Kari Jurri is inactive, and while Valeri Morozov is another close-to-comparable option, it's a little ways down before you can find another good winger after him. Calgary also doesn't get another pick until Round 4, so they're more-or-less obligated ot take him now.
13. Riga Reign (from Vancouver) - D Charlie Paddywagon @DMaximus
This seems like a strange set of picks, but take a look at Riga's roster right now: they're going to be incredibly young at all forward positions with at least two solid lines for the foreseeable future and have a goalie coming into his prime. I think they go for one of the deepest defenses in the VHL, and two easy replacements for Bolt Vanderhuge and Cayden Saint in a few seasons. And yes, I love defense.
14. Vancouver Wolves (from Davos) - G Clayton Park @leafssteen
The Wolves reach a little and try to find their goalie of the future in Clayton Park, who would start immediately. Other choices include Bert Meyers and Maximilian Kirbsson, but after Vancouver sees May taken off the board they simply have to take Park here. Seattle will be looking for a goalie to replace S60 draftee Tristan Iseult, and if Park & Bjoernsson are taken by other teams there is a lot of uncertainty past those two.
15. Helsinki Titans (from New York) - LW Valeri Morozov @Dangles13
The Titans desperately need wings - they currently only have S63 star Julian Borwinn on the roster, and while that's nice, he can't play two positions at once on the ice as far as I can tell. The Titans score a much needed winger in Morozov, even with as tempting as taking Bert Meyers or Maximilian Kirbsson is at this juncture.
16. Riga Reign - G Kolur Bjoernsson @jblock3
I mean, what does Riga need at this point? They've got 5 wings, 4 of which are S63 or younger, 5 centers including HHH, and 5 defensemen, two of which they got in this draft. I think the Reign start planning long term and reach mightily for Bjoernsson, just to see if he pans out while Kriketers enters his prime. And maybe to cause some havoc - because there are plenty of teams with goalie needs.
17. Malmö Nighthawks - D Codrick Past @Kylrad
The Nighthawks needs to fill their defensive need, and has a tough choice between Codrick Past and Apollo Hackett. It's honestly a toss-up at this point. This'll be up strictly to Advantage's personal preference, as Past and Hackett are within 3 TPE of one another. We'll assume he takes the 199 of Past over Hackett's 197.
18. Vancouver Wolves (from Seattle) - C Bert Meyers @RunnerBert11
Meyers has the talent of a first-rounder, but crowding at the C position pushes him down to the mid-second. Vancouver gets an absolute steal, Meyers gets a chip on his shoulder, and things work out perfectly for GM Beaviss.
19. HC Davos Dynamo (from Helsinki) - G Jus Jaundice @Jus
This pick probably looks crazy. And maybe it is. But the gap between Jaundice and the next active goalie is nearly 100 TPE - and the Dynamo could use a better backup in a season or two. The Dynamo also have to have been terrified by Riga's selection of Bjoernsson early in the round - exactly as hedgehog planned. Jaundice's activity has just increased this week - so things are looking up.
20. Seattle Bears (from Toronto) - C Maximillian Kirbsson @Kirby
The Bears get an absolute steal in Maximillian Kirbsson, and probably opt to swap him to a winger role. There are plenty of good centers in this draft, and just not enogh spots to let them start early. At this point, it's absurd how far he's fallen and the Bears shouldn't be coy about swapping his position.
Round 3
21. Moscow Menace - LW Kyle Sabertooth @uphillmoss
Sederstrom and Gruber are still options here - but Sabertooth has been incredibly active, and with three centers on the roster including this draft's Jet Jaguar, the Menace fill a more pressing need. They could opt for a defenseman here, but with this pick have their four wing spots filled with active players.
22. Helsinki Titans (from Calgary) - RW Aleksander Rodriguez @Jtv123
A bit of a reach, but Rodriguez gives the Titans what they need most, plus he's been pretty active. They could opt for a defenseman here, but honestly they need any players that can fill their second line's wing spots. They can afford to wait for a defender.
23. New York Americans (from Vancouver) - RW Mat Tocco @Matmenzinger
Tocco will play an important part of transitioning on from the inactive Sven Hitz - assuming he's active, that is.
24. Riga Reign (from Davos) - C Ludvig Sederstrom @aleks
In every other season, getting a 200+ TPE player at pick 24 is an absolute steal. It's still a steal in this draft, because of positional needs from teams. Riga has more than enough centers, but could use Sederstrom as trade bait, or maybe if Anthony Matthews doesn't pan out to be a center of the future. Sederstrom may fume at this pick - and by most metrics, he deserves to be higher - but there were four centers above him in TPE and the VHL has plenty of center talent already. My guess is Riga asks someone to change positions - but where would Sederstrom switch to? He may become a second option at RW when Reencarnacion retires, or even a starter outright if Jagr or Volosenkov don't pan out.
25. Moscow Menace (from New York) - D Apollo Hackett @Renomitsu
It's a little tacky to tag myself, but whatever. Hackett falls way further than expected, and lands with Moscow. He'll have a starting spot sooner rather than later, especially with Fitzgerald and Bronstein inactive, but it remains to be seen if he'll flourish like some of the higher-rated defenders in this draft.
26. Riga Reign - LW Edgar Tannahill (gregreg)
Malmö get winger depth, and it's an incredibly-promising player in Tannahill. He has a fiery attitude, isn't afraid to smack-talk or voice his opinion, and will easily help set the tone in the Reign locker room if he would like. He has a chance to be a leader for his team from season one or two if he so chooses - but will this room of old heads and high draft picks let him?
27. Malmö Nighthawks - C Hans Gruber @TheFlash
The Nighthawks snag the last mid-to-high quality center in the draft for depth, and even though Sederstrom's picked 24th, this is still a steal. Advantage should be ecstatic if Gruber is still available here, but honestly provided the abundance of active centers in the VHL it's not unbelievable to see him fall this far. It just means he'll have a couple of seasons to shine like crazy later in his career.
28. Vancouver Wolves (from Seattle) - D Rusty Shackleford @K1NG LINUS
Vancouver want to find players they can build up behind S61 vets Samuel Gate and Marvin Harding, and they'll get an active member (and a steal) in Rusty Shackleford.
29. Helsinki Titans - RW John Frostbeard @FrostBeard
A newer member that recently was appointed to a VHLM GMship, John Frostbeard would seem to have a future of activity underneath his belt. He's a consistent welfare-taker, and will be a solid addition to Helsinki's roster. Not only that, he'll get excellent second-line minutes behind Arnor Sigurdsson.
30. Helsinki Titans (from Toronto) - D Beau Buefordsson @Radcow
The Titans currently only have three defenders - they fix that by picking up new-blood Beau Buefordsson.
Round 4
31. Moscow Menace - D Edward Vigneault @Patpou22
Moscow need depth at defender, and they get it with Vigneault. Lew Bronstein's TPE isn't going anywhere fast, and Vigneault will most likely be able to be an immediate starter if he chooses to come up; otherwise, the Menace are more than happy to watch him grow in the minors over the next season. He may, in fact, be a better prospect than Amberback - but it's too close to tell.
32. Calgary Wranglers - D Anthony Amberback @Oost
Defensive need? Defenseman given. Anthony Amberback rounds out the Calgary defense. I consider Vigneault and Amberback interchangeable at this point.
33. Moscow Menace (from Vancouver) - RW AJ Axelsen @littleboi
Moscow find themselves a steal with Axelsen, who's gained 52 TPE in the last three weeks. He's a regular welfare/MS poster and could have a chance at a regular backup or fringe starting spot in the future. Like most picks after round 3, he's a bit of a gamble - but a look at his activity history should be enough to sway the GM. They play with fire, but have the picks to take a gamble.
34. HC Davos Dynamo - RW Emil Passerelli @SparrowLTD
Passerelli is a bit of a gamble, since his TPE gaining is a bit limited from week to week. Davos takes Passerelli as insurance in case Svoboda or Warren go inactive - which is unlikely, but possible.
35. Moscow Menace (from New York) - D Samuel Sparrow @Birdman
His activity is spotty on occasion, but Samuel Sparrow can be a nice fourth D-man, either as a future first/second liner or as a stopgap player depending on Birdman's activity. Frankly, his potential spans between multiple-season first-liner and two-season fifth D-man. I like this pick better than Parkey, who seems to have gone inactive. He'll be exactly what Moscow wants, and may be able to replace current defenders as soon as mid-late next season due to activity.
36. Riga Reign - C Rhys Chism @Jables
Frankly, I'm not sure what Riga go for here. Chism could be good trade bait as Reign continues to collect centers.
37. Malmö Nighthawks - LW Cody Smith @cody73
The Nighthawks will be tempted to take another defenseman to round out both pairs, but with 3 between 85-105, and several more around 70, they elect to take some winger depth and hope for good defensemen next draft.
38. Seattle Bears - D Guillaume Fontenette @okocha5
Fontenette is nabbing around 12 points a week on average. That's excellent, especially for a 4th-round pick. Still, in my opinion, a better pick than Cody Parkey due to activity level in spite of the TPE deficit. His recent activity may end up putting him over Sparrow.
39. Helsinki Titans - LW Devin Gabella @Gabella19
Gabella is another pick at slightly above his projection, but he provides some depth to the Titans' winger spot and has been pretty active the last few weeks. I think the Titans take the dive.
40. Calgary Wranglers (from Toronto) - LW Dylan Doyle @zepheter
Doyle is another recently-active pick that fills a depth position for the Wranglers, and he closes out our mock!
Review: Great bio, over 1000 words and well written. Some color or titles might be a good addition next time. Also your photo was out of place. Overall you did a great job and it was a interesting bio. Best of luck with your VHL career!
Review: Great bio, over 1000 words and well written. Some color or titles might be a good addition next time. Also your photo was out of place. Overall you did a great job and it was a interesting bio. Best of luck with your VHL career!
Following Clayton Park’s rookie season & playoff loss to Minnesota, his future has yet to be determined. This offseason one of ten VHL teams will draft the young Latvian goaltender. Clayton is considered to be one of the top 2 goalies in the upcoming draft. However once drafted Clayton & the coaching staff will have a huge decision to make. Here are the 3 most likely options.
Send him back to the VHLM for another season of development.
Make him the backup goalie in the VHL & slowly prepare him for being a starter in the future.
Make him a VHL starter and be patient as he grows into a elite goaltender.
There’s no doubt this kid will be a decent VHL goalie someday but the big question is which one of these options give him the best chance at success? Clayton had this to say when asked about the draft and where he thinks he will play next season.
“ Right now my main focus is getting drafted and seeing where I fit into their plan. I want to do what’s best for not only me but the future of the VHL organization that drafts me “.
Sorry, I don't follow the draft that closely, especially since I'm not in it. Otherwise I would have said me.
2) How do you feel about Yukons play this season?
It was rough. We started out thinking positive. But the new guys needed some seasoning and took the season to get things going. By the playoffs we were rolling, but unfortunately, HHH decided to ride the season out after he didn't get the trade he requested.
In the beginning there was also much 'entitlement'. Many players thought they should be on the top line. They didn't deserve to be there then. I laid down the law and told them how it works. They smartened up and by the end of the season, they were top line players.
3) Whats one thing Yukon needs to work on to make the playoffs/go for a playoff run?
HHH playing every game like it's game 2 of the semi-finals. Seriously, as much as I bug the guy, if we want to go anywhere, he needs to put the points up.
4) Do you have any relation to the leafs Matthews in the NHL?
What's this NHL you talk about? (Anthony Matthews only answers in the VHL world, not real world stuff)
5) How do you feel about your performance as of late?
I feel great! I was letting HHH take a more leadership role with the team. Once it became apparent that he wasn't leadership material (all he ever did was turn the volume up on the locker room speakers), I took over that role. I feel it's one that suited me more anyways. Let him just do what he does and score, why worry about leading a locker room with speeches when you can just score a goal and do the same thing.
6) What line mate brings out the best of you on the ice?
I hate to say this, but HHH. On-ice he was great to play with. Off-ice, he forced me out of my shell (by not being the leader we needed).
@leafssteen @Beaviss (just because I know you like it when I talk about HHH)
.png.ed69a7260a477fcf4feead7a0e4b7506.png)
leafssteen got a reaction from jRuutu in Park Pre Draft Press Conference
leafssteen got a reaction from TCadeau in Park Draft Q&A
leafssteen got a reaction from der meister in Park Draft Q&A
leafssteen got a reaction from DollarAndADream in Park Draft Q&A
leafssteen got a reaction from oilmandan in Park Draft Q&A
leafssteen got a reaction from xDParK in Park Draft Q&A.thumb.jpg.aed6521838588fbb335091586ae9cb9b.jpg)
leafssteen got a reaction from Matmenzinger in Park Draft Q&A
leafssteen got a reaction from Blawn in Park Draft Q&A
leafssteen got a reaction from Savoire Faire in A Wrike Direction in the VHL [2/2]
leafssteen got a reaction from Advantage in Parks Future
.thumb.jpg.aed6521838588fbb335091586ae9cb9b.jpg)
