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Next Up: DC's Big Three


Arce

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Next Up: DC's Big Three

 

The DC Dragons entered a rebuild in S81, after last making the playoffs in S80. The past two seasons have been a tough on the DC faithful as the Dragons have been in, or right above the basement of the North American division. GM Eno Rama has not sounded worried at all by this. "This is a normal part of how the league works." Rama said. "You build a competitive core for years, and sometimes that flame burns out. You just take a season or two to rebuild the foundation and ignite a new flame. I feel completely confident in the direction the team is heading" Rama concluded. Rama looks like he can backup what he is saying. He got his franchise goaltender in Bubbles Utonium 2nd overall in the S82 draft. He also then managed to snag his franchise forward Ronan Lavelle 7th overall in the same draft class. DC did not have many picks after that, but they got two important pieces that matter. The Dragons already have their franchise defenseman and captain Ryan Vidot who is on the verge of completing his second season. The Dragons also have a big opportunity in the upcoming S83 and S84 draft classes to help complete their rebuild. They may have franchise cornerstones on each end of the ice, but they will need a lot more help before they are the competitive beasts they were a few seasons ago. DC currently has their S83 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks as well as Toronto's 3rd rounder. In S84 they have their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and Warsaw's 3rd round picks to work with. There is plenty of opportunity through these drafts to get the depth they need. Not to mention in free agency, some of the current personnel may make DC an attractive landing point. Right now, it is Ryan Vidot, Bubbles Utonium and Ronan Lavelle. Who are these "big three"?

 

Ryan Vidot - D (S80)

 

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Ryan Vidot was drafted 16th overall by the Vancouver Wolves in at the time, a pretty highly touted draft. He was also drafted to the Vasteras Iron Eagles in the VHLE 38th overall, where he would spend S80. Vidot would post up 70 points in 72 games played with the Iron Eagles, paired with 105 shots blocked. Vidot was also then traded to the Dragons in a three way trade with the Riga Reign and Vancouver Wolves. Vidot was to be a Dragon, DC's first rounder went to Riga and Vancouver got Hari Singh Nalwa. Despite leaving such a talented Wolves team, Vidot was happy to be united with Rama, whom he has a very close relationship with. Vidot would then go on to post up 66 points and eclipsing the 25 goal mark in S81. Vidot also blocked over 200 shots and posted up 7 power play goals on a weak Dragons team. Vidot would replicate those 66 points in S82 in another down year with limited talent for the Dragons. He was also able to achieve 30 goals, and double his power play goals with 15 and blocked 282 shots. This was a big step up year for Vidot. It also speaks volumes about his ability to carry the team on his back. Imagine Vidot's production when he is surrounded by active talent.

 

Bubbles Utonium - G (S82)

 

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GM Eno Rama was ecstatic to draft goaltender Bubbles Utonium second overall in the past S82 draft. Utonium's early development has them in talks of potential to be one of the best of all time at their position. The work ethic, and natural talent is there. Utonium was also drafted 10th overall in the VHLE by the Vasteras Iron Eagles, the same as Vidot. Utonium was unfortunately apart of a losing squad in Vasteras, but posted up impressive numbers despite this. With a not so talented Vasteras team, Utonium's 20-24-8 record does not reflect their performance. The .922 save percentage and 3.1 GAA with 2067 shots thrown their way however is. Utonium also recorded 3 shutouts. This shows Utonium did everything they could to give the Iron Eagles a chance to win these games. Something, the Dragons absolutely need. The Dragons will need to build their defensive corps to help Vidot and Utonium to achieve the recipe for success. The Dragons hit the nail on the head with this selection. Utonium currently holds a balanced build of strong rebound control, size, reflex speed, and reaction time. Expect the Dragons to steal a few wins courtesy of their goaltender.

 

Ronan Lavelle - LW (S82)

 

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Much to everyone's surprise, Ronan Lavelle was select 7th overall in the S82 draft by the Dragons. Although Lavelle was valued as a prospect, his value was initially late first round/early second round. All the mock drafts had Lavelle going at the end of the first round, with the earliest mock having him go 12th overall. Rama clearly saw something he liked that stood out. Regardless of the reason, this meant DC now had a franchise goaltender, defenseman, and forward to start things off. Lavelle has since made Rama's "reach" look less and less like one. Lavelle was drafted 9th overall in the VHLE by the Geneva Rush, where he spent S82. He led the league in points with 101, and goals with 49 to capture the scoring title. Lavelle's shot, and skating have been what has made him stand out so far. He also has a balanced defensive game, as well as a gifted stickhandler. Although the VHL is a monster compared to the VHLE, how do the fans not get excited their star rookie forward is coming off a strong season in the VHLE. Lavelle will experience the growing pains of the league transition, but as a natural goal scorer he is expected to find the back of the net. S83 will feature the first season that Lavelle, Utonium and Vidot will all be on the ice together playing as a unit. Expectations will be higher for DC. Can they plug in some gaps in order to get more completive and help their big 3 out? DC is looking to make more improvement, and attempt to be a bubble team. What does GM Eno Rama have in store for us in the S83 off-season? We will soon find out!

 

Word Count: 1007 for weeks ending in 3/13, and 3/20.

Edited by Arce
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