Ronan Lavelle Rookie Experience

[Arce 755]

Ronan Lavelle's S82 draft photos following his 7th overall selection.

 

Ronan Lavelle has had a unique journey which brought him to the VHL. From a very little known league in Ireland, to one of the biggest stages in hockey. The S82 draft class was stacked with talent. Lavelle was projected to be a late first round pick at best, mostly projected to be drafted in the early-middle of the 2nd round. To Lavelle and most of the league's surprise at the time, Lavelle was drafted 7th overall to the DC Dragons. GM Eno Rama expressed high interest in Lavelle's natural scoring ability, and work ethic. Lavelle had just come off a 40 goal season in the VHLM for the Mexico City Kings in S81, and drew the attention of the scouts in the later part of the season. Ronan Lavelle was thrilled to join DC and become the franchise forward they needed to build around as they looked to enter the next step to their rebuild. Lavelle didn't disappoint in the VHLE in S82 as he led the whole league in goals with 49, and points with 101. Geneva unfortunately failed to qualify for the playoffs, but the experience was very valuable to Lavelle's development. Bringing a scoring title up to the big league is exactly what the Dragons needed.

 

What's Next?

 

What is next for Lavelle? What are the expectations for him heading into his rookie year? The DC Dragons made a slew of trades on the first day of the off-season, making them immediately competitive to push for a playoff spot. The expectation for Lavelle is the same as it was in the VHLM, and VHLE. Lavelle will be relied on to keep throwing shots at the net, and producing points. When you have scored 40+ goals in each league you have played for so far, it adds to the expectation that you can adjust to a more competitive league each time. The VHL is no different as far as this goes. It is evident GM Eno Rama knows production cannot be expected and fully utilized to a player without any help. Bringing on Taylor Mourning to play alongside Lavelle will be a huge boost to their own, and Lavelle's production. Could the moves DC made, along with having Ronan Lavelle and Bubbles Utonium called up be enough to make a post-season push? The expectation right now is that the Dragons will be a bubble team in S83, which is a fair assessment. The S83 draft class could also add to their bid. Regardless if the Dragons are able to contend in S83, if their star forward can produce, the future is bright on the horizon in DC.

 

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