VHL Draft Sleepers

[lidz 102]

     Hey! It's everyone's well-known, beloved, and incredibly accurate amateur VHL scout!

     I haven't been in this league long enough to really understand the draft, but from what I've seen from the few mock drafts I look at there is one similar element. It only includes the first round. Now, this is for a reason, most of the good players end up in the first round, and for time's sake, having any more than 16 players is an unnecessary chore. But, there were no mention at all of any "Sleeper" picks. One of the main things that make a draft so exciting is the sleeper picks. There historically have been--given only a few--players selected in the lower half of the draft, that ended up being in the HOF. But most of the players are destined to one day step foot onto the elite, simulated ice of the VHL, thanks to the natural progression of players. 

     Looking at all of the previous drafts, the last time a player taken in the top 16 that was the lowest pick that ended up in the VHL was in S60. There were 23 players in that draft. Recently, players like Matt Avens, Tavish DeGroot and Seymore Butts, to name a few, have made impacts in the VHL incredibly fast, while being picked outside the top 16.

 

     With all that out of the way, onto the actual list!

 

 

1. Sock Monkey ()

Spoiler

@chikn

     LW | 5'5" | 158 lb. | Age: 21 | 

 

     

     Monkey was stellar in her 18 games in Miami. Scoring 22 points, including 11 goals as a mid-season pick-up is great. She has reached 200 TPE in the short amount of time since her VHLM stint, and is gaining TPE at a 1st round pace, with about 9 per week. So why isn't she a consensus late 1st rounder? There's pretty much no reason except a slightly extended timeline for me. As a GM with a 14th/15th/16th overall pick, I'd easily take her. However, she may fall into the 2nd round just as easily. Despite being a "sleeper", I do think Monkey will go in the late first round, especially since many contending teams aren't in need for an immediate contribution from a forward. 

 

TPE Ranking: 19
My Draft Ranking: 
16
 

 

2. Baxter Arcanum ()

Spoiler

@ctots

D | 6'1" | 195 lb. | Age: 20 | 

 

 

     Arcanum, another mid-season pick-up, projects as an early 2nd rounder. Why not higher? Again, I'm stumped. In his 40 games with the Lynx, Arcanum totaled a stat-line of 39 points, 71 hits and 53 shots blocked in 40 games. That's really productive on both ends of the ice. His TPE earning numbers are inflated, it will probably sit at around 9-10 per week, which is still serviceable for a first round prospect. I have to admit, Monkey and Arcanum aren't my greatest scouting finds ever; both of them probably will end up in the late 1st/early 2nd, but after this it's onto some gems that can only be found by the greatest treasure finders, ...and some guy named lidz on a fake hockey website. 

 

TPE Ranking: 17

My Draft Ranking:

15

 

3. Cody Kapanen ()

Spoiler

@TrickyRicky58

D | 5'10" | 175 lb. | Age: 18 | 

 

     Kapanen played a solid 68 games for Houston, pretty much totaling out to a full season. He was relatively productive, putting in 26 points, 92 hits and 57 shots blocked. This was done on a deep Houston roster. His TPE earning is pretty good for where he is at, the amount of TPE he got for joining mid-season wasn't enough to make him a top choice in this draft. Right now, in my eyes, Kapanen is floating around the 2nd round, and will probably end up being picked there. From here on out the draft positions will be pretty vague, as I'm too lazy to figure out which team is going to pick them.

 

TPE Ranking: 33

My Draft Ranking:

17-24
 

 

4. Sam Azjha ()

Spoiler

@Azjha_59

C | 5'8" | 195 lb. | Age: 16 | 

 

 

     My final described one on this list (for my sanity's sake) is Sam Azjha. The Brit scored 41 points, while netting 22 goals and spending 94 minutes of their life in the penalty box. His TPE earning is adequate, and while I do think Azjha might miss the window to play in the E next season, another season in the M wont hurt them at all. A team in need of a 2-way forward in around 3-4 seasons will definitely have this pick pay off.

 

 

 

TPE Ranking: 42

My Draft Ranking:

25-32

 

The Rest:

-  Daniel Fergusen @Fergie

- Dalton Canders @DC21

- Nicholas Blue @lidz(Hey, thats me!)
 

 

[lidz 102]

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