CHICAGO PHOENIX SELECT SCOTTY SUNDIN FIRST OVERALL

[fromtheinside 1,278]

CHICAGO PHOENIX SELECT SCOTTY SUNDIN FIRST OVERALL

 

The highly anticipated Season 83 VHL Entry Draft took place in London, England at the O2 Arena last night, and as many pundits and prognosticators had suggested, the Chicago Phoenix selected the Swedish center Scotty Sundin with their first overall pick. Sundin comes from the Houston Bulls organization that was a dominant team in the VHLM last season, but ultimately fell short in game 7 of the Founder's Cup Finals in the playoffs. After putting up 129 points in the regular season, Sundin led all players in the playoffs with 31 points. While Sundin was the consensus number one pick in most hockey circles, there was a little speculation on whether Chicago GM would in fact take the Swedish phenom, or opt to draft goalie prospect Brandt Fuhr. 

 

Though Chicago passed on Fuhr, the young goalie wouldn't have to wait long to hear his name get called as Vancouver selected him with the very next pick as they look to begin rebuilding after a successful three-peat of the Continental Cup.  Rounding out the top three was Igor Molotov, who went to the Malmo Nighthawks. Molotov led the VHLM in almost all offensive categories last season and the Nighthawks will sure be building around him for seasons to come.  The only real surprise in the first round of the draft was when the New York Americans opted to trade down instead of taking a defenseman at pick 5. Instead they took a goalie at pick 10. 

 

Getting back to Chicago though, the Phoenix are finally starting to take shape after a rough season last year. The team is very clearly still in rebuild mode, but Sundin will be a great compliment to the other pieces already on the team. The most notable of these players are Board Game Clue On Skates (or Clue for short) and Bo Johansson, a pair of Season 82 draftees who both are ready to join Sundin and make the jump to the pro team this coming season. The team also has a surprisingly strong Dutch representation as both their starting goalie and top winger are from the Nederlands. Chicago seems to have its foundation for the future in place, now it will just be about adding some complimentary pieces to help bolster the lineup.

 

Training camps just opened this weekend and all the young guns were present and seen taking skating drills and getting to know each other. There is still a bit of time until puck drop on the Season 83 season, but there is certainly a buzz flowing through the Windy City though in anticipation for the start of the season. This season will mark a new era in the VHL as many of the top teams are rebuilding and alot of players are changing the way they prepare for the season. It will be exciting to see what players emerge as league leaders. The Phoenix may not be a playoff team yet, but they certainly look poised to rise from the ashes of last season!