Oslo Draft Recap

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Oslo is a team which could seriously benefit from a high quality draft (or two) to build some momentum. In the S83 VHLE Entry Draft, the Storm made three selections in the second round, three in the fourth round, and one pick each in rounds 5, 6, and 7.

 

The first pick of the second round, and the ninth pick overall was Jake Thunder @Thunder and I suspect the young defenseman will prove to be a valuable asset in the long term. His greatest strengths are in his defensive skills: poke checking and defensive coverage are his main priority. It would be wrong to paint Thunder into a corner as a defender though, because he’s a truly versatile player, strong on the skates and able to complete a solid tape-to-tape pass.

 

The next pick for Oslo was 11th overall, Left Winger Pete Mitchell @Crstats23 who through luck or coincidence also went 11th overall in the VHL draft. Mitchell is a highly skilled forward, with a focus on skating - his stickhandling and deking skills are surpassed only by his bomb of a slapper.

 

The Storm selected Augustus Kennedy @InstantRockstar with the final pick of the second round. I personally believe that it’s never too soon to pick a goalie, and Kennedy will be a reliable presence in front of the net. Kennedy is the last of the season 83 draftees to qualify for VHLE play this season.

Remember when I said it’s never too soon to pick a goalie? I meant it. Round four isn’t “soon” by normal standards, but when we’re sorting out the prospects I think this is a very respectable place for the one and only Sam Tombstone @samthemancub to join the ranks. Oslo’s picks here will solidify our future strength in the blue paint.

 

Oh. My. Goodness. I think we’re all going to look back on this pick in a few seasons and laugh A LOT. At 28th overall, Oslo selected Defenseman Nicholas Blue @lidz , who put up a ridiculous 75 points over 72 games last season with Miami. After some great draft media last week, will we see Nicholas Blue turn into a rising star prospect for the Storm? Spoiler alert: yes.

 

Pick 29 of the draft was also owned by Oslo, and the Storm opted to select Right Winger Jeremy Davidson @jpdavidson8787 to add to the prospect pool. Davidson is positioning himself as a coach’s ideal penalty killing winger: great hockey IQ both offensively and defensively with a strong stick. Not much of a shooting winger as of yet, so Davidson will slot in perfectly on a line with an aggressive scoring center.

 

In round five, the Storm picked Defenseman Hunor Solyom @solyom who played most of last season with the Mexico City Kings. Solyom is a balanced two-way defenseman. His priorities are where they should be, with an emphasis on the defensive side of the puck, but he’s also packing a wrister and a slap shot that will surprise any goalie that doesn’t respect them.

 

Round six was another blessing for Oslo, with Center Akio Suzuki @Erik falling into our reach. Suzuki played 38 games with the Hounds last season and will continue to refine his skills with them before making his way to Europe to play for the Storm. This dynamic scoring center may be the ideal complement to the generous assists of Jeremy Davidson. Regardless of who Suzuki is sharing a line with, we can be sure that the defense will be scrambling to keep up.

 

Last but not least we have Center Caius Nash @Boltic who played alongside sixth round pick Akio Suzuki last season in Mississauga. In terms of individual talents, they couldn’t be more different. Nash is a defense-first center who is a playmaker above all else. It’s not the shot that you have to fear from Nash, it’s the long stretch pass to a waiting winger during a line change. Or maybe a turnover at center ice to cause an odd-man rush. It’s still early to predict what kind of intellectual play Nash will bring to Oslo, but our hopes are very high.

 

Welcome to the team everyone, I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you better! Thanks for drafting us a strong batch of winners, @JB123!

 

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im so famous