Grading the First Round of the S84 Draft

[Spartan 4,402]

I considered writing a media spot to recap Moscow's draft solely, but that doesn't engage nearly as many people as if I actually graded all the picks in the first round.  I'll admit, with recent controversies in mind, it's dangerous for a current GM to talk about other team's players without being questioned for tampering. But for the sake of glorious forum content and engagement, it's a risk that must be taken.

 

Don't get mad if I don't like the pick, just go prove me wrong or something. Or block me on Discord, either works. Enjoy!

 

 

 LA Stars - 1st Overall  

G - Art Vandelay - @Gustav

 

I'll admit I was quite surprised when the pre-draft rumblings had Vandelay going first overall especially considering Davos' fixation with center Napoleon Dynamite. With Davos also having traded for an S80 goalie, it doesn't make sense for them to be looking at a replacement for about 3 seasons at the least. Maybe they wanted to show commitment to their franchise goalie at 1oa, or really wanted a specific user pairing with 1oa and 3oa. But knowing they could have taken Dynamite 1oa or held the pick hostage over Davos for more assets and then still manage to get Vandelay at 3oa means this pick has to get penalized a bit.

 

Draft Grade: A-

 

HC Davos Dynamo - 2nd Overall  

C - Napoleon Dynamite - @thadthrasher

 

In a draft where Davos' intentions were not really hidden, moreso blatantly out there, they still managed to land just about who they wanted in the top two rounds. With Davos' defense being pretty set for the future, and a trade for a goalie, all they really needed was offense. They made some trades to bring in established veterans, but the draft is where you make your future. Dynamite was the safest center in this pick with an excellent floor. He should be able to serve as a solid 1C.

 

Draft Grade: A+

 

 LA Stars - 3rd Overall  

D - Callum Murray - @Berocka

 

Anytime you can get the top TPE player in the draft at 3rd overall, you're doing things right. Mainly due to LA having 1st overall and Davos being hyperfocused on a positional need, Murray drops to 3 and projects to be LA's franchise defenseman. From a user standpoint, Berocka and Gus have a nice history with each other as Berocka was Gus' AGM in Davos, while also playing for him as a goalie. Both users should be happy to have some familiarity brought in this draft.

 

Draft Grade: A

 

Helsinki Titans - 4th Overall

LW - Cobalt Burns - @Ledge

 

While I was a bit confused with LA's choice to prioritize a goalie at 1oa, I'm more confused about Helsinki prioritizing winger at 4oa. With Jonathan Ori heading to free agency and Reylynn Reinhart coming in for a final season at center, there's simply no long-term center on the roster right now. While Burns is a great prospect and seems to be on a vengeance for being one of the prospects pundits had concerns about in this draft due to supposed passion for the game, it seems like Helsinki was more worried about replacing the retiring Nasherov. It could even be argued that Burns is the insurance plan for former first round picks Nico Pearce and Nezuko who have expressed willingness to go to FA in the past. Still though, it seems like a choice like Dogwood Maple would have filled the more pressing need at hand despite the caliber of Cobalt Burns.

 

Draft Grade: B-

 

 New York Americans - 5th Overall  

D - Pierre Emile Bouchard - @Gaikoku-hito

 

New York basically needs everything except goalie, so they're happy to select the best player remaining on the board. Bouchard has grown extremely well, and was sort of hidden in Callum Murray's shadow at the top of the draft board. While Murray struggled making the jump from the VHLM to the VHLE, Bouchard exploded for 72 points in 72 games on Stockholm, showing his ability to hang with players at his skill level and higher. Regardless, it was a solid pick for NYA and the best one they could have made without having to trade up. However, with how many holes New York had on their roster, it seemed more prudent to trade down in this class, potentially to a team like Calgary with multiple additional first round picks and pick up more players to speed up their rebuild. Without a supporting cast for Bouchard, there's risk that yet another face of the franchise will become disgruntled.

 

Draft Grade: B+

 

 Prague Phantoms - 6th Overall  

G - Clueless Wallob - @DMaximus

 

After the trade with Davos that sent David Davis out of Prague in exchange for a return centered on the 6th overall pick, it was pretty clear that Wallob would be strongly considered at this pick. Despite few teams between 6oa and 11oa (Prague's next pick) needing a goalie, there was a risk that a team with a shaky goalie situation like London at 10oa would snatch up Wallob if he was there. Selecting him at 6 shows commitment that he is their guy for the future and starts off their rebuild on the right foot - with the most important player on the ice.

 

Draft Grade: A

 

 Vancouver Wolves - 7th Overall  

C - Dogwood Maple - @dogwoodmaple

 

Frankly, I didn't expect Frank to have Maple available at 7 so I was pretty curious to see who he thought was the best player remaining on the board to fill all of Vancouver's holes. With Maple still at 7, it was difficult for Vancouver to pass on one of the highest ceiling players of the draft. Maple has some concerns about whether he can continue his impressive rate of development in the VHL, but only time will tell. 

 

Draft Grade: A

 

 Calgary Wranglers - 8th Overall  

D - Scoish Velociraptor Maloish - @youloser1337

 

After the top 7, the draft list was mostly defensemen as far as the eye can see. Calgary has also been pretty open about their desire to select a defenseman to complete their core alongside GoodBrandSun and recent acquisitions Erlantz Jokinen and Asher Reinhart. Seems like a perfect situation for them, which made the choice understandably difficult to choose which of the remaining defensemen to select. With Maloish as the selection, Calgary took probably the highest ceiling defenseman remaining, but also one who could have the lowest floor. He's had some hitches in his development in the past, but I'm sure Calgary hopes that their training program would situate Maloish in the VHL grindset again. 

 

Draft Grade: B+

 

 Toronto Legion - 9th Overall  

C - Tyler Busser - @lll

 

I have to admit, I was a bit shocked when I saw Toronto select a center here. While Paul Atreides is retiring after this season, Matty Fire and Armani Calamari have both shown their ability to play center at a strong level. While rumblings are that one of the two could be considering a move to the wing to open up the Legion's offense to supplement their solid defense, it was just surprising that Toronto chose to overlook one of the neglected wingers at this point, or even another defensemen to project as a future top pairing with Ryuji Sakamoto. While Busser is an excellent prospect, there have been concerns about motivation at times. The last player in this agency retired shortly after the draft, and there were concerns about whether Busser would retire if he didn't like his situation. While he's signed his ELC at the time of writing this, it just seems like Toronto could have filled a more pressing need, instead of adding on to their strongest position group at the moment.

 

Draft Grade: B-

 

 New York Americans - 10th Overall  

D - Malum Maellard - @frescoelmo

 

Everything about what happened with this pick during the draft was simply bizarre. First Warsaw trades up from 12 to 10 with London, and then Warsaw flips the pick over to NYA in exchange for Vasile Lamb - a player who has been rumored to have wanted out of New York and onto Warsaw for a little bit now. It seems like New York absolutely wanted 10th overall to get a specific player in exchange for a budding star like Lamb, so you'd expect a slam dunk here - potentially the free-falling Noodles Marconi, the rising star in Molly the Cat, or even offensive defensemen Faith Hope Love. Instead they go with a defensive defenseman - Malum Maellard. It's a bit of a head scratcher for New York to prioritize a defensive defenseman over any sort of scoring that they simply don't have right now, but it gives them a future first-pairing between Maellard and Bouchard. We'll have to check back in after three seasons to see how many of them are still on the team, but for now, I'm just skeptical about the selection.

 

Draft Grade: C+

 

  Prague Phantoms - 11th Overall  

D - Faith Hope Love - @MMFLEX

 

Personally, I had Faith Hope Love and AK92 Wit da Hoodie as the top defensemen after Murray and Bouchard, so this grade could be a bit biased simply based on that. But FHL going 11th to Prague who sat there and waited to see who they could get to spark their rebuild is fantastic value for them. There's not too much else to say about this pick, it was a solid one for Prague.

 

Draft Grade: A+

 

 London United - 12th Overall  

RW - Molly The Cat - @JCarson

 

Molly The Cat rose up the draft boards quickly over the course of this season, especially since she's been training extensively with fellow young VHLer, Landon Wolanin. The development has been excellent, and London sorely needed a winger to replace Nils Godlander for the future. With only Zaza Colors remaining on the roster as a legitimate first line winger, and Ablar and Avens serving as solid second line wingers, London will hope that The Cat can eventually fill that role. While it's certainly doable, it's a large ask for someone who just joined the VHL system this past season, so there's a healthy dose of skepticism. Prove me wrong though!

 

Draft Grade: B+

 

 Moscow Menace - 13th Overall

D - AK92 Wit da Hoodie - @hedgehog337

 

I was pretty close to giving this pick a D simply because of how annoying the name is to type, and because I don't know what the last name is here. Is it Hoodie? Da Hoodie? Wit da Hoodie? Too much confusion here. But out of the options remaining and with Moscow's desire to replace both Hard Markinson and The Seabasstard, who have indicated a desire to retire in the next couple seasons, it only made sense to grab the Latvian defenseman who could easily step up into Markinson's shoes alongside Wattson Power. The only real risk here is Hoodie's commitment long term, if he would stick around with Moscow despite his Latvian roots and implied ties to the Riga Reign.

 

Draft Grade: A-

 

 Calgary Wranglers - 14th Overall  

C - Sax Justice - @Eso

 

Probably the largest reach of the draft especially with Velociraptor Greg and Noodles Marconi at larger positions of need for Calgary, but Calgary really wanted Justice and without a 2nd round pick, had to reach here. It's a bit difficult to see what really excited Calgary here, as they already have Saku Kotkakoivu, Daniel Janser and Leandro Goncalves at center, all three presumably sticking around for at least 4 seasons each. Add on that Justice has been slow to develop and doesn't have much of a ceiling, it's difficult to see where he fits in with this roster, and what his timeline looks like.

 

Draft Grade: D

 

  Moscow Menace - 15th Overall  

C - Fraser Wallace - @Hoopydog

 

As mentioned at 13th overall, Moscow had a plan. They wanted a long-term replacement for Hard Markinson and got that replacement in AK92 Wit da Hoodie, and now all they really needed was a center to replace The Seabasstard. Enter Fraser Wallace, a severely underrated player in this draft class but who has been developing extremely well. There were concerns that his agency didn't set up players for lengthier careers, especially after their last player ended up moving back down to the VHLE after not being able to endure VHL competition through his older years, but they seem to have addressed those concerns and are firmly behind Wallace and his long-term success. Paired with Moscow's historical success at developing centers into quality contributors, Wallace might just be ready to take the league by surprise.

 

Draft Grade: A

 

Seattle Bears - 16th Overall

LW - Chip Stone - @DoktorFunk

 

I'd call this the biggest weird reach of the draft, but it's Seattle and a player from an agency they're very friendly with. The player suddenly started showing up to additional workouts and training sessions the week leading up to the draft, and rumors are swirling that the player was already following Seattle's training regiment this week. While on the surface it seems like a ridiculous reach for a player who seemed half-interested in the league, there's probably communication behind the scenes that led to Stone's renewed vigor in the league solely contingent on his drafting to Seattle. We'll have to see if this is more than a temporary burst in activity, or if Stone regresses to the mean in his development.

 

Draft Grade: C

 

2,229 words, 4 weeks claim

Edited June 17, 2022 by Spartan
word count + formatting

[Garsh 1,190]

Spartan grading his draft

[Daniel Janser 2,169]

I really like the read and your explanation why you gave the rating you have given. Very interesting and I did even read all the positions not only Calgary's

 

[Berocka 2,263]

Great article, very well written. My only critic would be that there is sometimes confusion behind why some players are rated. Like is it essentially an A+ if they selected the best person at that time? An A if there was one better option.  

[Ricer13 2,796]

I like good people!

[Steve 1,920]

Another recycled Admin laced top earning draft with a couple of blue collar players thrown in for good measure. Great picks, copy and paste for next season. /s

[v.2 1,406]

New York 

[Spartan 4,402]

10 minutes ago, Berocka said:

Great article, very well written. My only critic would be that there is sometimes confusion behind why some players are rated. Like is it essentially an A+ if they selected the best person at that time? An A if there was one better option.  

I don't like giving out A+ in general as it assumes the pick was perfect. Davos went into the draft very, very clearly displaying they wanted Thad. They didn't win the lottery and still managed to take Thad. For them, that was perfect. For Prague, it was a little more shaky and I could have very easily given them just an A, but they started off their rebuild with the 1B goalie in this draft who has been very consistent in the past, and would be a great LR fit there too. Plus, I think Prague should have taken Dmax in this draft no matter what, so it was an A+ that they got him.

 

Otherwise I felt like if there was ambiguity at a pick or if I didn't 100% believe a team should have taken a player there, then it was an A/A-. If I had doubts about the player long term, or the fit with the team was shaky, then it was in the B range. Picks I straight up didn't agree with or didn't think it made sense for long term success with got a C or lower. Hope that makes sense!

Edited June 17, 2022 by Spartan

[dlamb 1,326]

19 minutes ago, Spartan said:

a player who has been rumored to have wanted out of New York and onto Warsaw for a little bit now

Just want to comment on this, I never requested a trade out of NY, and would have been fine to stay for at least this season. I just couldn't commit past my ELC at the time, which led to Lamb being shopped around. 

 

If Lamb was to be traded, which was probable, I wanted it to be to Warsaw, although I wasn't going to flat out block a trade anywhere.  

[Spartan 4,402]

Just now, dlamb said:

Just want to comment on this, I never requested a trade out of NY, and would have been fine to stay for at least this season. I just couldn't commit past my ELC at the time, which led to Lamb being shopped around. 

 

If Lamb was to be traded, which was probable, I wanted it to be to Warsaw, although I wasn't going to flat out block a trade anywhere.  

Anytime I say "rumors" I'm emulating @Arce and just spouting my thoughts that are completely speculative and not actual fact . I didn't actually think you wanted out, but it seemed logical that your final season on your ELC would be a good time to get traded back to Warsaw, especially with the current state of NYA.

[AJW 2,156]

@DoktorFunk PROOVE THIS MAN WRONG

[DoktorFunk 810]

7 minutes ago, ajwllmsn said:

@DoktorFunk PROOVE THIS MAN WRONG

Fairly certain I did with my first time in Seattle too. Nothing but love for Spartan tho

[samx 1,173]

I just read the grades ngl

[jacobcarson877 2,534]

this is the kind of chaotic forum content I needed today

[Spartan 4,402]

Just now, DoktorFunk said:

Fairly certain I did with my first time in Seattle too. Nothing but love for Spartan tho

Would have been difficult for that to have been me, I joined the VHL a couple seasons before Scott Greene retired . But at the end of the day I'm sure you're back and motivated, and the team you went to had a role in it as your MS this week indicated. But from an outside perspective, you've been welfare+PF for a while and suddenly started earning this week. Anyone would naturally have doubts, but it's Seattle and you're back there so I expect you'll end up like top 5 in TPE for this class by the time everyone retires. Good luck with your career!

[DoktorFunk 810]

1 minute ago, Spartan said:

Would have been difficult for that to have been me, I joined the VHL a couple seasons before Scott Greene retired . But at the end of the day I'm sure you're back and motivated, and the team you went to had a role in it as your MS this week indicated. But from an outside perspective, you've been welfare+PF for a while and suddenly started earning this week. Anyone would naturally have doubts, but it's Seattle and you're back there so I expect you'll end up like top 5 in TPE for this class by the time everyone retires. Good luck with your career!

No idea why i thought you were here before me!  I'm out of touch! Thanks for the write up!!

[frescoelmo 1,276]

i feel like i was graded based on ineptitude that was out of my control

 

[Spartan 4,402]

6 minutes ago, frescoelmo said:

i feel like i was graded based on ineptitude that was out of my control

 

Just to be clear, these grades are on the teams - not the players. Every player can do well in the right situation, it's up to those respective teams to make the rights picks and that's what I grade  

[frescoelmo 1,276]

2 minutes ago, Spartan said:

Just to be clear, these grades are on the teams - not the players. Every player can do well in the right situation, it's up to those respective teams to make the rights picks and that's what I grade  

 

lol so basically cow is mid

 

[MexicanCow123 914]

1 hour ago, Spartan said:

Draft Grade: C+

 

[Scurvy 1,488]

Review:  This is by far the best draft preview I have seen to date.  Great color changes, emblems, and spacing makes it easy to read.  Also, what makes this so great is just the amount of research and knowledge you have for the league.  Even that doesn't speak to the well thought out and detailed evaluations of each draft pick in association with the team needs to needs related to losses.  Excellent job!  Now for the downside..... Nowhere in this article is they're mention of the biggest steal in VHL history.....Brian Payne!!!!   (kidding of course).  Great article 10'/10

[Banackock 8,044]

2 hours ago, Berocka said:

Great article, very well written. My only critic would be that there is sometimes confusion behind why some players are rated. Like is it essentially an A+ if they selected the best person at that time? An A if there was one better option.  

@DoktorFunkA+
 

there 

[Bojovnik 487]

Moscow is clearly A+ all day every day

[JCarson 727]

Challenge Accepted

[Dil 1,760]

On 6/17/2022 at 12:10 PM, JCarson said:

Challenge Accepted

HECK YEAH, LETS GO MOLLY