Justin Lion’s JST and Draft Experience

[Emperor_Fun 70]

              Justin Lion entered the Junior Showcase Tournament as the back-up goaltender for the Brigade in the Junior Showcase Tournament preceding the S86 VHLM, VHLE, and VHL drafts. He started in the middle of the S85 season as a goaltender for the Mississauga Hounds, failing to post a win in 33 outings despite his best efforts, a trade to Miami Marauders did give Lion his first 9 wins, but individual save percentage was significantly lower than expected based on his numbers with the Hounds, now he was a back-up goaltender there and played as much as he could to show what he brought to the Marauders, and it led to one postseason appearance. There was not a lot of buzz with goaltenders in any draft besides the VHLM in hoping to train Justin Lion to show more promise, and he did show a lot of promise with the Brigade in the right time.

              Justin Lion entered the Brigade through much of the preliminary games as the back-up goaltender, a role he adjusted to very well compared to his time with Miami in the VHLM. Coming in for Matthew McCagg a few times throughout to do “damage control” to games that felt lost otherwise. Lion had decent showings, but for the early post-season, Lion took a little bit of a backseat until his outings helped secure the Brigade moving forward in the tournament. In the semi-finals against Team Clue, Justin Lion was given the start for the first time through the series, job security in the net as much as he had back when in Mississauga. He took advantage of this, and in a hard-fought series versus the Clue, posting numbers the best he’s done for his entire career, and right in the clutch. He’s a big reason why Brigade made the finals against the predicted top team coming out of the preliminary portion of the JST, the Delhi Pickles. Another hard-fought series followed, but there was not nearly as much success as the better team still won in the Delhi Pickles, but Justin Lion played his heart out every game he was playing. Keeping the locker room together through the tough times off the ice in a grueling final series that exploded on the ice, putting Lion in a very difficult spot in times, and even then, he managed to do well. It's a pre-draft renaissance that any prospect would hope for entering the draft.

              Satisfied with the performance he put into the showcase, the outlook upon the drafts had an obvious boost. There’s potential in him to be a starting goaltender in the VHL and many GMs took notice. In the VHLM draft, where there were the least possible questions about if Lion would be taken, had him shoot up to 4^th overall, taken by the third first round pick the San Diego Marlins owned, showing that in the VHLM, Lion was a hot commodity and ready to perform. In the VHLE draft, the Cologne Express took him in at the top of the 5^th round, 33^rd overall, as a prospect goalie ready to play in the VHLE after one season with the Marlins, where he’s expected to be a top 3 goaltender in the VHLM. In the VHL draft, after some consideration by the Malmo Nighthawks, Justin Lion was taken near the end of the 2^nd round, 31^st overall. This leaves him taken in all three drafts of the S86 draft weekend based on his eligibility.

              While we’ll never know what will happen for Justin Lion’s VHL career, it’s clear that the JST gave him a solid footing in the eyes of the GMs, and that anything is possible with enough time. For now, Justin Lion will focus this season on the Marlins, and it will be very interesting to see where his career goes.

 

(636 words)

Edited November 11, 2022 by Emperor_Fun