VSN Presents: S89 VHL Mock Draft

[Alex 3,248]

	1	Malmo Nighthawks
	Viktor Jensen @Advantage
				C	TPE:	348
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	40	38	78	5	372	38	125	38
	S88 Playoffs	4	1	1	2	-3	19	4	8	2
	As the big winners of the draft lottery, Malmo jumps up to first overall and receives their choice of the two standout options for the top pick. The Nighthawks seem set with defensive prospects, leaving them with a potential generational forward with a Hall of Fame pedigree in Viktor Jensen. A 40 goal scorer with the Houston Bulls in Season 88, Jensen's offensive potential is already apparent, and he is also strong in his own end of the ice as well. Pundits, however, took notice of a rather lackluster showing in the playoffs, but that won't be enough to deter Victor Grachev to look past the massive potential of Viktor Jensen, who will be a crucial piece of the Malmo Nighthawks' rebuild.
	2	D.C. Dragons
	Eric Queefson @twists
				D	TPE:	337
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	26	54	80	2	255	54	121	125
	S88 Playoffs	13	0	11	11	-5	19	16	21	17
	Although they were jumped in the draft lottery by Malmo, all is not lost for John Frostbeard and the D.C. Dragons. Waiting here for them at second overall is a player who would make a strong case for being the top pick in most other drafts in Eric Queefson. Although D.C. drafted another defenseman, Mark Calaway, first overall just last season, I just can't foresee Frostbeard passing on a player like Queefson to reach for a position of need. Queefson was a key piece of the Season 88 Founder's Cup champions, the Philadelphia Reapers, and is a dangerous weapon on the power play. The Dragons likely have a perennial Alexander Valiq Trophy contender here at second overall.
	3	Toronto Legion
	Montgomery Burns @LastOneUp
				RW	TPE:	300
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	25	18	43	-21	271	66	134	11
	The Toronto Legion's rebuild continued in Season 88, and although they are on the verge of competing again, they get to add another forward to their arsenal in Montgomery Burns. Although he did not have the most successful season with the Saskatoon Wild in Season 88, what cannot be denied is Burns' strong work ethic, which he has maintained throughout his VHLM career. He showed promising skill as a goal scorer, but Burns had trouble in his own zone, something that he will need to work on in the VHLE before he reaches the VHL. Moon gets a quality addition to the team with Montgomery Burns, and he has the potential to be an effective addition to a blossoming Legion squad.
	4	Calgary Wranglers
	Pope Francis @nurx
				D	TPE:	297
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	25	70	95	4	235	128	225	238
	S88 Playoffs	5	1	2	3	-4	9	2	11	18
	Although the illustrious Daniel Janser era will soon be coming to an end in Calgary, General Manager Kris Rice has something else on his mind. His core of defensemen isn't getting any younger, and there are none in the pipeline. So at fourth overall, the Wranglers grab Pope Francis, who immediately rectifies that problem. He is a phenomenal skater, and his positioning is seemingly instinctive whether the Pope is on the attack or on defense. His positioning allowed him to thrive in Halifax last season, recording 95 points, remarkable numbers for a defenseman. However, his skills in passing and shooting will need to improve to replicate those results in the VHLE and VHL. Really quality addition here if Francis can continue to work hard to improve further.
	5	New York Americans
	Tobias Weiss @jfaly
				D	TPE:	214
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	40	12	16	28	-7	96	38	91	58
	S88 Playoffs	4	2	4	6	-2	9	4	8	5
	New York spent their two first round picks in Season 88 on high potential forwards in Jasper Davis and Francesco Mancini, now it’s time for them to move onto bringing in similarly talented players to boost their defense as, as of writing, New York only has two defensemen in their active roster and prospect pool combined. The player that fits this bill the best is Tobias Weiss, the latest joining of the draftees we’ve pencilled in for the first round and our projected first first-gen selected in this draft. They didn’t have as many games to showcase their skillset as the other top players in this draft class, but they’ve made up for that with immense work ethic, being only one of three players in this draft class to have earned 12 capped TPE every single week since declaring for the draft.
	6	D.C. Dragons
	Zyn Westwood @Sullvino
				RW	TPE:	264
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	68	24	25	49	1	261	28	121	11
	S88 Playoffs	19	7	12	19	0	86	14	34	2
	Factoring in our earlier pick of Eric Queefson to D.C., the Dragons look set at defenseman, but now it's time for them to focus elsewhere on the ice as they're going to need a high-earning forward to help them progress through the rebuilding phase and hopefully back into playoff contention. That’s where Zyn Westwood would fit in, a player with very strong TPE earning capabilities (fifth in the draft class in average capped TPE) and an effective offensive skillset. Westwood had a very good championship winning playoffs with the Reapers, showcasing their game-changing capabilities with four first stars in the playoffs and with this selection, the Dragons will be hoping those big-game performances carry over into the big leagues.
	7	Malmo Nighthawks
	Fradin McGryer @Fradin99
				D	TPE:	227
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	8	50	58	34	91	113	223	126
	S88 Playoffs	10	2	8	10	4	12	10	34	14
	After drafting Viktor Jensen first overall to provide a future star at center to go alongside the likes of Yaroslav Trunov and Logan Foley, Malmo don’t really have any particular position they need to address, so they go with the most talented player available in Fradin McGryer. Like Tobias Weiss, McGryer is a very talented first-gen defenseman, however Fradin is the more defensively sound and physical of the two, which could lead to a very good partnership with the top earning player of the Season 88 draft class Jacob Stone.
	8	Los Angeles Stars
	Shubham Anand @Will3
				RW	TPE:	223
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	29	36	65	41	266	62	142	18
	S88 Playoffs	10	7	5	12	6	59	8	23	1
	Los Angeles have got talented players across the board, but two of their important forwards in Nezuko and Sirdsvaldis Miglaskams are entering their final season in the VHL, so it would be worthwhile for them to use this pick to find one of their future long-term replacements. The top forward we’ve got available is Shubham Anand, who was part of a San Diego Marlins forward line with Sjin and Brad Marchand that had the highest +/- in the VHLM last season. While the Marlins playoff campaign wasn’t ultimately successful, Anand had strong individual performances leading the Marlins in goals scored in the playoffs, something LA will hope continues as Anand progresses onto the main roster to help them make their first finals appearance.
	9	Los Angeles Stars
	Otis Boudreaux Jr @Otis Boudreaux Jr
				LW	TPE:	230
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	34	39	73	-3	328	46	113	31
	Up next, another Los Angeles pick, we have them taking Otis Boudreaux Jr. Otis has had a player before, but they ended up having to step away from the VHL scene and are now back, better than ever. Although Otis is projected to go higher on this list, the concerns of them potentially leaving are still around, but we believe that will not happen this time around. Otis ended up playing for Saskatoon last season and despite them having not the best season, Otis was one of their best players putting up a point per game in the M. On top of that, this'll add to to the already talented prospect pool Los Angeles has. The Los Angeles Stars are looking stacked with prospects and have a bright future ahead of them!
	10	Moscow Menace
	Ben Laas @dustywilson22
				D	TPE:	218
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	8	32	40	-26	152	58	113	113
	The first pick for Moscow in this draft and arguable the most important we believe they'll be picking Ben Laas. Ben Laas played for Saskatoon last season, having a solid season for a defenseman dropping 40 points in 72 games. They also have been around the VHL and this isn't their first rodeo, so Moscow knows what they're going to be getting with their pick. Moscow has always found a way to stay at the top of the league and Ben Laas should help them with that in a couple seasons, where he'll break the starting lineup and look to be a great depth piece for Moscow.
	11	D.C. Dragons
	Keegan Gamble @Keegan Gamble
				RW	TPE:	191
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	56	14	31	45	21	179	32	100	23
	S88 Playoffs	10	3	9	12	-4	36	2	19	2
	Next up at eleventh overall, we have the D.C. Dragons picking up Keegan Gamble. Gamble might be looked at as a bit of a gamble for D.C., however they're on a rebuild and still have a couple more seasons until they're going to be competitive and ready to roll. Gamble ended up playing for the San Diego Marlins where he put up 45 points in 56 games played and was a +21, very solid in the M. On top of that, he also had over a point per game in the playoffs, showing he can show up when he's needed most for the team. On top of that, this player has been doing more than just clicking, earning max weeks some weeks, which if D.C. can get them to continue that trend, they could have a real steal in this draft. At this point for the dragons, they're looking for the best long term player and we truly believe that this is the best pick for them.
	12	Moscow Menace
	Jeff Lewis @nerji
				RW	TPE:	252
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	44	40	84	14	417	36	139	31
	S88 Playoffs	11	5	9	14	6	62	4	21	3
	Slotting in at number twelve, we have Jeff Lewis going to the Moscow Menace, their second pick in the draft. Jeff Lewis had an amazing season in the M, putting up 44 goals in just 72 games played for the Mississauga Hounds. He was a key part of that roster and also had a great playoff performance, dropping 14 points in 11 games played with a +6. Lewis might still be a couple seasons out from cracking the starting roster, but he's a fairly consistent earner and a great locker room presence, so he should fit perfectly into Moscow!
	13	Seattle Bears
	David Rashford @Knight
				LW	TPE:	165
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	52	14	23	37	15	120	30	103	4
	S88 Playoffs	19	7	10	17	7	31	20	27	1
	David Rashford would be a very interesting pick in the first round, but could pay off huge! this past season Rashford was solid putting up 37 points in 52 games and then in the playoffs they had 17 points in 19 games on their way to a Founder's Cup. Warsaw is entering their first rebuild in some time and given their upcoming draft capital they certainly can afford to take some risk and drafting Rashford at 13 could be a great move for their future!
	14	Calgary Wranglers
	Ronald Johnson MacWallace III @RJMW
				C	TPE:	224
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	42	46	88	-17	408	34	106	62
	S88 Playoffs	4	2	1	3	-1	24	0	1	7
	The 18th overall pick in the S88 VHLM Draft certainly outperformed their expectations this past season as MacWallace had the 4th most goals in the VHLM with 42 and was in the top 10 for points with 88! We can expect Calgary to take the best player available here as the first round nears it's end and MacWallace certainly fits exactly what they'll be looking for.
	15	D.C. Dragons
	Savaisk Tzesar @comrade cat
				LW	TPE:	200
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	70	17	24	41	0	205	44	119	17
	S88 Playoffs	4	0	2	2	-2	17	4	4	0
	Savaisk Tzesar had a solid first season in the VHLM with 41 points in 70 games played, with that being said we can expect them to likely be a very early pick in the VHLM draft should they decide to stay in the M and not go up to the E. Currently DC is in the middle of their rebuild, and brining in a solid prospect that should earn well for the foreseeable future. This draft should be monumental for DC and Tzesar would be a great way to wrap up their first round.
	16	London United
	Reginald the Dodo @Esso2264
				D	TPE:	199
	Season	GP	G	A	P	(+/-)	SHT	PIM	HITS	SB
	S88 Regular Season	72	29	72	101	19	224	66	162	127
	S88 Playoffs	11	6	9	15	7	32	6	16	25
	Reginald the Dodo is coming off of an incredible season where they put up 101 points, enough to tie for the league lead! Reginald also did this as a defensemen, which is just unheard of, they also led the league in assists. Reginald would be the perfect pick for London at this point of the draft as they project to be in the VHL in 1-2 seasons which would have them entering their prime as Yasilievich retires. London needs defensemen, and Reginald would be the perfect fit.

 

Written By: 1-4 @Doomsday, 5-8 @MubbleFubbles, 9-12 @badcolethetitan, 13-16 @Alex

Edited June 11, 2023 by Alex

[AJW 2,194]

3 Bulls on the board

[Pifferfish 596]

2 hours ago, AJW said:

3 Bulls on the board

3 Reapers as well... Unless my AGM also counts as a Reaper... Then it's 4 hahahahaha

[Banackock 8,134]

Nurx @ 3 to TOR

[badcolethetitan 938]

Good read as usual!

[dustywilson22 133]

3 Saskatoon people on the board!!! Excited to see where me and my former teammates go to in the VHL!!!! This class looks amazing so far and just really excited to see who goes 1st overall as surprises do happen. Draft night always gets wacky