The Season 90 YaBoi Oven Draft Lottery

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The Season 90 YaBoi Oven Draft Lottery

 

With the HC Davos Dynamo crowned as the champions of the Victory Hockey League, hoisting the Continental Cup for the first time since Season 61, the focus now shifts to the Season 90 off-season. With the draft lottery imminent, the team that will win the right to draft the highly-touted Hungarian defenseman YaBoi Oven will soon be revealed. A massive lead in TPE seemingly since creation has led many analysts to a widespread belief that he will be the first overall selection. Assuming that he is the first overall pick regardless of which team wins the lottery, let's delve into the teams in the draft lottery, and see what Oven’s future could be like for each of them.

 

Helsinki Titans

 

After another season of finishing dead-last in the VHL despite a talented core of forwards featuring Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes, the Titans once again find themselves in great position to add another elite talent. This time, however, Helsinki is swirling with the winds of change, as General Manager Frank Funk recently announced his resignation, with no replacement named at the time of print. However, the new General Manager would be hard-pressed to find a better fit for the franchise than YaBoi Oven should they win the draft lottery. Outside of Season 87 first round pick Kronchy Kardashian, no long-term options at defenseman can be found on Helsinki's roster. Mo Probert and Bob Robb are both set to be unrestricted free agents, and even if they would re-sign, Season 90 would be their final season prior to retirement. It's also a strong possibility that Oven would be immediately called up to the Titans and bypass the VHLE due to their current situation at defense, providing immediate cap relief from signing a veteran defender. If the Titans' top odds pay off on lottery night, Helsinki could wind up with an ideal player, and YaBoi Oven would have an opportunity to be an immediate contributor to a franchise looking to emerge from the bottom of the league. 

 

Toronto Legion

 

Despite finishing at the bottom of the North American Conference, the Toronto Legion are a team brimming with potential. Goaltender Joel Castle is a tremendous talent, and they have drafted top talents at forward in Mac Atlas and Jimi Jaks at forward, and blue liner Bobby Bob as well. Adding YaBoi Oven to that core would make the rich even richer, and give the Legion an even brighter future. Toronto's blue line is all returning in Season 90, with Bobby Bob due for a contract extension as well. Unless General Manager Moon prefers to have four defenseman, there would be no rush for Oven to be called up for Season 90, although it would certainly help Toronto take that next step towards competitiveness, which they seem absolutely primed for. The Legion are overall a quality destination for YaBoi Oven, and one with some flexibility for Season 90 as well. 

 

D.C. Dragons

 

If there is one thing that has personified General Manager John Frostbeard's approach with the D.C. Dragons, it has been his commitment to defense. Mark Calaway and Eric Queefson are both elite level talents added in the past two drafts, and Ben Laas is joining the pro roster as well. The Dragons certainly have more pressing needs than YaBoi Oven, especially with longtime goaltender Bubbles Utonium entering their final season before retirement. My money would say that Frostbeard would be more than happy to get the second or third pick in order to grab top goaltender prospect Ryan Artyomov as the next franchise goaltender for the Dragons. Even Axle Gunner would make more sense for D.C. here, as they have an aging group of forwards and could use an elite talent to bolster the ranks there. If the Dragons would receive the top pick, Frostbeard would ideally try to move the pick to a team that is looking to select Oven, and get as much as possible in return while still being in position to draft Artyomov. If a trade can't be worked out, they'll simply select Artyomov instead.

 

Chicago Phoenix

 

The life of a phoenix goes in cycles, and the Chicago Phoenix are at the end of their current life cycle, so to speak. Outside of blue liner Liv Slater, there isn't an entire player on the roster younger than the S84 draft class. Worse yet, Chicago's prospect pool is as barren as can be. With General Manager Geoffrey Dee retiring, whoever the new GM will be for the Phoenix will have their hands full, especially considering the entire active roster outside of Slater is slated (ha) to be unrestricted free agents. With Chicago poised to likely be the worst team in the VHL for at least two seasons, if not more, it's about as bleak as it gets for the Phoenix right now. However, if they luck out and win the draft lottery, YaBoi Oven would be a fantastic piece for their rebuild to begin with. Depending on the direction the new GM takes, he could be called up immediately and receive massive financial bonuses to speed up his development or could be left to develop in the VHLE for a season and be spared from the nightmare looming in Season 90. It's a dark road ahead for the Chicago Phoenix, but one that could be made a bit brighter with YaBoi Oven around. 

 

Warsaw Predators

 

I just spent how many words talking about how doom and gloom it is in Chicago, but the Warsaw Predators are in pretty rough shape too. Their entire roster only has two forwards under contract, and that's it. Even if they bring all of their pending free agents back, there's still not much of a roster to speak of outside of defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto, and there really isn't a good reason for him to return. Unlike Chicago, however, Warsaw does have some prospects in their system, some of whom could factor into the future of the Predators. Also unlike the Phoenix, Warsaw's General Manager, Bob Tristan, has managed to accumulate draft picks for their rebuild, including two first round picks this season. With a barren roster, YaBoi Oven would naturally be a great building block for Warsaw, and it would be up in the air as to whether or not he'd come right up to the VHL. The Predators certainly have the space on the roster, where he could immediately play top minutes and receive a boosted salary, but it could be equally beneficial to just let Oven spend a season in the VHLE to develop. Warsaw's odds of winning the lottery aren't great, but their rebuild would receive a tremendous boost with YaBoi Oven if the balls fall in their favor. 

 

Malmo Nighthawks

 

A season after selecting first overall in the Season 89 VHL Entry Draft, in which they selected center Viktor Jensen, the Malmo Nighthawks once again find themselves in the draft lottery. This time, however, they have the worst odds of winning the lottery by virtue of improving by eight points from last season. Of all the draft lottery teams, their roster is the most complete, and they should be right in the thick of things in the European Conference this season. Winning the draft lottery and being able to select YaBoi Oven would be a tremendous stroke of luck for Victor Grachev, giving the Nighthawks a stud defender that they wouldn't even necessarily need in Season 90 with their entire defensive corps under contract. Oven would be a fantastic insurance policy for Malmo, however, with Malum Maellard having a player option in Season 90. Malmo would be the best option for Oven to join a contending team as quickly as possible, but it is the least likely of all of the options to happen.

 

With the draft lottery officially announced to be taking place tomorrow evening, the speculation over YaBoi Oven's destination will soon be coming to a close. But in the meantime, this article is only going to make him even better and more prepared for the future. Genius, right?
 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Doomsday

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