S91 Draft - Top 20 Prospects (by TPE)

[tcookie 899]

With the S90 regular season in the rearview mirror, some teams shift focus to a playoff run while others - those in the rebuilding state - will instead shift their focus to draft day. The S91 VHL Entry Draft will feature a solid crop of young prospects looking to take the next step in their hockey careers, including a surprisingly large presence from Greenland. Let's take a look at the upcoming draft's top-20 ranked prospects and how they fared during their S90 campaigns.

Notes: TPE counts are as of the week ending September 24th. the "Central Scouting Rank" is just rank by TPE. The "Victory Prospect Network Rank" also mentioned is slightly different ... partially based on earning rates & partially just changed up for fun, because strictly ranking by TPE is kind of boring.

 

@N0HBDY

Central Scouting Rank: 1 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 1

One of the S90 draft's three S91 prospects playing in the VHLE this season, Reingaard found himself buried in the lineup of a very strong team and averaged just a little over 8 minutes of ice time per game. Reingaard finished the season with just 3 goals and 4 points in 72 games, but the fact that a draft-eligible player even managed to get into the Vasteras lineup this season is generally seen as a positive. Reingaard is a good skater who is strong on his skates, has an excellent shot, and has no discernible weaknesses in his game - he has even begun to evolve some face-off ability to potentially play centre at the next level. Reingaard's lack of production should not scare teams off; expect him to hear his name called very early in the S91 draft.

 

@Renomitsu

Central Scouting Rank: 2 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 2

Spanish Moon Moth spent the year with the Bratislava Watchmen and managed to carve out a regular role, finishing up the season with 27 points, 210 shots, and 132 hits. Moth is particularly responsible defensively for a draft-eligible player and used that defensive acumen to fit right in at the VHLE level. Moth has good offensive instincts, but compared to top prospect Reingaard, is a little better defensively but a little worse offensively.

 

@Daniel Janser

Central Scouting Rank: 3 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 3

The big Swiss-born defenseman Callum Gary Yannick Janer is your prototypical old-school defenseman - physical, nasty, and excellent defensively - blending in some mobility that renders him a royal pain in the butt for VHLM forwards to try to get around. Janser's 48 points is a relatively middling total compared to some of the other draft-eligible defensemen that played in this league this year, but that's because it's not Janser's game - he is clearly the most advanced defensive defenseman in this year's draft class; those 48 points were just a bonus. Piling up a whopping 260 hits, no forward wants to be tasked with entering the zone on Janser's side, and his playstyle will surely serve him well at the next level.

 

@FrostBeard

Central Scouting Rank: 4 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 4

Ironhide might not be the top-ranked prospect on this list, but if we were going just based on the draft year they just had, he would certainly be the first player off the board. The 6'8, 250 pound monster left a trail of destruction in his wake at the VHLM level this season, leading the league with 55 goals, 125 points, and 522 shots. Goaltenders were not the only victims Ironhide claimed as he also racked up 203 hits. At the S90 VHLM awards, it's a sure bet that Ironhide will hear his name called a few times.

 

@Zetterberg

Central Scouting Rank: 5 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 5

The second Reingaard on the list, Reingaard is the most offensively gifted of the three defensemen you'll find at the top of this year's draft class. Reingaard is definitely on the small side (5'9 165) but possesses plenty of talent to make up for it. Reingaard's good all-around offensive skills are highlighted by excellent vision that saw him register 65 assists this year. Despite that, he's plenty comfortable in his own end too, posting a +51 rating for the Marlins while also blocking 132 shots. 

 

@McWolf

Central Scouting Rank: 6 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 6

With Janser and Reingaard, Sunset Moth completes the trio of defensemen that will come off the board very early on in this draft. Like Janser, Moth is excellent defensively but not very developed offensively, however, unlike Janser, Moth is pretty small and lacking in physicality. That said, Moth was the only member of the S91 draft class to secure big minutes in the VHLE this season, taking a regular shift in Bratislava's top-4 and tallying 44 points in 72 games to go along with 143 hits and 167 blocked shots.

 

@ROOKIE745

Central Scouting Rank: 7 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 9

Toby Kadachi is a big forward with some fire to his game. You'd like to see a little more focus to his game - Kadachi really his no weaknesses, but no particularly standout strength - perhaps an above average shot is his calling card. What you do have in Kadachi is a big body that isn't afraid to play the game on the edge. If he does continue to develop his skills, Kadachi is a high-upside player who has some qualities that are a little more rare at the VHL level than just your stereotypical two-way scoring forward.

 

@Velevra

Central Scouting Rank: 8 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 8

Schwarzer was lighting up the VHLM with Houston (25 points in 16 games) before the rebuilding Bulls sent him packing to a contender in Saskatoon. While Schwarzer's production declined a little bit after the trade, he benefitted overall from playing with better teammates and more structure in his game, and still fired off 378 shots while putting up 73 points, becoming a key player on a strong playoff team. Schwarzer is a shoot-first guy who has good hockey IQ and defensive ability, though skating and puck handling are areas that he will need to develop in moving up the VHL ladder.

 

@InstantRockstar

Central Scouting Rank: 9 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 11

The Halifax 21st were not a particularly strong team this year, but that was through no fault of Theo Allard's. A lot was asked of Allard, and he delivered, breaking the 100-point barrier while firing 420 shots on net. Allard is a little light for his 6'3 frame but you wouldn't know it watching him protect the puck as he's very difficult to separate from it. He has also become one of the VHLM's premier face-off guys. Allard will need to develop a little more defensively and is notably a bit of a poor distributor of the puck for a #1 centre, but in general, he has a lot of great tools and should be a mid-first round pick.

 

 

@Baozi

Central Scouting Rank: 10 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 12

Mina is a phenomenal skater and perhaps the most offensively-gifted defender in the draft class; a small but absolutely electric player who was asked to do a lot with relatively minimal help for the Kings this year. Piling up 10 goals and 63 points on a team that didn't do nearly as much scoring as the VHLM's powerhouse teams (Mexico scored just 151 goals), Mina will be a high pick just based on that offensive dynamism, but ultimately will need to get stronger and better defensively in order to make a huge impact at the VHL level.

 

 

@Masu Chan

Central Scouting Rank: 11 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 10

Lionel Collberg's offensive numbers are outstanding - 25 goals and 92 points is a remarkable season for anyone at the VHLM level, not just for a defender. Collberg also tallied 239 shots, 160 hits, and 194 blocked shots while playing over 31 minutes a game for the Miami Marauders. Collberg doesn't jump into the play like Mina does which looks a little less flashy but is more conducive to being available to defend if the play goes back the other way. Collberg's game is actually quite reminiscent of fellow Greenlander, and fellow S91 d-man prospect, Leif Reingaard. 

 

@Spartan

Central Scouting Rank: 12 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 7

Syko led the VHLM in wins, goals-against-average, save percentage, and shutouts - a remarkable feat of excellent netminding. The Marlins did a good job keeping Syko's shot totals low, but nevertheless, you have to make the saves and Syko did a phenomenal job of that. Syko actually plays a little smaller in net than a lot of the S91 goalie prospects and that is something that coaches will try to adjust as he transitions to the VHL level down the road, but Syko is disciplined in his style with excellent reflexes and rebound control and the results are self-evident.

 

@Lemorse7

Central Scouting Rank: 13 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 13

The Hounds and Marlins duked it out for first place throughout the VHLM season, and their goaltending situations rhymed as well, with Red Panda coming up slightly behind Syko in most stats but still putting together a clearly dominant campaign between the pipes. Their styles do have some contract to them, as Panda's biggest weakness is rebound control, which may be Syko's biggest strength. Panda does, however, play bigger and more aggressively in net with excellent reflexes, and might be better at making the initial save.

 

@KaleebtheMighty

Central Scouting Rank: 14 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 14

There are a trio of pretty similarly-ranked goaltending prospects in the S91 draft and Vidarsson, the third of the three, comes in as a something of a hybrid of Syko and Panda. Vidarsson's a bit more well-rounded with no glaring weaknesses, yet comes in a touch below Syko in rebound control and a touch below Panda in raw athleticism. Yet another Greenland-born player pushing for a first round selection, this 6'7 222 pound goalie covers a ton of net and had a strong VHLM campaign in his own right with 44 wins and a .907 SV%.

 

@Rin

Central Scouting Rank: 15 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 17

Generally when you see a defender of Kagamine's stature (5'5, 140) you're looking at an offensive dynamo along the lines of #10-ranked prospect Mina. That is absolutely not the case with Kagamine, who plays a very steady and conservative game but is an excellent defensive player. Kagamine uses a good stick and gap control to keep plays to the outside and is surprisingly strong, but will still need to prove that there won't be an issue handling bigger-bodied VHL forwards when they get going in the offensive zone in order to smoothly transition to the next level.

 

 

@Berocka

Central Scouting Rank: 16 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 15

Mattias is an interesting prospect: he's a straight-up sniper and, at this point in time, doesn't have much else of a toolkit surrounding that shot - hence being limited to just 10 goals and 19 points in the VHLM this year on a strong San Diego team. Mattias is not particularly good defensively, nor a good skater or puck-handler. Shooting, though? That he can do. Mattias might even have the best shot in the draft class. This is a player who works hard, though, and there is reason to believe the rest of the game might come around. If it does - especially with the premium placed on goal scoring at the VHL level - you have a darn good player here.

 

@UnknownMinion

Central Scouting Rank: 17 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 18

A number of highly-ranked S91 prospects congreated on the same few contending teams in the VHLM this year. Minion, on the other hand, was more of a big fish in a small pond for the Philadelphia Reapers. He took on every role he could handle and thrived, scoring 49 goals, 103 points, and even posting a +19 rating with 186 shots and 72 blocked shots - numbers that will even make Minion a candidate to get some votes for the VHLM's Best Defensive Forward award this off-season. Minion has undeniable vision and scoring touch, but may need to develop his puck handling to consistently beat defenders at higher levels.

 

@ShawnGlade

Central Scouting Rank: 18 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 19

Tending the nets for the Miami Marauders this year, Slezak may find himself in a bit of an awkward position given the number of highly-ranked goaltenders in this year's draft, but no doubt there is a VHL-calibre goaltending prospect in here. Another of the more balanced netminder types, Slezak posted a .906 SV% and leads Miami into the post-season with some expectation of a playoff run ahead of them.

 

@tcookie

Central Scouting Rank: 19 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 16

Rave is a big-bodied scorer that stepped into a second-line role on the contending Marlins and put up a surprisingly consistent season playing a variety of different roles. He became a reliable face-off man and penalty killer while maintaining a PPG pace right from the season's first game, finishing up with 74 points and 344 shots. Rave has come a long way in his one VHL season to be knocking on the edge of the first round, and if he continues to improve, he could be a sneaky good pick in this range.

 

@SirRupertBarnes

Central Scouting Rank: 20 | Victory Prospect Network Rank: 20

With 36 points and a -44 rating, Woodworth's VHLM campaign maybe didn't go quite as smoothly as he or the Kings would have liked, but there is a talented offensive player here with good skating and a good shot that he isn't afraid to use. Woodworth's main weakness is that he has some defensive deficiencies in his game that will need to be addressed if he is to one day earn VHL playing time, but for a projected second-round pick, he's definitely got talent.

 

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2300 words + stats, will use this for 4 weeks

[Spartan 4,405]

Really well done, great graphic utilization and writeups!

[FrostBeard 2,050]

Grimgor iz da best, da big boss iz never going to be overlooked!

[Lemorse7 1,015]

miss a red panda gif so Im here to fix it 

[tcookie 899]

1 hour ago, Lemorse7 said:

miss a red panda gif so Im here to fix it 

perfect, much appreciated

[tcookie 899]

Claiming week 2/4

[tcookie 899]

claiming week 3/4

[JCarson 727]

This is a great summary of draft eligible players, well laid out, to the point but insightful comments.  Very well done, the author of this should be proud of their work.  If you are looking at ideas for other articles you could use this format and do an analysis of the VHL free agents and rank them on who is most sought after, or just rank them by TPE and position. 

It is always nice to see when someone took a few extra minutes to go that little beyond what is expected.

 

Well done, 10/10 a great article.

[tcookie 899]

claiming week 4/4