An early look at promising draft eligible players

[Noodle Enjoyer 165]

In this piece we're going to take a look at a player or two at each position that is draft eligible in the VHLM this season. We will dive into how their season is going and where they might be projected to go in the coming draft.
The first centre we're going to talk about is most recent first overall pick in VHLM dispersal draft.

Antonia Bucatini standing at 5'11" and 177 pounds is playing for the struggling Halifax 21st but has managed to put up good offensive numbers so far. She has scored three goals and added 5 helpers in 8 games played on a weak Halifax squad. She is an Elite offensive centre and as such she will be coveted at the draft. She is a volume shooter at the time of writing this she is leading the league in shots at 59 so once she raises that shooting percentage of 5.08% you can expect that goal total to jump significantly. Not just an offensive threat she is a great Faceoff taker and has solid defensive instincts, however just looking at the numbers she has a +/- of -12 which is presently tied for worst in the league. Some think that this is a side effect of being overplayed she is averaging 30.55 minutes per game which puts in the top of the league for ice time. Even with the lower point and goal totals than expected we believe she is likely to go first in the upcoming draft once again, teams will likely see that this is just a tough season on a Halifax team that is missing a lot of pieces.

up next at centre we have Walter Jinn of the Philadelphia Reapers

Walter Jinn who is a diminutive 5'7" 140 pounds was taken with the sixth overall pick in the VHLM dispersal Draft. He is a faceoff monster he is tenacious and gets down low to win draws quickly and efficiently which is always wanted at his position. He is an offensive powerhouse in his own right and is enjoying a quality season in Philidelphia scoring 5 goals and 4 apples in the early parts of this young season. His shot and pass are both excellent options when bringing the puck in off the rush and he looks to make use of both of them equally. He is defensively sound and can counted on when it matters most in a game. Teams looking to add an offensive centre who wins draws and won't hurt their defensive game might regret skipping on this young star in the making. We project that Walter Jinn will go near the end of the first or early on in the second round of the upcoming draft. Maybe we could see a team trade up to get this young man and he could be the steal of the draft at that ranking.

Next we have a couple of left wingers to take a look at and they both hail from the same team the Saskatoon Wild.

First of the two is as of writing this article the leading scorer of the VHLM: Forum Content. Forum Content was taken tenth overall in the dispersal draft and is looking like a slam dunk by Saskatoon he is a big playmaking winger with silky soft hands he stands at 6'2" and 220 pounds. For a big guy he is an elite skater and puck handler with great vision and passing ability, this has allowed him to have incredible success so far this season scoring 3 goals and adding an incredible 16 assists just 8 games into the season. The only thing scouts have complaints about is his defensive game and lack of strength. His shooting ability although not weak is not exactly up there with the rest of the league and defenders are going to start defending passes more so we'd like to see his shot progress to make the defenders pay for cheating pass. Projecting where Content will go in the draft is interesting as I think a lot of teams might be more interested in defense and centres but I still have a hard time seeing forum drop out of the first round, it is likely we see a team grab him in the mid to late first round.

The second Saskatoon Wild player we're looking at is UghSike who is another big forward at 6'2" and 210 pounds he actually fits a similar mold to Forum Content as a playmaking winger. Being a few years younger than the aforementioned player he has more stuff to work on, however his wrist and slap shots are quite impressive. UghSike has put up 4 goals and 1 helper so far in more limited playing time averaging just 17.42 minutes a game. His great wrist shot makes him a great choice in shootout situations and has the looks of what could be a prolific scorer with the amount of effort he puts into his training. If i were to look at an area of his game that could be improved it would be his puck handling and it never hurts to improve your defensive acumen. This young man has decent skating for a man his size and is stronger than our previous prospect all of this info leads us to believe teams at the next level will be watching him closely. We believe that UghSike will go somewhere in the 2nd round probably in the middle to later picks, but we would bet on him being a solid offensive contributor at the next level when the time comes. 

Up next we have a pair of right wingers that deserve a quality look, starting with Houston Bulls star forward Trimiskev Artav.

Trimiskev Artav was an absolute steal for Houston at pick 18 in the second round of the VHLM dispersal draft. Artav is a 6'0" 205 pound forward and he has had a solid showing for his team scoring 5 goals and adding 5 assists  he is currently shooting 16.67% and some question whether that number is sustainable, but if you ask around Houston every is fully bought in on Artav. He has elite offensive vision maybe the best in the league he see's the play in the attacking zone very well and makes quality shots and passes, on top of that he has strong skating and elite deking allowing him to get into open spaces to pass or shoot making him a difficult player to defend. He is a solid player without the puck too and doesn't miss his defensive coverage, the one thing missing from his game is strength but with how shifty he is with the puck this isn't a big deal. Any team looking for an offensive dynamo up front on the right would be crazy to pass on this player, I think he'll go in the middle of the first round but we could see him drop if teams in that area are looking for a different position.

Next we're looking Miami Marauders right winger Leon Bruhmaninho.

Leon is a young player with lots of room to grow and he is making a big impact for Miami despite his young age. The 6'3" 171 pound winger has scored 4 goals and added 9 assists for the wagon that is the Miami squad. out of all the players on our list this player has the most room for improvement but early season success makes us believe in his future growth. Leon has soft hands that allow him to handle the puck in tight spaces and with his long reach he has even more options. He seems to primarily focus on growing his offensive talents at a balanced rate and for the most part doesn't have an elite aspect to his game as of yet. He has paid little attention to the defensive aspects, that being said he is the best player in terms of +/- on this list today with a +9. But they say offense is the best defense so maybe he has it all figured out. But a lot of scouts have said they'd like to see this area of his game grow before he makes the leap to the next level. Leon is absolutely a player to keep an eye on this year as the Marauders look to compete to win it all this year. We think Bruhmaninho is likely to go at the end of the 2nd or early 3rd round at this years draft maybe earlier if he continues his stellar offensive campaign.

Next up we have a pair of promising rear guards to look at.

for the Houston Bulls we have Lucy Leitner a bit on the smaller side at 5'8" and just 155 pounds but this player fits the mold for talented puck moving defenseman. She has solid stick handling skills coupled with strong skating making her someone you want to have the puck on their stick as much as possible. her defensive coverage and offensive vision are both good making her an adept defender and great passer and powerplay quarterback. Leitner as of writing has 1 goal and 11 assists early in the season making her not only one of the top scoring defenseman in the league but a top skater in general as well. She shows great promise and dedication to her craft and seems to get better every time we see her play. We think that this is going to be one of the players picked at the top of the draft this year more than likely a top 5 pick if you ask me. Don't be surprised if you see Houston make some noise this year and Lucy leading the way.

The next defenseman is a stalwart defender and prides himself on his defensive play, it's Mexico Kings rear guard Chuck E Cheese.

Chuck E Cheese stands at 5'10" 160 pounds but has the best poke check in the league hands down, his defense is second to none and in a league full of players looking to stand out on offense it makes him stand out more. Mexico chose him 9th overall in the dispersal draft in order to solidify the teams defense. Not only that even at age 50 this ageless wonder has put up 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points so far so even adding some offense for the Kings. The question is will teams look at his age and wonder how long he can keep up with the younger generation, I think there will be teams who aren't frightened by this and want to pick up a quality defenseman and we seem go somewhere in the 1st round at the draft this year.

And now at last onto the last line of defense, every teams guardian angels the goaltenders. Up first we have the mouthful to say Aleksanteri Kaskiniemi-Kekkonen another member of the Mexico Kings.

Aleksanteri is a little short for a goalie in this day and age but has the heart and reflexes to more than make up for his lack in size at 5'9" and 222 pounds. He was drafted 2nd overall in the dispersion draft and is the top Goalie not in a VHL teams system playing in the VHLM this year. He currently has a record of 5-2-1 with a save percentage of 0.907 and a GAA of 2.57 I'm sure if you asked him he'd say he expects more out of himself and we wouldn't be surprised if those number improve as the season goes on. Any team needing a goaltender in the system should be giving this young Finn a good hard look and I wouldn't be surprised to see him go in the top 5 of the draft, as every team needs a quality tendie in the system.

And now for the final player of our list goaltender for the Philadelphia Reapers Jorgen Lovstrom.

Jorgen Lovstrom stands at 6'0" and 180 pounds and he has become Philadelphia's favorite son so far this season. Jorgen holds a 5-1-0 record with a sparkling 0.924 save percentage and an elite 2.14 GAA, he wasn't available at the dispersal draft and was a solid waiver pickup by the Reapers. Can he maintain these stellar numbers all year or will the rubber begin to find it's way behind him with more regularity in the coming weeks. Philadelphia is pinning their hopes of a solid season on their young star netminder, and VHL teams are standing up and taking notice of what this young man is capable of if a team needs a goalie I wouldn't be surprised by a late first round pick of Jorgen Lovstrom or early second. Either way he'll make a great prospect for one lucky team.

and that has been a list of 10 up and comers playing their hearts out in a competitive and exciting VHLM season this year will leagues current top players continue to dominate, or will some dark horses rise from obscurity and make the VHL look at them. We and hockey fans everywhere can't wait to see how this season continues to play out.

For VHL.com this has been Jim Hotdog

 

This post is 2194 words and will be used as media spot for weeks ending Jan 21, Jan 28, Feb 4th, and Feb 11th.

[Alex 2,876]

[Daniel Janser 1,983]

[UghSike 211]

Great piece! Well thought out and composed. It was flattering to see myself covered in this. Thanks for the mention!

[Noodle Enjoyer 165]

1 minute ago, UghSike said:

Great piece! Well thought out and composed. It was flattering to see myself covered in this. Thanks for the mention!

gotta shout out  a great and active teammate.

[eagle_3450 278]

Del Rocco and Devote: 

[LucyXpher 578]

This was well written and fun to read!  Of course, part of me is flattered to hear someone else write about my player, but I have to say it was genuinely awesome to read about some of the other players that I really don't know much about.  I've been trying to get to know some of the standout players throughout the VHLM, though it can require a good bit of research and sifting through stats.  Your article really makes that process easy and palatable.  As a fan of observing the process of scouting/drafting IRL, this is a fun piece to be included in and helps build anticipation for the S93 draft which is going to be a stacked class!  I also really liked how you clearly looked at each player's STHS sheet and used it to write about their pros and cons in a realistic way.  

 

Awesome job, and I look forward to reading more of your writing soon!

9/10

Edited January 15 by LucyXpher

[badcolethetitan 801]