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S95 VHL Entry Draft -- First Round Recap

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1. Calgary Wranglers - Spider Panda - G - 347 TPE
S94 Stats: San Diego / Miami (VHLM) – 28 GP, 19–6-2, 0.904 SV%, 2.21 GAA, 2 SO

It seemed to be a perfect confluence of team need and top prospect available, with the Calgary Wranglers holding the #1 and #2 picks in desperate need of goaltending and Roger Eagles being the draft’s top-ranked prospect. The Wranglers did indeed take a goaltender, but they went a different direction, taking Spider Panda instead. In hindsight, it does make a lot of sense to see Panda go off the board here, given the previous ties between team and player agency – ultimately, you can’t go wrong with either of the two top goalie prospects. Panda is a very technically sound netminder who split last season in the VHLM between San Diego and Miami after being part of a late-season three-way trade and posted some good but not great numbers. The pedigree here is outstanding, and Panda is as close to a can’t miss prospect as there is. Calgary has their goalie of the future.

 

2. Calgary Wranglers (from Prague) - Phil Sakic - LW - 358 TPE
S94 Stats: Miami (VHLM) – 72 GP, 48 G, 47 A, 95 PTS, +33, 54 PIM, 362 S, 123 HIT

Another prospect with excellent VHL pedigree, Sakic projects as a franchise player who can do it all offensively - especially score goals. Sakic’s a great shooter who finished fourth in the VHLM last season with 48 goals and was a teammate of #1 pick Panda for most of the season, as well. His hands are high-end and he’s difficult to knock off the puck while his shot is the stuff of goalies’ nightmares. The Wranglers’ forward lineup will be tough to crack in S95 but Sakic is likely to force his way into the plans for S96 and will be an excellent player to build around going forward.

 

3. Los Angeles Stars - Roger Eagles - G - 452 TPE
S94 Stats: Rome (VHLE) – 60 GP, 32-20-7, 0.932 SV%, 2.50 GAA, 2 SO

The Stars had to have been thrilled to have Eagles on the board at #3, a goaltender who was good enough to take on a starting role in the VHLE before even being drafted to the VHL, and good enough to post some pretty solid numbers, too – like an 0.932 SV% and 32 wins. Eagles is VHL ready, he will almost certainly step straight into the league and contend for Rookie of the Year straight out of the gate. His rebound control and reaction time are already VHL-calibre, he’ll just need to work on his movement and aggressiveness playing the angles, which should certainly come as the season progresses.

 

4. DC Dragons - Konstyantyn Shevchenko - RW - 381 TPE
S94 Stats: Mississauga (VHLM) – 72 GP, 50 G, 57 A, 107 PTS, +49, 397 S, 142 HIT

Shevchenko is the most advanced forward in the draft at this stage of his career. He’s a true power forward, sporting a 6-foot-7, 214 pound frame and a lethal shot, strong two-way game, and physical edge. For a just-drafted player, Shevchenko’s strength on the puck is uncanny. One thing he will need to work on in a big way at the next level is his skating, but he’s just so talented and nearly pro-ready – it’s not hard to envision Shevchenko as a first line VHLer in the very near future. The Dragons are clearly in a rebuild, so the opportunity will come to Shevchenko right away, and we’d expect to see him start the season on the Dragons roster.

 

5. Helsinki Titans - Ahsoka Tano - D - 362 TPE
S94 Stats: San Diego/Houston (VHLM): 72 GP, 30 G, 62 A, 92 PTS, +17, 201 S, 36 PIM, 111 HIT, 107 SB

An offensively-inclined but still well-rounded defender who clearly stands apart from the others in this draft class, Helsinki needed a blueline prospect of this calibre in a big way. Tano is a smooth, fast skater with quick hands, setting the foundation for a truly elite puck-moving game, and is responsible enough defensively despite the 111 hits and 107 blocked shots maybe not completely bearing that out. Their biggest weakness is strength, something that perhaps adding some bulk to their 6-foot-3, 165 pound frame could help alleviate. Tano is not far from playing on a VHL blueline if it doesn’t happen this season, and projects as a surefire top pairing defender in the future.

 

6. HC Davos Dynamo - David Pastanap - RW - 324 TPE
S94 Stats: Houston (VHLM): 72 GP, 39 G, 46 A, 85 PTS, +47, 398 shots, 56 PIM, 116 HIT

A strong young core of forwards in Davos gets stronger with the addition of David Pastanap, a pure sniper with a bit of a power game in the way he protects the puck and drives the net (although he isn’t very physical). At this point in the draft the players are a little further away from being VHL ready, but Pastanap should move up to the big squad for S96 and seems like a pretty safe bet to grow into a first line calibre forward at the next level.

 

7. Los Angeles Stars (from New York) - Samsayz I-Smell - D - 329 TPE
S94 Stats: Mexico City (VHLM): 72 GP, 14 G, 72 A, 86 PTS, +27, 233 S, 78 PIM, 131 HIT, 151 SB

The draft’s second-best defenseman goes here to the Stars, who need one only slightly less than they did the goalie they nabbed at #3. I-Smell actually plays a remarkably similar game to Tano, both being very good skaters who ooze creativity with the puck. I-Smell ranked 3rd in the VHLM with 72 assists and 3rd in defensemen scoring behind Tano and Donald Carlson with 86 points. Their defensive game stands out as well, and with 131 hits and 151 blocked shots, that translated a little better than Tano’s in game action as well. I-Smell is a very welcome addition to a team whose only surefire defender younger than the S89 draft class right now is Erik Thorvaldsson.

 

8. HC Davos Dynamo (from Warsaw) - Alphonse Desjardins - D - 277 TPE
S94 Stats: Ottawa/Saskatoon (VHLM): 72 GP, 15 G, 51 A, 66 PTS, +15, 150 S, 76 PIM, 183 HIT, 102 SB

Davos did need a defender a little more than a forward out of this draft, and while they couldn’t pass on Pastanap at #6, they get their defenseman here in the 6-foot-4, 215 pound French-born Desjardins. While I-Smell and Tano play similar games, Desjardins brings quite a bit of contrast to those two – he’s much more physical and his offensive game is backed more by a heavy shot than speed and creativity. He’s able to use that shot both as a weapon to rip pucks past opposing netminders but also to generate opportunities for teammates, as evidenced by posting 51 assists. Has a little bit of work to do on his positioning, and potentially a slightly longer path to the VHL than the first seven drafted prospects, but Desjardins should be a big contributor at the VHL level one day.

 

9. DC Dragons (from Vancouver) - Einar Mathiesen - D - 276 TPE
S94 Stats: Miami / Las Vegas (VHLM): 72 GP, 18 G, 55 A, 73 PTS, +40, 163 S, 52 PIM, 129 HIT, 104 SB

We have a bit of a run on defensemen going here as the DC Dragons snag Einar Mathiesen with the second of their three first round picks. Mathiesen may not quite have the upside of the previous picks but he’s extremely detail-oriented with a responsible defensive game. There were flashes of offense at the VHLM level, too, with 73 points in 72 games last season, though it’s a little uncertain how well those abilities will translate to the VHL at Mathiesen’s current stage. The Dragons have a few future-VHL calibre defense prospects, but Mathiesen jumps straight to the top of that group.

 

10. Chicago Phoenix - Boris Bone-Breaker - D - 251 TPE
S94 Stats: Halifax (VHLM): 72 GP, 14 G, 57 A, 71 PTS, +45, 157 S, 89 PIM, 213 HIT, 90 SB

One look at the name Boris Bone-Breaker is all the scouting report you need on this guy. Bone-Breaker is a 6-foot-6, 238 pound behemoth on the back end who loves nothing more than inciting chaos and violence on the ice. Bone-Breaker surprisingly put up 71 points in 72 games last year. That’s largely because he played for a stacked Halifax team, because his offensive game tools are underdeveloped, but you’re not drafting him for that. This is a shut-down defenseman with a mean streak, a player who will intimidate opponents but usually does so smartly and without being caught out of position.

 

11. Riga Reign (from Malmo) - Tim Robinson - LW - 319 TPE
S94 Stats: Miami (VHLM): 72 GP, 39 G, 58 A, 97 PTS, +44, 497 S, 53 PIM, 125 HIT

Tim Robinson was the best prospect left (on paper) by far at this point in the draft and it’s a very nice bit of business for the Riga Reign to turn the 11th overall pick into a player with the talent and pedigree of Robinson. He put up big numbers for Miami last season with 97 points and a +44 rating, firing a whopping 497 shots on goal and driving play for the Marauders all season long. Robinson doesn’t have any particular standout strengths or weaknesses, he just does everything well, and it doesn’t hurt that he comes from the agency that once represented Mo Probert, who had a pretty strong VHL career himself.

 

12. London United - Drosmis Sarkanis - RW - 212 TPE
S94 Stats: Saskatoon (VHLM): 24 GP, 6 G, 9 A, 15 PTS, +4, 98 S, 12 PIM, 25 HIT

A late entry into the S95 draft class, Sarkanis was picked up late in the season by the Saskatoon Wild and made an impression out of the gate. He finished with 15 points in 24 games and flashed strong skating ability and offensive talent. VHL teams will want to see the defensive game improve and he’s likely at least a couple of seasons away from the VHL, but with Robinson off the board, it’s largely just talented project players left and Sarkanis has a chance to be the best of the bunch.

 

13. DC Dragons (from Riga) - David VanHousen - RW - 155 TPE
S94 Stats: Houston (VHLM): 72 GP, 13 G, 31 A, 44 PTS, +32, 158 S, 65 PIM, 104 HIT

With their third of three picks, DC selected David VanHousen, an intriguing but definitely long-range project pick. VanHousen has a well-rounded game but needs to evolve some VHL level skills to further his career. He had a promising start to his career with a 44-point season in Houston and has been consistent in showing improvement throughout the season. Another VHLM season to continue his development is in order and that will probably need to be followed up by a season or two in the VHLE, but if continues his steady progress, he could be a VHLer.

 

14. Helsinki Titans (from Seattle) - Bret Weier - LW - 196 TPE
S94 Stats: Halifax (VHLM): 70 GP, 11 G, 12 A, 23 PTS, +45, 76 S, 40 PIM, 82 HIT

Weier stands out for his steady progress and his ability to make some scouts take notice despite being somewhat buried on a stacked Halifax team in the VHLM this season. Despite only posting 23 points in 70 games, Weier was a +45 on the season and has a shot that’s already deceptive and accurate. He’s sure to receive a bigger role this season which will reveal a lot about his ultimate upside, but this feels like a solid gamble to take for the Titans.

 

15. Toronto Legion - Inker Belle - RW - 177 TPE
S94 Stats: San Diego (VHLM): 72 GP, 33 G, 39 A, 72 PTS, +16, 260 S, 28 PIM, 126 HIT

The Inkling-turned-hockey player has some flashy numbers – 72 points in 72 VHLM games this season – and is a surprisingly good skater with high-end vision. There are definitely some question marks here too, though, not the least of which is her 5-foot-5, 150-pound frame. Belle also can be a little bit easy to defend in the offensive zone as she doesn’t possess much of a shot. While she hasn’t necessarily been afraid to try to take shots, you’d like to see them be a little more threatening. Though she has a long way to go to reach the VHL, there is plenty of skill here, and you could definitely envision a VHL career if she continues to develop.

 

16. Moscow Menace - Ozzy Batty - C - 204 TPE
S94 Stats: Mississauga (VHLM): 72 GP, 43 G, 71 A, 114 PTS, +35, 380 S, 67 PIM, 133 HIT

Batty came out of the gate on fire and put up massive numbers in the VHLM, finishing 3rd in league scoring with 114 points. Obviously, that showcases an elite offensive game but the rest of the package still needs to come around with Batty, who is lacking defensively and only a VHLM-average level skater. Those will be areas to improve on as Batty continues to progress. A player with this level of skill and progress throughout the season could easily have gone higher in this draft – it’s a potentially great pick from Moscow here, who already have a bit of an embarrassment of riches and are also coming off a Continental Cup win.

 

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2260 words or so. Claiming for the next 4 weeks.

 

Players mentioned: @Ozzy Batty @WildfireMicro @Quanack @David VanHousen @Mr Bohannan @Tim Robinson @RileyL @xsjack @Anthique @CaptainSB @Jubis @Aimee  @der meister @Greg_Di @Phil @Ricer13
 

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