Pier 21: New Horizons

[LucyXpher 1,420]

Graphic by @Bobo

 

Coming off of a lacklustre Season 95 that saw the team finish the regular season 1 point below .500, the Halifax 21st entered the offseason hoping to change course for S96 and beyond.  In the week leading up to the trade deadline, Halifax GM Lexie Leitner traded the team's top two players away for future assets.  The team's top scorer at the time, Mathias Gunnarsson @ThatCanadian, was shipped out to Las Vegas for an S96 LVA 1st and a S97 LVA 4th.  Meanwhile, the team's rock-solid goaltender, Samuel Wazinski @samthemancub, was sent to Mississauga in exchange for fringe goaltender Gustav Larsson @azie as well as an S96 MIS 1st and a S97 MIS 2nd.  Relying on waiver signings and a compliment of rookies, the 21st managed to scrape their way into the playoffs where they were dismissed in 5 games by the eventual Founder's Cup champion Philadelphia Reapers.  Heading into the offseason then, Halifax had some draft new found capital to play with and a healthy fire to improve the roster for S96 and beyond. 

 

Halifax S96 draft picks at the beginning of the offseason:
S96 MIS 1st (#8)

S96 LVA 1st (10th)

S96 HFX 3rd (24th)

S96 HFX 5th (44th)

S96 HFX 6th (54th)

S96 HFX 7th (64th)

 

Seemingly not content with the shape of their S96 draft prospects, in the week leading up to the VHLM dispersal draft, Halifax made seven trades, swapping mostly picks but also a few players.  

 

September 30th

To HFX: S96 SDM 4th (#31) + S96 SDM 2nd (#11)

To LVA: S96 MIS 1st (#8)

 

To HFX: S96 SDM 3rd (#21) + S96 HFX 1st (#4)

To OTT: S96 SDM 2nd (#11) + S97 MIS 2nd

 

October 2nd

To HFX: S96 MIA 1st (#6) + S96 LVA 3rd (#30)

To SDM: S96 HFX 1st (#4)

 

October 3rd

To HFX: Xhekajs middletoe @Xhekajsleftankle

To SDM: Victory Hockey League @TheHockey_pro + S97 HFX 5th + S97 HFX 6th

 

October 4th

To HFX: S96 HFX 2nd (#14) + S97 SDM 3rd

To SDM: Michael Schmicael @K4L3B + S97 HFX 1st

 

October 6th

To HFX: S96 MIA 2nd (#16)

To PHI: S96 LVA 3rd (#30) + S96 SDM 4th (#31)

 

To HFX: S96 HFX 4th (#34) + S96 PHI 1st (#9)

To MIA: S96 MIA 1st (#6)

 

Okay, but after all those trades, did the 21st really come out ahead? What was the point of all that trading?

Below are the total assets in and out for Halifax after all seven trades.

 

        IN - OUT

 

   S96 1st (#9) - S96 1st (#8)

S96 2nd (#14) - S97 HFX 1st

S96 2nd (#16) - S97 MIS 2nd

 S96 3rd (#21) - S97 HFX 5th

S96 4th (#34) - S97 HFX 6th

S97 SDM 3rd - D Victory Hockey League (171 TPE)

RW Xhekajs middletoe (TPE:134) - LW Michael Schmicael (78 TPE)

 

Looking at the revamped Halifax draft board gives a bit more perspective about what the team was going for with this flurry of trades.

 

HFX S96 picks on draft day:

S96 PHI 1st (#9)

S96 LVA 1st (#10)

S96 HFX 2nd (#14)

S96 MIA 2nd (#16)

S96 SDM 3rd (#21)

S96 HFX 3rd (#24)

S96 HFX 4th (#34)

S96 HFX 5th (#44)

S96 HFX 6th (#54)

S96 HFX 7th (#64)

 

S95 ProAm Draft pictured above - it took 6 days...

Now with six picks in the first 3 rounds of what was considered to be a fairly deep draft, the 21st were poised to significantly improve their roster for S96.  While a few 2nd and 3rd round picks may not seem like much to some, for GM Lexie Leitner, those picks would completely change the shape of the team's draft strategy:

"I mean, most of the moves we made were manoeuvering, you know, just trying to see if we could get some picks in the range we wanted while also collecting an extra pick here or there.  Through our scouting this offseason, we had a pretty significant list of players that we really liked and there were some potential gems on that list that we really didn't want to miss out on.  So looking at our projected rankings for the draft, we went out and targeted picks in the range we thought we could get the players we wanted and I'm really pleased with how it worked out.  We had excellent interviews with all of the players we selected in the first 5 rounds and we're really excited for the future here in Halifax!"

 

Were there any players who you liked that you weren't able to select?

"Of course!  There's always great players that you miss out on and you can't realistically pick them all.  Ethan Ashcroft @EthanSea611 is one that comes to mind, also Grog Strongjaw @Grog Strongjaw, Hank Smith @Jett88, and Tumbleweed Johnson @stupidtyler.  There were also the players who signed with Halifax as waivers last season that we would have loved to have back like Bubbles @AJW and Ricky LaFleur @DarkSpyro." 

 

What was the strategy with the trade for middletoe @Xhekajsleftankle? Based on what you gave up, it seems that was a player you really wanted...

"Well, it's always difficult trading away players from our team and we definitely don't take it lightly.  We really appreciate everything Victory Hockey League did for us last season!  The middletoe trade was mainly about bringing in a player that we really liked who we think can be a big part of our team culture over the next couple of seasons.  It worked out for us that VHL had some family ties in San Diego so we felt pretty good about making that deal for both players and the team."

 

Talk me through your first couple of picks. At 9th and 10th overall you selected Jay Sikes @JaySmacksss and Cysteine @Bea-- what did you like about them and why were they your top two selections?

"I had excellent chats with both of them leading up to the draft and we knew going in that they were both likely to be on other teams' radar as potential high value picks in the second round.  They're both doing very well in their development so far and fit well within the window of competitiveness that we're aiming for.  We were very happy to reach a little bit to pick them in the first round before anyone else could.  With only one defender on the roster, we also definitely needed to make sure we were able to get some good ones in this draft, so we're very excited to add Cysteine to our blueline!"

 

At 14th and 16th you picked Petr Novak @LastGoon007 and Chad Powers @Big_Dyl.  Tell me about those picks.

"Novak was a player that our AGM @Oddpurplefly scouted and spoke very highly of.  Needing another defender was certainly a factor in this pick, but also wanting to add more players in that window of competition who we are confident are going to be good for us on the ice and in the locker room.  With Powers, we have full confidence in Jon Webber III as our starter this season, but we wanted to bring in our goalie of the future so that he can develop and be ready when this team is ready to compete for the cup. Powers was also another fantastic interview and I can't say enough good things about what I've seen from him so far!"

 

With the 21st and 24th picks you selected John Babydeer and Pelayo Bolivar.  What stood out to you about those two players?

"I mean, I might sound like a broken record by the end of this, but these were players who really impressed us in the interview process and around the VHL community leading up to the draft.  I was frankly shocked that Babydeer was still on the board at 21st so that was pretty much a no-brainer for us since we expected him to go in the 2nd round.  Bolivar is a players I have absolutely loved so far and we even considered picking them much earlier in the draft.  Of course, that would mean we lose out on one of the other fantastic players that we picked so we took a bit of a gamble that he'd still be available at 24 and it certainly paid off.  This is where some of the pick trading came in since we were very intentional about gathering picks that we thought would put us in the best position to pick from our draft list.  Bolivar was near the top of that list for us."

 

After all these picks in the first three rounds, you only picked once in the 4th and 5th rounds.  At 34th overall you selected Devin Johnson @Homealonetwo and at 44th you picked Michael Lee Jr @blueredlover.  How do you feel about the potential of these two players picked later in the draft?

"I'm ecstatic for both!  Again, great interviews and both have been showing awesome signs of progress in the weeks leading up to the draft.  I think both have the disposition needed to become great players in this league and I'm really excited to see how they improve on Halifax this season.  Both Devin and Michael caught my eye in the Junior Showcase Tournament and I think adding them both to our locker room in Halifax is a huge positive for our team! I also don't believe in draft pedigree-- I don't care if a player is drafted in the 1st round or the 5th.  If they put in the work and have the right disposition, they can very quickly become a top player in the VHLM and beyond.  I still think of Dorji Khan @Oddpurplefly as a prime example of that from a couple seasons ago.  He was a 6th round pick, 52nd overall, and he's now about to begin his rookie season for the Toronto Legion.  Your draft number means nothing at the end of the day."

 

In the 6th and 7th rounds you picked Jack Kidd @Jack kidd and John Giblin @Gibby28.  Do you see any hidden value in these picks?

"Like I said before, you really never know.  We're going to work with both of them and see if we have something there.  The first step will be getting them here to Halifax to see where they're at.  I wasn't able to get in touch with either of them in the interview phase, but again, there's no reason they can't turn into great players if they are active and consistent in their development."

 

And so, once the draft ended, you signed a couple of waiver defensemen to round out the roster.  Tell me about Mikko Tuomala @flyersfan345 and Kazuma Satou @Spartan ?

"I'm very excited about both because they're both acquaintances of players we just drafted.  I'm optimistic that this will be good for team chemistry, player development, and the locker room culture since we have some built in familiarity on our team.  Both also show a lot of promise and should really help us compete in games as everyone is still developing."  

 

You've spoken about this team as a developing team, so what do you think of the team's chances to compete this season?

"Well, it's my expectation that we'll be at very least respectable.  The goal for the regular season is playoffs and I certainly don't see that as being out of reach for us with the returning talent we have in Jon Webber III @Webberj, Ty Duke @TheDuke, Kokko Miskinen @MikkoKoskinensMistress, Steven Nichols @SlyDigi, and Boris Bone-Breaker @RileyL.  Add all of our recent draft picks who we're hoping will develop well as the season goes on, and who knows what we can do after game 72.  It's not hard to see that other teams might have a bit of an advantage over us on paper right now, but I think we're building well for the future and we're hoping to open a window of competitiveness that can last for multiple seasons."

 

Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

With 10 forwards, 5 defenders, and 2 goaltenders, the Halifax 21st have a roster that's brimming with potential.  What remains to be seen is how much of that potential they can unlock in S96 and beyond.  There is certainly some inherent risk in Halifax's draft choices.  There were certainly some more well known players available who could be relied on to develop steadily through their VHLM career, but the team decided to go for budding talent instead, believing that by building a vibrant team culture first, they could eventually flower into a contender for the Founder's Cup.

 

It's been well documented that Halifax is still chasing its first Founder's Cup after 33 seasons in the VHLM-- the only VHLM team yet to win it all.  The journey to break that unfortunate streak begins now.  There's new horizons for the Halifax 21st and the future is looking bright!

 

༻❁༺

 

LucyXpher for Halfaxa Press

10/09/2024

2100+ words

Edited October 9 by LucyXpher

[Big_Dyl 106]

Can’t believe I get to play for the team that’s going to get Halifax its first cup

[EthanSea611 5]

35 minutes ago, LucyXpher said:

 

36 minutes ago, LucyXpher said:

"Of course!  There's always great players that you miss out on and you can't realistically pick them all.  Ethan Ashcroft @EthanSea611 is one that comes to mind

 

@EthanSea611

Even though you weren't able to draft me, who knows what the future has in store (also no idea why my tag is above this, I can't get rid of it)

[Bobo 514]

Nice article and even nicer graphic...