S97 Draft Class Preview

[der meister 3,246]

So I set out to write a nice little draft class preview for the VHL's S97 Entry Draft, but I noticed something interesting that I'll get to in the article as we move along.

 

Welcome to the S97 Entry Draft preview! With the VHL playoffs underway, us poor schmucks who missed the postseason have literally nothing to do but grind on the TPE rails, and in my case, that means looking at the draft class. This is a tremendous Draft if you're a team that desperately needs help on the blue line, as a staggering 7 of the top 11 in TPE count are defensemen. Without further ado, let's get to the rankings.

 

 

 

1) Player: Hugh Neutron. User: Corco. Position: D. TPE: 316

Neutron: 316 says I just stomped the competition! Hugh Neutron is a 6'1" American defenseman with a massive focus on the shut down game. His strongest skills are his defensive positioning, which obviously you'd want from a defenseman, along with his skating skills and overall physical strength. Unfortunately for him, he's not been able to amass much in the way of offensive stats, with just 4 goals and 20 assists in 72 games for the Ottawa Lynx this season, but his development is so far beyond his peers that he's all but guaranteed to be the top pick.

 

2) Player: Taavetti Jokinen. User: Ahma. Position: D. TPE: 281

The big Finn measures up at 6'3" and 235 pounds, and he makes use of that frame, notching 106 hits in 72 games as Neutron's partner on the blue line. His defensive positioning is considerably more developed than Neutron's, and his ability to control the puck under pressure is outstanding. Despite his size, however, his strength could use some work, as could his offensive skills. Interestingly, he also registered 24 points in 72 games for the Lynx, with 3 goals and 21 assists.

 

3) Player: Cash Carti. User: v.2. Position: RW. TPE: 280  

The first forward on the list is winger Cash Carti, a native of the island nation of Palau. He's got a great shot, but wasn't able to showcase it very much in 72 games for the Houston Bulls, with only 9 goals on 69 shots. He's also pretty decently developed from a musculature perspective, which is promising for his long-term success. Carti is, perhaps most impressively, quite committed to the defensive side of the game.

 

4) Player: Albin Aldgard. User: animal74. Position: D. TPE 271

The smallest player in our list at 5'10" and 182 pounds, Aldgard is a well-balanced, two-way defender. The native of Sweden posted 27 points in 72 games for the Las Vegas Aces and brought a nice level of consistency to the blue line. His biggest strength is his defensive smarts, but this is a player who is developing pretty evenly across the board. If that trend continues, he could be an excellent #2 defenseman who plays in all situations at the VHL level.

 

5) Player: Ricky LaFleur. User: DarkSpyro. Position: G. TPE 268

Ricky's a large, imposing figure between the pipes at 6'4", 222 pounds. Posting a 0.905 save percentage and 2.13 goals against average for the San Diego Marlins, along with 8 shutouts, LaFleur is a very promising netminder prospect. The Canadian native is the first of two goalies in the top 10, and much like Cash Carti, could be a wild card when it comes to predicting how the Draft will shake out, depending on the Draft lottery. A team that needs a goaltender could take him much earlier than his TPE would indicate.

 

 

 

6) Player: Birgitta Sandstrom. User: AcydBurn. Position: D. TPE 267

The massive Sandstrom towers over the competition at 6'8" and 250 pounds. With 38 points for the Saskatoon Wild this past season, Sandstrom was a bit of an offensive surprise. Her biggest strength is her defensive positioning, though being that large is kind of a cheat code when it comes to being in the right place. She also has soft hands and surprisingly smooth skating for a player of her size.

 

7) Player: Kazuma Satou. User: Spartan. Position: D. TPE 265

Weeb alert, weeb alert! This native of Japan by way of the magical land of Kono Suba is a diminutive 5'6" tall and just 160 pounds. Despite this, Satou is incredibly skilled at disrupting plays in his own zone, which is by far his biggest strength. He's also been able to register a frankly shocking number of points - 54 - in 72 games for Halifax, at least in large part due to his ability to disrupt the opposition and quickly turn the puck up ice to transition into an attack.

 

Player: Bubbles LaFleur. User: AJW. Position: D. TPE 261

A very solid 6'4", 215 pound Canadian boy, Bubbles is the brother of goaltender Ricky. Like most of the defensemen in this class, Bubbles' biggest strength is his defensive positioning. He also possesses silky smooth hands, which he used to pile up 42 points for the Marlins this season. His skating skills are above average for his developmental track, as well, which should lead to him having a big season in the VHLM next year.

 

9) Player: Dr. Victor von Doom. User: Garsh. Position: G. TPE 249

Hailing from Latveria, Dr. Doom is the second of two goaltenders with a chance of going in the top 10 of the S97 Entry Draft. Standing 6'2" and weighing 226 pounds, he's also the oldest player in the class so far, at 35. He didn't have a lot of opportunity to play for the Ottawa Lynx last season, suiting up for only 20 starts, but he was able to post a 12-7-1 record with a 0.895 save percentage and a 2.09 goals against. Skill-wise, he's got his fast-twitch muscles well-honed and finds success through his reaction time, hand speed, and general control over his body positioning.

 

10) Player: Pelayo Bolivar. User: SMYLS4. Position: C. TPE 244

Our first first-gen player rounds out our top 10, and is only the second forward in the list. Some teams do have a history of selecting first-gens higher than their TPE would normally indicate, so it wouldn't shock me to see Bolivar go higher than 10th overall. Standing 6' even and weighing 200 pounds, Bolivar posted 39 points for Halifax last season. He's a talented offensive player who is just as happy to set up a teammate as to first a shot on net himself.

 

 

 

Wrapping this sucker up, if you're a team that needs a goalie or a forward, you might want to consider moving up to get the guy you want, because there are slim pickings in these areas. If you're looking to shore up your blue line, however, you've got to be salivating at the opportunity to add one of these players to your prospect pool.

[der meister 3,246]

Claim 1/2

[Banackock 8,140]

 FAIL

[der meister 3,246]

5 minutes ago, Banackock said:

 FAIL

 

I noticed it but kept it because it was Bubbles

[der meister 3,246]

Week 2/2

[Corco 1,266]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a draft so top-heavy with defenseman

[der meister 3,246]

5 minutes ago, Corco said:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a draft so top-heavy with defenseman

 

Me either. Definitely didn't expect it when I set out to write this.