CIA’s Long, Probably Wrong S98 Mock Draft

[CowboyinAmerica 2,968]

 

CIA’s Long, Probably Wrong S98 Mock Draft

 

Yes, I know it’s been a long wait. But finally, we’re part of the season that everybody truly enjoys: Arguing about the wild card round and if fourth seeds have an unfair advantage! Oh, and the draft. That too.

 

Indeed, the draft is one of my favorite times of the season because it’s a fount of positivity. Every player is going to be the savior of the franchise (until they go inactive half a season later), and every team has a grand plan for the future that will surely turn out well (until they have to enter another rebuild because a player asks out). It’s the season that rewards backseat driving that is completely devoid of facts, which is awesome for me because that’s what I’m based on.

 

Taken as a whole, this draft should be interesting to me for a few reasons. One is obviously the glut of blues and simmers at the top, because those auto-12s are nice to have. But perhaps even more than that, I’m really interested in the position disparity. Perhaps owed to an emerging mid-TPE goalie meta, we have exactly 1 (one) goalie currently with a first round grade. But lost in the shuffle is that we also have fewer active defensive players than normal, with only three above 150 TPE as of this writing.

 

The result is a lot of forwards early and often, which isn’t a bad thing. But the issue comes with multiple teams - Warsaw, Prague, Helsinki, New York, D.C. - holding multiple first round picks. The natural inclination is to diversify and not just take multiple forwards. With the positional breakdown, though, I’m not sure they’ll get the chance without reaching.

 

So with all of that said, here’s my attempt at a mock draft that I’m sure some trade will blow to smithereens in two days anyway. The TPE totals here are accurate as of Sunday afternoon. And as always, if you don’t like where I’ve placed you in the draft, it’s because I have personally singled you out as a bad person who will be a locker room cancer. You’ve been warned.

 

  1. Prague Phantoms (from Los Angeles): RW Cardinal Copia, San Diego Marlins - 301 TPE @Beketov

 

At a glance, I can see how this would be considered a slam dunk pick. It’s Beketov - if he’s going inactive, the VHL probably has some bigger problems than this pick. And from the Prague standpoint, there is only one forward currently on the roster (Luc Moreau, graduating from Miami) who’s still in the first half of their career. If you want to build your forward corps to go along with your star-studded defense, this is a good way to go. But with that said: Remember what I said about there only being one fully active goalie? Ondrej Vencko has been hit or miss during their time in Prague, and a S93 player doesn’t fit with the current Prague timeline besides. I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see Toby Bob here, then Prague go with a forward at pick 7.

 

  2. Warsaw Predators: G Toby Bob, Saskatoon Wild - 314 TPE @Baby Boomer

 

Easiest pick in the draft in my opinion - Warsaw’s taking whoever’s left of Bob and Copia. If I had to bet, the only player currently on Warsaw’s roster that might still be there in three seasons’ time is Slava Kovalenko. The cupboard is bare, and they have four first round picks this season to help fill it. That’s why, even if they somehow had their choice of Bob and Copia, I think Bob would be the pick anyway. Get the goalie that can be the centerpiece of the rebuild, start to fill out the roster around them with the rest of your firsts, and take it from there with presumably another season at or near the bottom of the league.

 

  3. London United: D Peter Venkman, Mississauga Hounds - 284 TPE @Josh

 

You may not know it from last year’s standings, but I think London is sneakily close to making a big step forward. Last season’s first round duo of Cash Carti and Pelayo Bolivar are set to debut this season, adding to sophomore players D Alagsantere Groenvold, G Chazz Michael Michaels, and RW Drosmis Sarkanis to form the backbone of a real up and coming team. I think they’ve drafted real well. I could see an argument for any of Venkman, Ginky or Augustin Martinez here, but I’m going Venkman for two reasons. First is the fact that of their young players, Groenvold is the only defensive player, and you can set Venkman and not have to super worry about the spine of the defense for a while. Second, while London’s young players are growing nicely, it’s also a group without many league jobs or auto 12s. Having Josh on board provides a semblance of stability that is nice to have as a rebuilding team.

 

 4. Helsinki Titans: C Ginky, Ottawa Lynx - 273 TPE @MexicanCow123

 

I’m so intrigued by Helsinki’s prospect list. There are a lot of players somewhere between 300-400 TPA, and a few of those - LW Elf Shoes, D Alex LeBlanc, G Draw Mac - are set to debut next season. Added particularly to last season’s third overall pick in D Hugh Neutron (who’s going for a nine season career), does that mean Helsinki’s ready to make a push? I could see it. With that in mind, similarly to what I said for London, certainty is what they’re looking for. Out of all of those prospects, only S95 clicker Danny Ross actually plays center. Getting Ginky on the roster would allow a base to put all of those forwards around, particularly with the cavalry coming in the form of multiple firsts and seconds both this season and next.

 

  5. D.C. Dragons: RW Augustin Martinez, Mexico City Kings - 274 TPE @SleepyPlayz

 

Going into the draft, I think Martinez is the single player I’m most interested to see where they fall in the draft. Different position, but just in terms of rise up draft boards for a first gen and hitting the ground running in collecting TPE, I see a lot of parallels to Lucy Leitner’s rise in the S93 Draft. That saw Leitner end up with the third overall pick in Riga, a pick the Reign would absolutely make again in a heartbeat. Similarly, I wouldn’t be totally shocked if even a London falls in love with Martinez’s potential and they go top 3. On the flip side, I’m also in the SBA where Martinez’s agency is very active, and they admittedly know a lot less about hockey than they do basketball. Could that cause a slide, similar to other SBA agencies who start out hot but the VHL is not their first love? Especially with more known quantities (particularly Zak Trokker) still on the board? For D.C., who would love high-level forward talent to pair with Brandon Petan Jr and Youre Not Fucking Retiring, it’s worth the risk.

 

  6. New York Americans (from Chicago): D Tina Hughes, Miami Marauders - 237 TPE @tinafrombobsburgers

 

This is where I get cute. The next two players on the board by raw TPE are two wingers in Zak Trokker and Alex Bridges IV. However, New York owns picks 6 and 8. Pick 7 is owned by Prague, and in this scenario, they’ve already selected a forward in Copia and may want to diversify even with a strong defensive corps. And New York is staring down S91 Callum Gary Yannick Janser being their only defensive player above 500 TPE. So unless they really love Trokker or Bridges, I see them opting for the positional fit above all else. Hughes’ agency did retire their last player early, but their ability to earn TPE has never been in doubt. With a seasoned GM like STZ at the helm, I think it’s a solid gamble to encourage them to stick around New York for shoot for a reload instead of a rebuild.

 

  7. Prague Phantoms: LW Zak Trokker, San Diego Marlins - 254 TPE @Peace

 

I’m curious what the general consensus is going to be around Trokker when the draft rolls around. It’s an agency that has created Hall of Fame players in the past, knows the VHL, and has a high upside when engaged. But that engagement wasn’t fully there during Kyle Peace’s career, and now nearly ten seasons after Peace retired, Trokker’s been collecting a lot of welfare-plus. I could see an argument where Trokker falls further than some neutral observers might expect. But all things being equal, I think Prague would be a good place for Trokker to land. There’s something to be said about having a consistent welfare-plus player, and especially after snagging Copia, Prague is looking for forward depth, not necessarily a star. This seems like a right fit of player and system to me.

 

  8. New York Americans: RW Alex Bridges IV, Houston Bulls - 251 TPE @Oatex

 

In some ways, Bridges IV is the anti-Trotter. The Oatex agency has had some fits and starts in the past, and while Bridges I and III have been the agency’s most successful players, both topped out in the 500-ish TPE range. But with that said, very casual observation has Bridges the Fourth more engaged than any of their progenitors, with constant activity, writing in various forms, and being able to fit in to a fairly strong Houston team. Especially for a New York squad that is looking for talent that’s ready sooner rather than later, I think this is would be a good landing spot. Dark horse: New York has been known to take big draft swings (see: Wayne Gretzky), and I’ll be very curious if first gen Ryan Mantzz can impress enough in pre-draft interviews to rise up to here.

 

  9. HC Davos Dynamo: C Sidney Sheppard, Miami Marauders - 222 TPE @GoodLeftUndone

 

I also see Davos as a potential landing spot for Mantzz if the team wants to take a swing. But if you look at Davos’ recent non-Ahma draft history, it tends to be a bit more conservative than you might think. There are a lot of players like David Pastanap and Alphonse Desjardins who not only have history with the franchise, but can be counted on as consistent earners, even if they’re not the high ceiling type of earners to be pushing 2000 TPE. That’s Sheppard to a T. You’re probably not prying GLU’s full attention away from the SBA any time soon, but at the same time, I don’t see the SBA auto-12s disappearing either as long as you can keep them engaged similar to Prague’s success with Moritz Stauffer. For a forward group that’s aging quicker than you might think (S91 Sunset Moth + three S93 forwards), a little youth could go a long way.

 

 10. Warsaw Predators (from Calgary): RW Ryan Mantzz, Miami Marauders - 199 TPE @Rkhockey9

 

As I’ve noted a few times, I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see Mantzz go even as high as number 6 or 7 if a team likes what they find in interviews. But especially given the way the draft board shakes out, Warsaw’s two picks at 10 and 11 are Mantzz’s absolute floor. I think it’d be a good landing spot for Mantzz as well - on a rebuilding team, Mantzz would have some time to learn the ropes and play without pressure. And on the Warsaw side, a high-upside first gen is exactly the type of swing you want to make in hopes you get a future star. Good match for both sides here.

 

 11. Warsaw Predators (from Vancouver): D Bazooka Joe, Philadelphia Reapers - 195 TPE @ScottyP

 

Maybe it’s gotten a bit lost, but Rip Wheeler, the ScottyP agency’s only previous player, had a damn fine career. Ended up above 1000 TPE, won titles in both the VHL (S96 Vancouver) and VHLE, and topped 70 points in four straight seasons as a defensive player. So why did they fall to number 11 here? It’s partially a function of being a welfare-plus player, but also partially a function of some teams ahead (Prague, Davos) needing forwards much more than defense. Warsaw certainly won’t argue though, with this mock giving them one each of forward, defense and goalie to really kick start the rebuild.

 

  12. D.C. Dragons (from Malmo): LW Jakub Kovar, Philadelphia Reapers - 155 TPE @MichkovSzn

 

If you want a potential late riser that not many see coming yet, check out the Philadelphia Reapers’ Jakub Kovar. They started their career with some clicking, but the past month has shown very strong growth, separating themselves from a number of other first gens in the 100-ish TPE cluster. I think D.C.’s 12th and 13th picks may be the ceiling for how high Kovar might go in this draft, but for a D.C. team biding their time until the bottom falls out on the current North American contenders, they can afford the wait to take a swing. If the draft were to fall this way, Martinez and Kovar as a pair of first gen wingers could be a dangerous duo for D.C. to add.

 

  13. D.C. Dragons (from Toronto): LW Lorenzo Mancini, Las Vegas Aces - 157 TPE @GioSivo

 

Similar vibes to what I said about Bazooka Joe - GioSivo’s first player in Francesco Mancini had a damn good career! Topped 1100 TPE playing for New York and Chicago, had two seasons above 100 points, and even won a Most Improved Trophy in S91 while playing for the Americans. So why would Mancini fall to pick 13? It’s largely due to the late creation, where Mancini’s only had four weeks to earn, and one of those weeks was a miss for both PTs and Welfare. But there’s certainly upside here. And even if I’m skeptical that D.C. would want to go forward with all three of their firsts, sometimes you go where the value is.

 

 14. Moscow Menace: LW MacGregor Walcott, Mississauga Hounds - 168 TPE @Spade18

 

This is where I say that you young bucks don’t know - a former Americans GM, Spade has had some real VHL success and won awards and championships. It’s just that most of those occurred in the 60s. Still, Tullemore Dew was somewhat of a return to form, where despite being a late second round pick, they put up a solid eight season career and topped 70 points on three separate occasions. Moscow tends to swing for high ceiling players, and while I’m not banking on it, you can talk yourself into a similar profile to Moscow’s own David Rashford - a previous high-earning player who returns to form on a winning Moscow team.

 

 15. Helsinki Titans (from Riga): D Remain Six Meters Back From Me, Mississauga Hounds - 149 TPE @Gaming Ringleader

 

I’m writing this before Games 3 and 4 of the Finals have been simmed, so if it looks like Riga’s going to win, yell at me later. That said: I don’t think there’s a better marriage of location and player than sending a player literally named Remain Six Meters Back From Me to Scandinavia. In all seriousness, Legacy Gaming had a solid career with six of their seven seasons in Chicago, and while there are a few recent earning stumbles, I wouldn’t be surprised with both similar earning and consistency here. Helsinki gets another defenseman for their absurd prospect pool.

 

 16. Warsaw Predators (from Seattle): D Darko Alexander Malkovich SR, Halifax 21st - 132 TPE @AColdCanadian

 

Warsaw has made out like bandits so far in this mock with one each of forward, defense and goalie, so they could really go any direction with their last first. And to me, best player available is Malkovich Sr. But to be honest, I have some questions: The agency’s last player was Darko Alexander Malkovich, period. So were they junior? Or is “SR” just part of the name and doesn’t actually mean Senior? So many questions, so little time.

 

[CowboyinAmerica 2,968]

2000+ words, claiming in VHL and SBA for the weeks ending:

 

2/23

3/2

3/9

3/16

[Oatex 295]

love this! great work Cowboy.

[Corco 1,300]

Always appreciate these articles Cowboy, definitely on my list of members who make "must-read" media spots.

[Spade18 1,312]

1 hour ago, CowboyinAmerica said:

 

 

 14. Moscow Menace: LW MacGregor Walcott, Mississauga Hounds - 168 TPE @Spade18

 

This is where I say that you young bucks don’t know - a former Americans GM, Spade has had some real VHL success and won awards and championships. It’s just that most of those occurred in the 60s. Still, Tullemore Dew was somewhat of a return to form, where despite being a late second round pick, they put up a solid eight season career and topped 70 points on three separate occasions. Moscow tends to swing for high ceiling players, and while I’m not banking on it, you can talk yourself into a similar profile to Moscow’s own David Rashford - a previous high-earning player who returns to form on a winning Moscow team.

 

 

 

 

The VHL's premier welfare momma is back on the scene baby.

Edited Monday at 05:51 PM by Spade18

[tinafrombobsburgers 403]

Great read!

[SleepyPlayz 87]

On 2/17/2025 at 11:27 AM, CowboyinAmerica said:

  5. D.C. Dragons: RW Augustin Martinez, Mexico City Kings - 274 TPE @SleepyPlayz

Ooh, yay! Top 5!