Alex 3,316 Posted Friday at 03:16 AM Share Posted Friday at 03:16 AM (edited) 1 Malmo Nighthawks Cardinal Copia @Beketov RW TPE: 332 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 15 15 30 -1 138 43 117 4 S97 Playoffs 7 1 4 5 1 18 6 11 0 Despite finishing with a VHL-best 116 points, Malmo's all-in bid for a Continental Cup fell short. However, after what can only be described as a wild off-season thus far, they find themselves picking first and in the perfect position to draft the new face of their franchise, and when it comes to a franchise player, you can't do much better than a Beketov player. Cardinal Copia is right there at the top in TPE for this class and the Swede's skillset indicates that Copia projects to be an elite two-way forward that will consistently be in the mix for the Scott Boulet Trophy. Copia is capable of lighting the lamp, being in position both offensively and defensively, and isn't afraid to use his body to separate the opponent from the puck. He'll be the perfect piece for the Nighthawks to build around as they begin to build the roster that they hope will bring the Continental Cup back to Malmo. 2 Warsaw Predators Toby Bob @Baby Boomer G TPE: 334 Season GP W L OTL SV% GAA SO GA SA S97 Regular Season 72 33 31 8 0.919 2.13 7 156 1919 S97 Playoffs 12 5 6 1 0.924 1.79 2 23 301 After a rough going in Season 97, the Warsaw Predators enter Season 98 holding four first round picks and a real opportunity to change the fortunes of their franchise. With holes all over their roster, Warsaw can afford to go for the best player available, but with no long-term option at goaltender on the roster, it would make the most sense for them to grab Toby Bob, who is far and away the top goaltender in this class. So long as the Predators can effectively manage to build a team in front of him, this would also be an ideal landing spot for Bob, as there would be no rush for him to join the team for Season 98, allowing him another year to develop and additionally avoid the dreaded ninth season regression. Bob already looks the part of a franchise netminder in the VHLM with Saskatoon, but another year will only help him be more prepared for his eventual call-up, along with buying Warsaw time to get a core ready to go in front of him. 3 London United Peter Venkman @Josh D TPE: 298 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 6 29 35 -41 144 10 57 123 S97 Playoffs 18 0 5 5 6 5 6 16 14 With a core of exciting forwards such as Cash Carti and Pelayo Bolivar, London could use another defenseman to bolster the blue line, which could really use an injection of young talent. Fortunately for the United, Peter Venkman, the top defenseman prospect of the class, falls directly into their laps at third overall. With only two of their three defensemen under contract for Season 98, there is a very real possibility that we see Venkman get the call to the VHL for Season 98 if London can't come up with temporary measures for this season. As impressive as he has looked initially with Mississauga, Venkman has plenty to benefit from with another year in the VHLM to become an even more polished player. Even if his career with London does not begin right away, it's hard to find a better fit for him, as Venkman will immediately become a factor for the United as soon as they bring him up to the VHL, and he'll be poised to begin his rise to stardom. 4 HC Davos Dynamo Agustin Martinez @SleepyPlayz RW TPE: 287 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 25 31 56 9 183 58 133 22 S97 Playoffs 4 0 3 3 -1 15 0 9 3 After a strong showing in Season 97, the HC Davos Dynamo came up just short in a hard-fought series with the Moscow Menace, but they're in great position to run it back again. The core of their team is in their prime and returns ready to finish the job, with the added bonus of holding the fourth overall pick. Here, we project Davos to select a first-generation player, Agustin Martinez, fourth overall. He has not generated the type of buzz and name recognition as you would expect, but VHL GMs have absolutely taken notice of his work ethic and intangibles, making him an excellent addition to what is at the moment a very barren farm system for Davos. With the strength of the HC Dynamo's roster, Martinez is afforded time to develop even further, and he should fit perfectly into their roster next season. If he keeps up the hard work, Martinez is primed to achieve big things in his career. 5 D.C. Dragons Gingy @MexicanCow123 C TPE: 299 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 28 25 53 7 254 12 46 37 S97 Playoffs 5 4 3 7 1 26 2 2 3 The D.C. Dragons are in the midst of their rebuild and after yet another tough season they get to take a step in the right direction with the 5th overall selection in this season's draft. With them already having a crucial piece at forward, defense, and in goal it's very much kind of a 'whoever is left' type of draft for D.C. as the top 5 in this draft class are very clear cut. In our mockdraft, D.C. ends up with Gingy, a potential elite centertman that will give D.C. one of the best center cores of the future in the next few seasons and for the foreseeable future. Gingy is coming off of a solid season in the M for Ottawa which saw them get near 30 goals and over 50 points in 72 games played, and was just short of a point per game in the playoffs. D.C. is really in a position where they can't lose here and could very well win the draft! 6 New York Americans Alex Bridges IV @Oatex RW TPE: 266 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 9 29 38 13 147 34 82 6 S97 Playoffs 11 1 1 2 -5 17 10 10 1 The New York Americans are coming off yet another disappointing season, and will be looking towards the future this draft with two selections in the first half of the first round. With their first pick we have them taking a bit of a risk on Alex Bridges IV. Bridges IV projects to be the highest drafted Bridges ever as the original went 19th and no others came close to that mark. With Bridges III making a considerable impact at the VHL level, Bridges IV will be looking to improve on the success of their predecessor. After a very average season Brigdes will be looking to further improve as they step into a larger role in the VHLM. For New York this pick will surely be a step in the right direction as they start to bring in the next generation of players. 7 Prague Phantoms Tina Hughes @tinafrombobsburgers D TPE: 256 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 4 21 25 48 75 50 110 46 S97 Playoffs 5 0 2 2 3 5 4 3 10 The Prague Phantoms are coming off a season where they made the playoffs by accident in a European conference with 4 tanking teams. However, they've turned a new leaf this offseason and will be looking to make the playoffs on purpose this season as their D-core has came into its own and they have a true 1-C now. With this pick we have them taking a really solid player in Tina Hughes, who projects as a really solid top 2 D. While the position doesn't make the most sense for Prague, Hughes does give them a lot of flexibility to get creative in the future and will allow the team to focus solely on forwards for the next while. Hughes is coming off a great season for a defensemen in the M where they had 25 points and were a +48 in 72 games played. 8 New York Americans Ryan Mantzz @Rkhockey9 RW TPE: 228 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 34 2 5 7 10 21 0 20 1 S97 Playoffs 5 1 0 1 -1 5 0 3 0 After grabbing Alex Bridges IV just two picks earlier, the New York Americans add another exciting prospect to their forward core in Ryan Mantzz. Despite being a late addition to the Miami Marauders midway through the season, it didn't take very long for Mantzz to establish himself as a top prospect. Although it hasn't translated into offensive production yet as he adjusts to the speed of the VHLM, Mantzz has shown to have an abundance of the very quality that all VHL scouts look for: an impeccable work ethic. Through dilligent work, he has made himself an absolute gem of a selection for the Americans here. Mantzz does need to work on some elements of his game before making the leap to the VHL, but with a full VHLM season ahead of him, Ryan Mantzz have his time to develop and shine one day in the Big Apple. 9 HC Davos Dynamo Jakub Kovar @MichkovSzn LW TPE: 174 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 13 23 36 -46 199 34 146 43 S97 Playoffs N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A The HC Davos Dynamo already got themselves a great forward prospect earlier in the draft with Agustin Martinez, and now they add to their riches with first-generation player Jakub Kovar. It was a tough season for the Philadelphia Reapers, but for Kovar himself, it was a rejuvenation. After a slow start and concerns about his development, Kovar's work ethic suddenly blossomed while with Philly, and as a result, he has made himself a top ten pick for a franchise in which great things are in store. He may have been overlooked before, but Kovar's newfound excellence in his development has ensured that he will be a valuable piece for Davos down the road. Don't be surprised to see his name turning up in more VSN articles if the Reapers come back strong in Season 98! 10 Warsaw Predators Zak Trokker @Peace LW TPE: 267 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 8 12 20 0 117 73 115 4 S97 Playoffs 7 1 2 3 2 11 6 16 0 The second of four first round picks for Warsaw, the Predators absolutely need to hit on each of these picks if they'd like to escape the league's basement. To do that, they'll be tapping the agency of an established league veteran capable of building dangerous forwards by drafting Zak Trokker, the latest offering from Peace. While Trokker has a ton of potential, so far it hasn't translated into statistical performance on the ice for the San Diego Marlins. He has continued to work hard to better himself, but there are whispers of whether or not Trokker is motivated enough to press on to see his full potential realized. Warsaw is perfectly happy to bank on his potential here and hope that the added pressure of possibly being needed to produce in a big way soon lights a fire under the young forward. 11 Warsaw Predators Lorenzo Mancini @GioSivo LW TPE: 167 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 24 2 4 6 1 35 6 22 2 S97 Playoffs 16 3 4 7 2 24 14 26 0 The Warsaw Predators are slowly but surely making their way through a long rebuild, and this draft will go a long way for them. With their 3rd pick of the round we have them taking a player that does come with some risk, but has an extremely high ceiling given the agency's previous successful player. Mancini projects as a very solid top winger with a good touch around the net. Coming off a shortened season, Mancini did manage to pick up 2 goals and 6 points in only 24 games. While there is some rush around the pick given their current rate of development, its gambles like these that can really pay huge dividends for teams in Warsaw's position. 12 Malmo Nighthawks Sidney Sheppard @GoodLeftUndone C TPE: 283 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 11 29 40 26 145 56 187 21 S97 Playoffs 5 0 0 0 2 6 6 15 1 Malmo has turned a page this offseason and gone fully into a rebuild that's honestly likely a season late. However, they did get good/great value for some of the pieces they shipped out. IF Sidney Sheppard slips this far in the draft you can expect Malmo to jump at the chance. Sheppard has improved a lot this offseason and could go as early as 4th overall, the only reason for any concern is the potential for missed weeks of development, but that should not be of any concern for GMs with a engaging locker room. Sheppard is coming off a very good season in the M where they put up 40 points and amassed 187 hits as one of the VHLM's top budding 2-way centers. Sheppard is truly a can't miss prospect that will likely find their way off the draft board in the early to mid stages of the first round. 13 D.C. Dragons Bazooka Joe @ScottyP D TPE: 209 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 15 35 50 1 128 110 204 137 S97 Playoffs N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A With their second pick of this first round we have the DC Dragons selecting a player from an agency that saw a ton of success in the past with S88's Rip Wheeler. Joe is just the third defender to come off the board thus far so the value could be enormous if the team taking him get's his earning on track and more consistent. A little earning drought to mark the end of S97 does have many scouts a little worried, but could be the result of poor team performance leading to a lack of engagement. However, you slice it, if Bazooka Joe can become a weekly earner with the help of their VHL GM, a future solid depth defenseman is almost a certain outcome. 14 Moscow Menace MacGregor Walcott @Spade18 LW TPE: 182 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 16 16 32 -44 195 56 117 12 S97 Playoffs N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A MacGregor Walcott to Moscow makes all too much sense to me. Historically, his agency has produced some of the best depth pieces in the VHL's recent history with none surpassing 1000 TPE since their very first client in S57. Moscow is a team constantly running up on the cap and being forced to move pieces, so a consistent and slower earner might be the exact type of thing this team really needs to fill out a lineup in the future. As far as Walcott goes individually, he wasn't really able to accomplish much considering the team he played for in this past season. It's possible the build could use a little tweaking, but that's nothing a pro GM like @spartan can't handle. 15 Warsaw Predators Darko Alexander Malkovich SR @AColdCanadian D TPE: 144 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 72 2 10 12 26 20 26 40 57 S97 Playoffs 16 0 2 2 8 6 4 8 15 With their fourth and final pick of the opening round, we have the Warsaw Predators taking defender Darko Alexander Malkovich SR. Earlier in this mock, Warsaw took on a goalie and two forwards so attacking this position makes all too much sense for them. They need future pairing mates for Slava Kovalenko and this player could possibly fit the bill. It is mildly concerning that the earning rate is quite miniscule as this agency is not eligible to have players on pensions. Maybe GM @N0hbody can get this player to do press conferences or something. The build is pretty decent but could use some polish before a jump to the VHL potentially. 16 Helsinki Titans Nick Sansoe Jr @Tipskid97 RW TPE: 134 Season GP G A P (+/-) SHT PIM HITS SB S97 Regular Season 36 12 9 21 -8 134 26 14 9 S97 Playoffs 12 4 4 8 -4 38 14 14 9 Helsinki spent this offseason as big time buyers which includes moving off the 4th overall pick to grab Grimgor Ironhide and leaving themselves with this as their sole selection in this class. We project them taking pre trade deadline create Nick Sansoe Jr. After a decent end to the regular season and a solidly unexpected playoff run with the VHLM's Saskatoon Wild, Sansoe Jr looks to both drafts to find two new homes potentially. The build is already actually quite solid with a nice focus on key attributes. If a GM can get this player to do just a tad more earning, I can see this being an awesome depth winger in the VHL. Edited Friday at 04:15 AM by LucyXpher SMYLS4, Oatex, Corco and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex 3,316 Posted Friday at 03:17 AM Author Share Posted Friday at 03:17 AM Note: TPE Values maybe dated as they were input at a earlier date Written by: @Pifferfish, me, and @Doomsday (2 weeks for doom) Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054003 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banackock 8,338 Posted Friday at 03:20 AM Share Posted Friday at 03:20 AM Bek Josh go 1/2 holy smokes VSN Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054006 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pifferfish 747 Posted Friday at 04:40 AM Share Posted Friday at 04:40 AM 1 hour ago, Banackock said: Bek Josh go 1/2 holy smokes VSN T-T Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054020 Share on other sites More sharing options...
qripll 540 Posted Friday at 07:14 AM Share Posted Friday at 07:14 AM I'd say WAR should go for best C as this position needs more time to develop into a decent player. But we'll see Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054038 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scurvy 1,690 Posted Friday at 07:49 AM Share Posted Friday at 07:49 AM 4 hours ago, Alex said: hrough dilligent work, he has made himself an absolute gem Mantzz is a beauty! Team would be lucky to have him. Great article Rkhockey9 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054039 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 5,145 Posted Friday at 03:55 PM Share Posted Friday at 03:55 PM Damn good draft if you ask me! Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054057 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyIceman 1,243 Posted Friday at 06:27 PM Share Posted Friday at 06:27 PM @MichkovSzn 9th to Davos @Bazooka_Joe 13th to DC Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054067 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banackock 8,338 Posted Saturday at 12:54 AM Share Posted Saturday at 12:54 AM 21 hours ago, Banackock said: Bek Josh go 1/2 holy smokes VSN Honestly how the hell did VSN miss on this N0HBDY 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054092 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pifferfish 747 Posted Saturday at 04:49 AM Share Posted Saturday at 04:49 AM 3 hours ago, Banackock said: Honestly how the hell did VSN miss on this Um bc people other than Piffer are allowed to decide things Xhekityb123 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054116 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xhekityb123 82 Posted Saturday at 05:49 AM Share Posted Saturday at 05:49 AM 59 minutes ago, Pifferfish said: Um bc people other than Piffer are allowed to decide things how humble Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054119 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banackock 8,338 Posted Saturday at 05:55 AM Share Posted Saturday at 05:55 AM 1 hour ago, Pifferfish said: Um bc people other than Piffer are allowed to decide things Ong Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054121 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pifferfish 747 Posted Saturday at 09:29 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:29 AM 3 hours ago, Xhekityb123 said: how humble I am, thanks for noticing Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/155151-vsn-presents-s98-vhl-mock-draft/#findComment-1054132 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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