Kendrick 4,725 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Well another week has gone by and yet again we get to check in with the prospects. Some more movement this week might have sparked a couple new discussions at the tail end of the first round. What a better time then now to tell you this weeks theme is based around our first VHL Entry Draft mock draft. Of course we will look at the first round with some picks that aren't locked into their slots yet. It's important to note that these spots/orders are based off of the ownership of the draft selections at hand and the current positioning in the standings. No word yet on any official Buffalo Sabres-esque tank jobs going on, but the jury is still out on the Riga Reign's campaign. However what would our reports be without a little weekly re-cap of movement, events and general prospect talk. Biggest gainer this week was Souryuu Kaminogi who racked up 18 hours on the practice rink. His closest competitor to that number was prospect frontrunner Hans Wingate who eclipsed the number of 16. Biggest mover was also Souryuu Kaminogi who seems to like to make headlines and turn some scouts heads. A few prospects have been stagnant and it isn't really positively effecting their draft stock. We are still waiting from Bronson Faux to show up, a surprising stock that has gone down the most out of any prospect this far. Who cares about anything else though, we got a mock draft to get too! 1st Overall Barring any trades or switches prior to the draft, the Riga Reign will reach the podium first. Since they already have their franchise goaltender in the works, they elect to go to another position of need. E'Twaun Delicious brings a solid two-way game to a squad that could build around him. He is a big bodied forward to tends to drive defenders crazy in front of their own cage. Delicious has surprisingly good hands for a guy of his size and doesn't hesitant to put his head down and drive to the net off the boards. 2nd Overall Hans Wingate does not get his name called first overall and now we don't expect him to have it called second. Calgary goes with Francis York Morgan of the Ottawa Lynx here. York Morgan is exactly what this squad needs to in front of future goaltender Coca Cola. The acquisition of Coca Cola at the deadline really put a spin on what Calgary could do here. Of course they could still select Hans Wingate knowing they can grab depth with their other first round picks, but we think they don't pass on York Morgan here. 3rd Overall Stockholm acquired this selection via trade with HC Davos Dynamo. The nice thing for Stockholm is going forward they have a lot of young players and we can't say Escabar fills a void. The only we can't say that is because he will go into a top 4 that look well rounded. One thing to note about this selection and Stockholm's other first round selection, is that cap issues may arise a couple season from now when prime contracts kick in for their young roster. Escabar is a slick skating defensemen with a real nose for the corner boards. His hockey intelligence is what sets him apart, he studies the game and react accordingly. 4th Overall We don't think Seattle needs Wingate but if there is one thing we know about their General Manager, it's that he does go off BPA (Best Player Available) in order to provide the team with an asset. Wingate would most likely see the ice for a different team though if this happened. The reason he gets traded is pretty obvious but no one can deny he will be a starter next season for one team and his skill set allow that to be a huge possibility. Wingate has a knack for never quitting on the puck as he will stay in a play until the whistle goes. 5th Overall Vikings go with the falling Bronson Faux here as they get the best player left on the rankings. Faux can provide the team with a big solid centre who isn't afraid to mix it up. Faux has been said to piss off opponents into taking some really bad penalties. However, Faux's current trend is going down and he may find himself in the back half of the first round if that continues. Stockholm could end the day with a solid blue liner and a centre in Bronson Faux. 6th Overall Well if you make the playoffs and get a player of Thomas Duddy's ability, that's special. We don't see Toronto going far in the playoffs which is why we have them using their selection on Duddy. Duddy is a solid forward who is one of the few in the first round who is just a shade over six feet tall. Thomas has wheels and speeds down the wing, not to be out done by hands that would make Joey Tribbiani jealous. Be prepared to here "roof job" a lot when you watch Duddy steamroll to the net. Watch this prospect peel away from the half boards and shoot from the face-off dot in Toronto, very soon. 7th Overall Michael Clardy created quite the stir when he declared eligible for this draft. Ever since then though he has done little to live up to his name. Michael started doing so well and has now tailed off a bit. Calgary uses the selection they received by trading Martin Brookside to Cologne, on a man who could give them good depth on the blue liner. Clardy is a hard guy to get around with his large body. Think and smaller heigh based Dustin Byfuglien with better offensive upside. 8th Overall The Americans selecting before the ninth or tenth spot? Yeah we had to pinch ourselves as well. Well barring the Americans tank isn't fully empty and they can make it to the finals, they will select here. With aging Matt Bentley set to retire and Connor Low's retirement announcement already, the Americans have some holes to fill. Jedtsson gives them a young player that could become a nice defensemen. Jedtsson is a smooth skating player with great hands and hockey IQ. Golden is similar to Vancouver Canucks defensemen Alexander Edler. 9th Overall It's too bad that the Helsinki Titans traded this selection away to the Riga Reign for Mike Szatkowski Jr. Why? Because Jorma Ruutu is a Finnish born player who would love to suit up in the native colours. Ruutu is a chippy forward who loves to throw his body around. We don't want to dive into the stereotype of Finnish players have a knack for pestering their opponents, but Jorma tends to get under their skin. The ultimate warrior no matter where he is on the ice, he will block shots and has plenty of scars to show off for those efforts. 10th Overall God Bless Calgary? That might be what it ends up being if Josh Merica finds himself at the tenth spot. This picks was acquired from the Quebec City Meute, so their season results will have an effect on it. The Meute are a two-headed horses so they could end up being kicked out early, but if not Calgary selects for them regardless. Josh Merica started off very fast out of the gate but seems to be reluctant on participating in the VHLM practice facility on off-days. His skill set can't be ignored but we worry that he slowly losing his touch and thats what is allowing him to drop down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyinAmerica 2,741 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Let's say this: I'd argue against Clardy going so high more than me going so low. Totally possible. Nice work. eaglesfan036 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfan036 4,585 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Nice work again Kendrick! It will be interesting to see how the Wingate situation ends up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boubabi 4,725 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 We never have enough goalie amirite ? Da Trifecta and CowboyinAmerica 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrick 4,725 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Let's say this: I'd argue against Clardy going so high more than me going so low. Totally possible. Nice work. These aren't really mock drafts based on my opinion. I do kind of have a criteria for coming up with where they end up on these rankings articles. My own personal opinion is hardly in play here so don't worry too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merica 69 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Still active! I'll be a fucking steal at #10. eaglesfan036 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyinAmerica 2,741 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 These aren't really mock drafts based on my opinion. I do kind of have a criteria for coming up with where they end up on these rankings articles. My own personal opinion is hardly in play here so don't worry too much. Oh I'm not worried, wasn't being sarcastic either. Think it's totally possible I slide out of the lottery. I'll be good and work hard no matter where I end up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Tortorella 2,653 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Oh I'm not worried, wasn't being sarcastic either. Think it's totally possible I slide out of the lottery. I'll be good and work hard no matter where I end up. Hm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfan036 4,585 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Hm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merica 69 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I'm either going 6th, because Toronto was my original team back S1 and its only fitting, or 8th to New York, because Merica should play with the Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laflamme 376 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Ill be passing Francis York Morgan this week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle 667 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Wingate sucks. CowboyinAmerica 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodLeftUndone 171 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hedman gonna be a steal. Just wait. Nice article! Da Trifecta 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas 138 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Ill be passing Francis York Morgan this week eaglesfan036 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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