Claimed:Draft Preparation

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Draft Preparation

 

Bratislava Watchman, Daryl Dortch, is preparing for the upcoming VHL Draft. He’s coming off a very successful sophomore campaign in the VHLM in both the offensive and physical categories. He comes in at sixth in scoring for right wings and 27th overall with a stat line of 34-29-63 with a plus-47 plus-minus rating. He also racked up 118 penalty minutes, good for second in that category and 284 hits, also good for second behind teammate Alexander Kachur II in both. Dortch played heavy minutes on the penalty kill which accounts for his two short-handed goals, tied for the most in the league.

 

Teammate Phil Shankly seems to be the unanimous first overall pick as we get closer to the draft but it isn’t quite known where Dortch will end up. With their early departure from the playoffs, Dortch has had a lot of time to prepare for the draft. He recently tweeted out a picture of the suit he’s going to wear to the event.

 

 

When asked about what he’s been doing to prepare for the draft, he had this to say:

 

“To be completely honest, I haven’t done much in terms of preparation. Well, not anything different than what I was doing during the season anyway. I’m keeping my expectations low to avoid disappointment. There are definitely teams I’d prefer to play at over others but I’ll keep that to myself and that’s also not to say I won’t play somewhere specifically, there are just certain teams I’d prefer. I think I’ve already said too much on that topic now.”

 

The latest VHL Scouting Center article, the expert in VHL scouting, just earlier this week released an updated ranking and mock draft. It listed Dortch as the fifth best player available in the draft with of course Shankly leading the way. In their mock draft, Dortch goes fifth overall to the Stockholm Vikings a depleted team currently. Again, Dortch had this to say:

 

“I don’t put too much stock into all those prospect rankings or mock drafts, and that’s not because I don’t think they’re good at what they do. I just don’t like to try and predict things. I’d much rather let things just happen. I don’t expect to be playing up in the VHL my first year anyway. I’ll probably be with Bratislava again next year.”

 

If that is the case, Bratislava should have another successful season with Dortch leading the way now that he would be out from Shankly’s shadow.

 

“I think I had a great season but I do feel it was overshadowed by Shankly. He’s a great player, a great guy, and a great teammate so nothing against him personally, I just think that the top guys in the draft got all the spotlight and my solid season was undervalued. If I stick in the VHLM for another year I definitely think I can make a name for myself and prove that I can perform at the highest level consistently.”

 

Dortch’s agency does have a rapport with some of the GMs in the VHL so that could impact decision making come draft time but that’s not always the case. With so many big name player agencies representing the top prospects, Dortch might slip farther down the boards than anyone anticipated.

[Jericho 917]

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