Claimed: A VHLM Mock Draft

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

 

Season 55 VHLM Mock Draft

 

Here’s a fun fact for you – the VHLM Draft this year has more combined TPE in it than the VHL Draft. It doesn’t always happen that way, but a combination of particularly strong S55 waiver players (Scheel, Ying, Bogdanovic) and early S56 draftees (Fook, Ron, McAllister) may make this upcoming VHLM Draft the most exciting one in ages.

 

That’s why we think it’s be helpful to have a little mock draft. Remember, a lot can change between now and draft day – not only with trades, but even potentially general managers and league rules. Still, based off the current picks, here’s who you may see coming off the board in the first two rounds this week.

 

 1. Saskatoon Wild (from Yukon) – LW Gabriel McAllister @CowboyinAmerica

Everything fits here – the player with the most current TPE in the draft played on Saskatoon this past season and has expressed an interest in coming back. But there’s a hiccup: Can McAllister carry a team? When the Wild asked Bo Boeser to do something similar last season, he was more of a well-rounded player. As McAllister is a pure scorer, he needs more of a team around him to be something special.

 

 2. Ottawa Lynx – G Key Perought @NUCK

Another pick, another player that goes back to his same team. While Perought isn’t the next highest TPE player, it’s been a trend in the VHLM forever: an active goalie can take you a long way. With Manley’s retirement and Axelberry’s move to the VHL, Oslo’s Motion is the only trained goalie in the VHLM entering the draft. That’s why it’s critical for Ottawa to nab one however they can.

 

 3. Oslo Storm – C Rudy Ying @punkhippie

Ying may be most associated with the Vegas franchise, but one unintended side effect of him coming into the league just after the draft is that he goes back in the draft pool. It’s likely that his VHL franchise keeps him down, and it’s even more likely he won’t last until Vegas’s first pick at 10. Pairing the passer with the more scoring-centric Forsberg seems like a good fit.

 

 4. Saskatoon Wild – D Ho Lee Fook @Will

One of the biggest issues in the VHL Finals for Saskatoon was the lack of a blue line – the team only had two defensemen, and poor ones at that, allowing Vegas’s snipers to pick them apart. Fook is the best defenseman in the draft, and his passing and defense potential will be hard to pass up for a team that already has a scorer.

 

 5. Oslo Storm (from Las Vegas) – LW Xavier Laflamme @Laflamme

You already have the passer in Ying; now you need the winger to pair him with. Laflamme is yet another player returning to his S54 team, and even though the player’s agency is closely linked with the Yukon franchise, there’s no way Laflamme lasts until the fourth round.

 

 6. Saskatoon Wild (from Yukon) – G Jackson Weekes @Molholt

Serious question: Is he retired? I have no idea what Weekes’s status is right now, and that doesn’t portend good tidings for him being selected high in the draft. On the flip side though, Weekes is the only other goalie available in the entire draft, and if he gets back to practicing, he could be the biggest steal in the draft. It’s a worthwhile risk for the new GM.

 

 7. Ottawa Lynx – C Jake Scheel @MD9

Ottawa got their goalie in the first round, and they return the strongest defensive unit in the entire VHLM. This pick is an easy emphasis on offense, but who should they pick to be the centerpiece? Both Scheel and Peter Quill are around the same level in terms of previous practice as of now, but I believe Ottawa's organizational priority on first generation players wins out here.

 

 8. Oslo Storm – D Niko Bogdanovic @Jonessee27

At this point in the draft, most of the value is at defense – and with Oslo having an open hole next to Smallwood and having already taken two forwards, picking one here rounds out the blue line. Bogdanovic has banked some of his practice and can mold himself to whatever type of player Oslo needs, making him a tempting option here.

 

 9. Saskatoon Wild – C Peter Quill @Green

The Wild have the most picks in the first two rounds with four, but they need them given that the team has the most bare cupboard heading into the draft. Luckily, the board breaks down perfectly for them here, as Quill represents the perfect linemate for the already-drafted McAllister, and Wild immediately inserts Quill in the role Boeser held last season.

 

 10. Las Vegas Aces – D Nicodemus Raven @Fowll

If I was an actual betting man, I’d bet this pick would be shipped out for a goalie or in hoarding picks for a future draft. But if Vegas holds onto it, a defenseman replacement for Savard seems a reasonable way to go. Ay Ay Ron and Aackckqz Ky would also be reasonable selections here, but Raven has the most TPE of all players left, and Vegas going BPA seems like a reasonable thought.

Edited May 29, 2017 by CowboyinAmerica

[.sniffuM 1,741]

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

Just now, .sniffuM said:

 

Yeah, the VHLM is actually gonna have a ton of talent this year. With five teams, we're going to have actives into the fourth round I think.

[.sniffuM 1,741]

Shows how much I know, perusing the draftee list (great feature btw) I figured I'd go in the 5-8 range, although Weekes' situation could impact a lot in the draft.

[TurnDaddy 323]

I don't mind where or when I go, but going back to Ottawa with Jardy and Kendrick would be nice.  Maybe it was a case of coming back at a bad time, but Jardy not caring how much I updated and still wanting me was cool. Vegas retracted their offer, and no one else sent one. I don't hold that against any one, nor will I, I just wouldn't mind being back in the place that took the flyer on me. With that said, again, I have zero qualms with where or when I get drafted. 

[Laflamme 376]

[Molholt 2,185]

Why is there a question about Weekes? I posted a retirement... 

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

20 minutes ago, Molholt said:

Why is there a question about Weekes? I posted a retirement... 

 

Because he was still in the available players forum

[Molholt 2,185]

17 minutes ago, CowboyinAmerica said:

 

Because he was still in the available players forum

 

Ahhhh!

 

Sorry I also got a PM while I was out, so I was confused.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Molholt