Claimed: 2/2 S57 Draft Analysis Part 5: Defensemen

[Corco 1,267]

S57 Draft Talent Rankings: Defensemen

Casey Jones, Mats Johnsson, and Keaton Louth all have 1st round potential

 

Part 1: Goaltenders

Part 2: Left Wingers

Part 3: Right Wingers

Part 4: Centers

 

Rating System

Spoiler

VHL Player System Rating Rules

Traditional Realistic Potential Rating (1-10)
(a player’s realistic potential ability):

10. Generational Talent – a player for the ages, one who can do things with a puck that no other player would even contemplate doing. Very, very few players will be deserving of this rating, probably one per decade.

Defense: Conner Low
Forward: Scotty Campbell
Goaltender: Greg Clegane

 

9. Elite Talent – possesses the potential for greatness, a perennial All-Star throughout his career.

Defense: Daniel Braxton, Mitch Higgins, Alexander Valiq
Forward: Lord Karnage, Phil Rafter, Kameron Taylor
Goaltender: CAL G, Skylar Rift, Sandro Clegane

 

8. First-Line Forward/ No. 2 Defenseman / No. 1 Goaltender – players with definite skill that might be just a cut below elite status, but still possessing All-Star potential.

Defense: Elijah Incognito, Malcom Spud, Vladimir Boomchenko
Forward: Tukka Reikkinen, Shawn Muller, Anatoli Zhumbayev
Goaltender: Jakab Holik, Brick Wahl, Benjamin Glover

 

7. Second-Line Forward/ No. 3-4 Defenseman / Journeyman No. 1 Goaltender – players not quite good enough to play on the top line or pairing on a regular basis, but still possessing enough talent to contribute offensively, defend with some authority, or competently play the goaltender’s position for long stretches.

Defense: Till Lindemann, Ron World Peace, Jack Kowalski
Forward: Rami Jakobssen, Cody Inko, Reggie Dunlop
Goaltender: Artom Zhumbayev, Blaine Olynick, Kimmo Salo

 

6. Third-Line Forward/ No. 5-6 Defenseman / Backup Goaltender – generally speaking, players whose game is defensively-oriented, or whose abilities aren’t quite good enough to land full-time duty on the second line, top two defensive pairings, or the No. 1 goaltending position.

Defense: Blake Knight, Gregory Glass, Mattis Trumbauer
Forward: Azmet Ali, Kendrick Cole, Pete Stockton
Goaltender: Rock Star, Vincent Vega, Joanna Akerfeldt

 

5. Fourth line forward / No. 7 defenseman / depth goaltender – players that populate the 4th line, will fill in for injured defensemen, or have some ability to play goal in the VHL but are mostly very good minor league goaltenders. Think of any enforcer you care to name, or any energy player you care to name, or any unlucky defensemen or goaltenders that don’t quite have enough talent to crack an VHL lineup full time.

 

4. Top minor league forward / defenseman / goaltender – players unlikely to have long careers in the VHL, but they’ll be recalled when injuries or other circumstances arise.

 

3. Average minor league forward / defenseman / goaltender – players who will in all likelihood spend their entire careers in the minor leagues.

 

2. Minor league role-player – players who populate minor league rosters for the purpose of populating minor league rosters. Mostly VHLM players.

 

1. Borderline minor league player – players one step away from the beer leagues.
 

 

Realistic Probability Rating (A-F)
(the player’s realistic chances of achieving their potential):

A – All but guaranteed to reach potential – 100 percent metaphysical certitude that the player will play up to his abilities as noted by his potential rating. The player is a lock to reach his given potential.

B – Should reach potential, could drop 1 rating – likely to reach potential, but may have a hole or two in his game that will keep him from reaching his full potential. Slightly less certainty about a player’s future performance.

C – May reach potential, could drop 2 ratings – has shown some flashes, but may ultimately not have what it takes to reach his potential. 

D – Unlikely to reach potential, could drop 3 ratings – a player who has a chance to reach his potential but is unlikely to do so. The player’s potential is extremely fluid.

F – A player possessing little potential who has a mountain to climb just to reach the outermost boundary of that potential. 

 

Spoiler

@BobertZ@Jeff@Tyler@Spade18@shinwata@luckystar@vlaisan@dng@GaryC@Quik@der meister@Beaviss@Zark

 

 

 

David Ng

Nationality: 

Grade: 1.0C

VHL Comparable: Drahoslav Detlev

Analysis: Why do I even give these guys ratings?

 

 

Colton Rayne

Nationality: 

Grade: 7.5C

VHL Comparable: Aleksei Federov

Analysis: Colton Rayne has burst onto the VHLM scene in S56. The American-born defender began his VHL career with Team USA at the World Juniors prior to this season, gaining valuable experience via the more seasoned members of Team USA. That experience looks to have paid off, as the Las Vegas Ace currently sits at over a PPG. Rayne projects to be a well-rounded two-way defender who may not be a #1D, but certainly a serviceable top pairing defender should he stay committed; his agency is back in the VHL after a very long hiatus, so some scouts see this as a possible red flag.

 

 

Thomas Sankara

Nationality: 

Grade: 7.0B

VHL Comparable: Maksym Barnyashev

Analysis: Thomas Sankara has the honor of being the VHL's first player from Burkina Faso, and likely the last as well. The VHL has had it's fair share of African-born players, some turning into superstars and some turning into busts; I think Sankara will fall in the middle. On one hand, he's part of an agency that has been around the VHL for quite a long time, and said agency knows its way around the league, but on the other hand, said agency hasn't truly had a gamebreaking player since the S20s (Andreas Bjorkman and Connor Evans). The players since then haven't been bad by any means, but they haven't been dynamic players either. Sankara has all the opportunity in the world to outperform this ranking, so he will definitely be an interesting one to watch.

 

 

Klaus Baustein

Nationality: 

Grade: 5.5D

VHL Comparable: Izidors Balders

Analysis: The German-born defender has a terrible work ethic, having not even shown up to the gym once so far in his VHL career. His agency hasn't had a good player in a long time, and Baustein doesn't look to be bucking this trend anytime soon.

 

 

Ko Kane

Nationality: 

Grade: 8.0C

VHL Comparable: Fabio Jokinen

Analysis: Possibly the most controversial figure in this upcoming draft, Ko Kane definitely has the ability and pedigree to reach his full potential as a top pairing defender. The biggest thing going against him is his agency's demands for where he plays and who he plays for. Kane's agency is known for being brash and antagonistic, and this shows through Ko, as he patrols the blueline with a bit of a mean streak and a chip on his shoulder. Kane is also known to lay out dirty hits and low blows from time to time, which intimidates some opponents, while only antagonizing/agitating others.

 

 

Ahn Jung-Seong

Nationality: 

Grade: 2.0F

VHL Comparable: Teli Briadora

Analysis: South Korea represent.

 

 

Casey Jones

Nationality: 

Grade: 8.0A

VHL Comparable: Bobby Digital

Analysis: From the dark streets of New York City to the frozen rinks of Las Vegas, Casey Jones has made the transition from crime-fighting vigilante to star hockey player seamlessly. Jones is a fantastic skater, and dictates the flow of player with and without the puck. For all intents and purposes, Jones is a lock to become a future #1 VHL defender; expect to see him likely be drafted within the top 5 picks; and if he isn't all the teams that passed on this American are going to be wishing that they hadn't.

 

 

Charles Cote

Nationality: 

Grade: 6.5C

VHL Comparable: Luca Volkov

Analysis: Cote doesn't really have any one big skill that sticks out right now, in terms of development he's quite raw right now. But alas, he does look to have potential. His upside looks to be that of a middle pairing, two-way defender who doesn't really pull you out of your seat with any fancy dangles or huge checks; his playstyle is just quietly going about his business, while always playing it safe/rarely joining the offensive rush. The biggest reason his rating here is arguably low is that his agency is new to the league; if he sticks around and continues to improve, his draft stock can only get better and better.

 

 

Keaton Louth

Nationality: 

Grade: 8.0B

VHL Comparable: Felix Savard

Analysis: The Vancouver, BC native is absolutely tearing up the VHLM right now; Keaton Louth leads all defensemen in the VHLM with 40 points in 22 games, second only to Las Vegas' Sergei Komarov in terms of all scoring. He's producing at an MVP-level pace right now, and if he can keep it up, he just might unseat one or more of the higher-ranked defenders in the draft rankings. Louth has all the makings of a top-pairing defender at the VHL level; he may not win a lot of individual awards, but he definitely projects as a very reliable blueliner. The only thing going against Louth is that he is his agency's first player in the VHL, which could make some GMs hesitant about picking him over other defenders in the draft who are part of more veteran agencies. But I don't think that'll happen, because Louth appears very committed to the league; dare I say he reminds me of another storied 1st-generation star, Ethan Osborne?

 

Shin Watanabe

Nationality: 

Grade: 1.5F

VHL Comparable: COL D1

Analysis: Likely to return to the land of the rising sun after just one VHLM season.

 

 

Mats Johnsson

Nationality: 

Grade: 8.0C

VHL Comparable: Roman Sokolov

Analysis: Johnsson's agency may be the most historically successful of all the S57 defense draftees, representing not one, not two, but three Hall of Fame players (Matthew Pogge, Branden Snelheid, and Matt Bailey). Obviously you would like to think that Johnsson has similar potential to those three, but that subject looks fuzzy. While the agency struck gold on it's first three players, the next three weren't nearly as acclaimed. Will Johnsson go the way of the 1st three, or the last three? Personally I think he'll fall somewhere in between, becoming a sound defenseman #1D/#2D in his prime.

 

 

Vit Laisanitselikol

Nationality: 

Grade: 2.5D

VHL Comparable: Marty McDouglas

Analysis: Definitely one of the most complicated names in VHL history.

 

 

Bonér

Nationality: 

Grade: 8.5B

VHL Comparable: Hudson Abbott

Analysis: The big D from Brussels may have the most practice hours of all the defensive prospects, but he certainly is one of the less-flashier players. His game relies mostly on physical play and intimidation, rather than skill and finesse. His offensive skills are subpar aside from a rocket slapshot, although his accuracy with said shot is so low it almost negates the effectiveness of it. Despite this, Bonér almost certainly has the makings of a shutdown #1 defender, but for him to truly become a force in the VHL, his offensive game will need to step up.

 

 

Gary Cheung

Nationality: 

Grade: 1.0D

VHL Comparable: SEA D4

Analysis: Future HOFer future zamboni driver.

 

 

*For Schmeckeldorf

Edited August 27, 2017 by punkhippie

[Beaviss 4,958]

I was expecting an 8.5  great article! Love reading these every time!

[CowboyinAmerica 2,911]

19 minutes ago, Corco said:

Bonér

Analysis: The big D

 

I feel like this entire series was one big set-up to this line.

 

(Love the piece btw)

[Quik 4,113]

Disapprove of the Risto picture ? Good article tho. I'd bet on a solid #2 for Johnsson...if he stays as a dman anyways 

[der meister 3,247]

Nice work on this series. I was hoping to be a 9B, but hey, I can exceed expectations

 

[Spade18 1,308]

Love this, obviously selfishly, but who cares cause these are great.

[Beaviss 4,958]

Review:

 

Its hard to review someone that is a god among mere mortals but here it goes. 

Your draft analysis is perfect as is it always is. Your editing and formatting is great as well as the pictures you add to make it a very lovely read.

 

10/10 read its sad to see this is the last part of the analysis I wish there was more!

 

[Gudnason 607]

Review: Great end to the series! This group of defensemen is varied, from elite potential HoFers to welfare depth, from promising first-gens to questionable potentials. Will have to see how this draft class end a up a few years out.