Samuel Gate potential draft destinations

[scoop 3,386]

The Ottawa Lynx currently sit third in the VHLM standings, but we still are hopeful for the playoffs. And while I am still invested in the remainder of this VHLM season, it's hard to not start looking past this season toward the VHL draft. TPE isn't everything, but I think with where I'm at, it's safe to assume I'll go in the top five of the draft if nothing changes drastically. While trades can definitely happen, I'm mostly just looking at the teams that hold those picks right now.

 

Seattle Bears

The Bears are in third place, but they have Toronto's first-round pick, which should be first or second in the draft. It's not too often that the first overall pick could potentially go to a team that just won back-to-back championships (not that I necessarily think Seattle will win, but they could), though I think Seattle probably goes in one of two ways this off-season: either this top pick is traded to amp up the roster, or the team sells it's veterans for a (hopefully) quick rebuild around this first pick. While I wouldn't mind joining an already established strong team, if Seattle were to keep the pick and not sell their players, then when I enter my prime, the team would be on the downswing.

 

Quebec City Meute

The Meute have some strong S60 prospects already, including Velevra and STZ's forwards, so this could be a good place for a defenseman like myself to join. They don't have any extra picks in either of the next two drafts, but with the prospects they have right now, that's not a huge concern.

 

Riga Reign

The Reign could benefit from the Wranglers disappointing season, as they hold Calgary's first round pick (as well as their own, which is currently looking to be 5th). Truthfully, this roster is not enticing for a draft prospect, and I would probably prefer to be drafted to any other team. While they do have several draft picks (three firsts in S61, two firsts in S62), they don't have any prospects in the system at the moment. I'm not looking to be the first key piece on a team's roster; I'd much prefer to join a team that's a little bit further along in the process.

 

HC Davos Dynamo

Davos has a few good prospects from the last couple seasons, most of which are forwards, which means they may be looking to add a defenseman such as myself. They Dynamo are in a similar situation to Quebec in that they have some young players but no extra draft picks, basically putting them a season or two ahead of where the Reign are.

[STZ 5,339]

Hope you land in QC