S62 VHL Entry Draft Recap [1/2]

[Hybrid1486 577]

The VHL's Season 62 Entry Draft is in the books, and it was a sight to behold. A few teams came away as clear winners, while a few others were barely present at the draft at all. This draft had plenty of depth to go along with a few key players at the top, and that doesn't even include draft-ineligible standouts Slava Smirnov and Ismond Kingfisher. There were a couple curveballs, including one early on in the draft, but there weren't any picks that came entirely out of left field.

 

With that said, let's take a look at who went where.

 

Riga Reign

F Leph Twinger (Round 1/Pick 1)

D Dylan Nguyen (1/7)

F Ryuu Crimson (2/9)

D Shawn Glade (2/11)

D Lukas Novacek (3/17)

D Paolo Nano (3/19)

F Jaroslav Zimmer (3/21)

F Jack Stucky (3/23)

F Shane Appelle (4/27)

 

The Reign jumped from third to first in the lottery to win the right to draft Twinger, who was head-and-shoulders above the rest of the strong draft class as the top prospect. The line of Twinger, Podrick Cast, and Edwin Preencarnacion will be lighting up the scoreboard in Riga for years to come. That said, the Reign management might have done an even better job in coming away with a possible future top pair of defenders in Nguyen and Glade while adding a strong second-line winger in Crimson. Novacek and Nano are both possible home run picks in the third round, for different reasons but at the same position. Even fourth-rounder Shane Appelle was a much better pick than they could have been expected to make at that position. The Reign won this draft, from the start to the end.

 

Seattle Bears

D Maxim Kovalchuk (1/2)

F Janis Ozolins (4/25)

 

Seattle only had two picks, but the first one was a home run. Kovalchuk is a top-pairing defender who will fill in alongside forward Matt Thompson and goaltender Roger Sterling as the triumvirate in charge of bringing Seattle back to prominence. Ozolins is...not. That said, the Bears will also add the talented Smirnov to their forward group to give Thompson someone to play alongside at a high level for the next few seasons.

 

Toronto Legion

G Johnny Havenk Carison (1/3)

F Jake Davis (2/10)

F Shawn Mendes (3/18)

D Kasper Loh (3/24)
F Connor Heidebrecht (4/26)

 

The Carison pick was unexpected, but it makes perfect sense as the team is lacking a standout goaltender and he has all the makings of a star in the league. He's the linchpin of the Toronto rebuild. Not to be overshadowed, however, is high-potential winger Jake Davis. He;s improving at a steady clip and could make his VHL debut this season for the Legion, who might still be a year away from truly being ready to return to the playoffs. Mendes had some potential early on, but isn't likely to make it to the VHL. Loh and Heidebrecht were throwaway picks whose hockey careers are finished.

 

Quebec City Meute

F Rauno Palo (1/4)
F Vesto Slipher (1/5)

F Oleksiy Revchenko (2/12)
F Karl von Moltke (2/13)
D Lando Baxter (2/14)

F Roctrion King (2/16)

G Lefty (3/20)

 

Quebec management seemingly wanted to take it easy and go all-out at the same time, as they made back-to-back picks in round one and then made four of the final five picks in round two after taking some time off. With their first two picks, the Meute found potential linemates for life in Palo and Slipher. The two forwards went back-and-forth as the second-best prospect in the draft behind Twinger, so to see them end up on the same team is surprising and largely beneficial to the Meute. The second round brought a flurry of high-potential picks who could make mid-season debuts in Quebec if things turn south but could also form the core of the roster in a couple seasons. Baxter, in particular, has a spot on the defense waiting for him as soon as he's ready. Lefty is a semi-present goaltender who could turn out to be a trade chip in a season or two while he improves with another year in the VHLM.

 

Helsinki Titans

F Dan Montgomery (1/6)

D B.B. Nat (3/22)

 

Montgomery is a balanced forward who projects as someone that can play capably at both ends of the ice. He could be a presence on the Titan penalty kill as soon as this season, and if all goes well he'll likely become one of the top two-way forwards in the league, even without the aggressive hitting mentality that's usually associated with that type of player. Nat was a flyer pick who will likely become a VHLM mainstay if he's lucky.

 

Davos Dynamo

F Konstantin Mulligan (1/8)

 

The defending champions nabbed a solid forward in Mulligan at the end of the first round. He brings a strong physical game with the ability to set up some of his teammates around the net, an uncommon-yet-useful skill set that seems to model the recent play of his new teammate and longtime VHL star Gabriel McAllister.

 

Calgary Wranglers

D Cayden Saint (2/15)

G Matt Aloisi (4/28)

 

Saint has some potential as a defender, especially for someone picked near the back end of the second round. While he isn't ready to make his VHL debut this season, he could be a to VHLM defender and a solid contributor in S63 if he keeps working towards that goal. Aloisi was a flyer pick who is unlikely to appear in a VHL net.

 

New York Americans

F Hunter Kidd (4/29)

 

After a series of trades, the Americans were barely a presence at the actual draft this year. Their only pick was the final one of the night, a center in Kidd who is unlikely to make an impact at any level of the VHL. The real prize of this draft for New York is Kingfisher, who will give the team a reliable presence in net in a league that seems to be lacking in top-end options between the pipes.

[Hybrid1486 577]

1,031 words, claiming for WE 8/12 and 8/19

[Banackock 8,146]

Excellent write up. Good luck going forward. Was tough not picking you! 

[Da Trifecta 1,902]

5 hours ago, Hybrid1486 said:

1,031 words, claiming for WE 8/12 and 8/19

 

@Will I thought we don't do this anymore

[Hybrid1486 577]

1 hour ago, Trifecta said:

 

@Will I thought we don't do this anymore

I thought that too, but I've seen a few pieces with this in them lately.

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

Review:

Great words on the draft. Riga definitely came out of there with some big grabs.

It'll be interesting looking back on this draft in the future, that's for sure.