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VHL Draft Preview [1/2]


Matt_O

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With the New York Americans winning the draft lottery, they now hold the #1 and #3 overall picks in the upcoming draft. What prospects will be taken in this years draft? What do certain teams need? Lets take a look at what the New York Americans can use with their first overall pick:

 

1- Ryan Sullivan Jr.

Not really a big surprise here. He is the overwhelming TPE leader, with a grand total of 298 TPE, compared to the second highest total at 256. The Americans would have to be foolish to not take him, and in this situation I would have them passing on Dahlberg. Sullivan is too good to pass up on.

 

2- Elias Dahlberg

Even though Brick Wahl has more TPE than Dahlberg, Dahlberg was just far too good this season in the VHLM, and he carried his squad all the way to the finals with some help from their goaltender Finn Davidson. HC Davos Dynamo are in serious need of absolutely anything they can get if they want to be good anytime soon. With this pick I can also see them potentially taking Brick Wahl. However, they have three goalies already, and it's not like they have good players and just a weak pair of goalies. They are weak all around with the exception of The Charm, so I expect Dahlberg to become the new face of their franchise.

 

3- Brick Wahl

If I were the GM of the New York Americans, I would trade down a pick or two. The next two prospects are elite goaltenders, but the Americans already have Ismond Kingfisher, a strong goaltender on his own. However, the gap between Brick Wahl and the next available player that isn't a goalie (Piotr Jerwa) is too large of a difference to reach for with the third pick. If I were New York, I would package this pick for the seventh pick, and then maybe Calgary can add in a player like Karl Von Moltke to complete the deal.

 

4- Piotr Jerwa

I said that New York didn't really need a goalie that badly with their pick, and that same logic applies to Toronto as well, only much more seriously. Toronto has three goalies, and their backup goalie has a whopping 510 TPE. They really don't need a goalie, and should pass on Finn Davidson with this pick, even though he was incredible in the VHLM Playoffs. The difference between Jerwa and Davidson is only 5 TPE anyways, unlike the difference between Wahl and Jerwa, which was more like 40. Toronto has a solid core of defenseman, but could certainly use another talented player to beef up the D-Core.

 

5- Joel Ylonen

Once again, Finn Davidson falls victim to the fact that most teams are already set and stone when it comes to goaltending. Ylonen has 214 TPE compared to Davidsons 221, so taking Ylonen over Davidson is definitely reasonable. Quebec City only has one center on their roster, so picking up Ylonen will add a center to their lineup that features guys such as Veran Dragomir and Beau Louth.

 

That is my quick projection of the top five. I will probably have an article on why I think Finn Davidson will fall down the draft board a little. If I had to pick one player that will make the biggest contribution, it will be Elias Dahlberg. Not just as of now, since HC Davos Dynamo is terrible, but for years to come, Dahlberg will be a force in the VHL in my opinion.

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Review: A nice article detailing your opinion on the top 5 picks. With picks 1 and 3, New York can't really go wrong, and taking Sullivan Jr. with the first pick seems like a no brainer to me. If I had to guess, I think New York will just take the skater of their choosing at 3 instead of trading down, guaranteeing getting the player they want. Just going off my memory, it seems like this is the more common scenario in the VHL rather than trading back. A good start!

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