Halifax Draft Review

[Thranduil 293]

 

Halifax had a relatively successful draft this season and the GM and AGM believe they drafted a lot of steals and players that can really help them out on both ends of the ice. In total, the team made six picks and today we will be reviewing their draft class from top to bottom.

 

2nd Round, 16th Pick: D - Rhye Tyr, TPE: 85 @Plate

 

With their first pick of this season's draft, Halifax went for potential over TPE, by selecting S66 VHL prospect, Rhye Tyr. Tyr played 21 regular season games and 12 playoff games for Halifax last season and performed very well for such a young player. Tyr grew up in Halifax and showed immense interest and loyalty in playing for the franchise, even pretending to be worse than he really was, to fool scouts from other teams. Tyr is confident he can slot into Halifax's top pairing with no fuss.

 

3rd Round, 17th Pick: LW - Dimitri Volosenkov, TPE: 97 @SirRupertBarnes

 

Right before the 21st selected Tyr, they decided to trade for Yukon's 17th overall selection, sending their third round pick to Yukon, along with a 5th round pick. This allowed them to select Rhye Tyr's good friend, Dimitri Volosenkov. Volosenkov is a dynamo of a forward with immense speed and hands. He came into the league last season, at the same time as Tyr, as a Russian import. The two of them became good friends while playing against eachother in the VHLM and are immensely happy that they will be sharing ice-time throughout S65. Volosenkov projects as a first line forward for Halifax this season.

 

4th Round, 29th Pick: LW - Blake Gaudette, TPE: 55 @Gaudette

 

As the draft began to get a little more crazy and picks started to become more and more risky, the 21st decided to play it a little safer with their 4th round pick, selecting steady winger, Blake Gaudette. Though he hasn't been developing at a super fast pace over the last few months, he is slowly improving his game and while he isn't a top player yet, he will fit nicely on Halifax's second line with Anton Edvin and Dick Rash. Overall, a low risk, low reward pick by Halifax but it isn't bad for the 4th round.

 

6th Round, 45th Pick: C - Nacho, TPE: 30 @Nacci25

 

Nacho projects as perhaps Halifax's biggest steal this season. There have been minimal scouting reports done on Nacho and I suppose he passed under the radar of many. Rumour has it that he is excited to get going with Halifax and will do anything he can to improve. He has been spotted at the practice facility, scrimmaging with his teammates, and though he maybe isn't as skilled as many of them yet, he works just as hard and if not harder to improve, than any other player on the ice. Keep an eye out for Nacho this coming season because he may just be one of the biggest steals of the VHLM draft. 

 

7th Round, 50th Pick: RW - Dick Rash, TPE: 89 @nick_716

 

With one of their final picks, Halifax decided to bring back Dick Rash, a playmaking winger who spent the entirety of S64 with the team but seems to lack initiative. After taking big steps forward in the first leg of S64, Rash kind of trailed off and became irrelevant. He stopped producing and was demoted to the third line. He just seems to have lost his love for the game and although he is still skilled, he hasn't shown any improvement in months, something that is always a concern for a GM. Overall, I don't think this was a bad pick since it's hard to get much in the 7th round, but similar to Gaudette, this pick was kind of a low risk, low reward type thing.

 

7th Round, 53rd Pick: C - Josh Wilson, TPE: 42 @jDubzzz

 

As more of a casual pick with not much to choose from, Halifax selected another guy that they signed last season, Josh Wilson. Wilson seems to have a low ceiling and isn't very skilled but can play bottom 6 roles and such. More of a roster filler, there is no excitement to be had with Josh Wilson unless there is a major turnaround and he starts playing well. Average pick for Halifax as there wasn't much to choose from, but they didn't really get much either. Not a horrible way to end their draft, but not great either.

 

Conclusion

 

Halifax selected a wide variety of six players, from players with low potential and high skill, to players with lower skill and high potential. Halifax had very few picks coming into the draft, so they did very well with the situation they faced and GM McWolf made same great decisions. If it all works out, this draft could keep Halifax in cup contention for a 4th consecutive season.

 

P.S from Aran Thranduil, Halifax's AGM:

 

Everyone who was selected, welcome to the team! We are extremely happy to have you all play for us this season and we believe that if everyone here stays active and does their part, we have the ability to put together a 4th successful season in a row. Who knows? Maybe this will be the season we finally win the cup. If any of you have any questions or need help, I'm happy to oblige. Now let's go prove those critics wrong!

Edited February 18, 2019 by Thranduil