S66 Draft by Position

[Hybrid1486 577]

With the end of Season 65 almost upon us, a lot of people have turned their heads towards the Season 66 rookie crop (and not all because it's this week's theme week). The VHL's draft classes have been growing by leaps and bounds over the last few seasons, to the point that each position group could just about make up an entire draft class for 40-50 seasons ago. That said, it's not a bad idea to break down those position groups and see where the talent really is, and where there's a solid base of mid-tier players to choose from.

 

As of right now, there are 249 draft-eligible players. While that number seems daunting (because it is), almost 60 percent of them are still at entry-level TPE and probably won't make much of an impact in the league. On the other hand, there are 48 players already at triple-digit TPE and nine players already over 200. There's going to be at least one full round of top-level talent and 4-5 rounds of potential VHL contributors. With the recent league expansion, there will be a lot more room for these players to breathe and grow into potential stars. Now let's see what positions they'll be playing.

 

Just a quik note, all o these numbers came from the portal page as it looked when I wrote this. If there are any issues, blame someone else, I didn't do it.

 

Center

Total: 51

30 TPE: 29

31-100 TPE: 11

101-199 TPE: 8

200+ TPE: 3

 

Top 3:

Hunter Hearst Helmsley - 326

Maximilian Kirbsson - 225

Jet Jaguar - 210

 

HHH got off to one of the fastest starts we've ever seen from a VHL prospect, and as a result he's a near lock to be the first overall pick. It wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him overtake Mats Johnsson as the top TPE earner of all-time when his career is finished, and he'll be a productive player right out of the gate. While the same won't be true of the next two centers, they should both be productive VHLers, especially Jaguar. Tyler Barabash, Jr. should also be an excellent player in the VHL, but as a GM player he won't be in this draft. A couple other centers who could excel at the next level include Bert Meyers and Hans Gruber.

 

Left Wing

Total: 63

30 TPE: 40

31-100 TPE: 13

101-199 TPE: 6

200+ TPE: 4

 

Top 3:

Shane Mars - 295

Julius Freeman - 233

Kari Jurri - 209

 

Helmsley is likely the first overall pick of the draft, but Mars is a solid second choice and has an outside shot of going first overall. He has stardom written all over him no matter which position he goes in. The same could be said for the next two players on the list, although it's less certain with Freeman and Jurri. Both players are off to a great start so far, though, and both could easily be first-round picks in this draft. Farther down the list, Kyle Sabertooth could be a solid pickup in the later rounds, and there's a clear late-draft wild card in Edgar Tannahill. He can display first-round talent at times, but could be a bit rusty after a long layoff and might be hurt by his entry timing. He won't be a high pick, but he could be the steal of the draft.

 

Right Wing

Total: 56

30 TPE: 42

31-100 TPE: 6

101-199 TPE: 6

200+ TPE: 2

 

Top 3:

Mikko Aaltonen - 223

Shawnomir Jagr - 205

Arnor Sigurdsson - 194

 

There could be a major monkey wrench in this draft at right wing. If newly-declared ACL TEAR remains in this class, he's a surefire first round pick despite only having 90 TPE right now, good for ninth among right wingers alone. He could move to the S67 class and lock down the first overall pick for that draft, but as of right now he's probably going to push a few of the higher-rated guys here down a peg or two. He likely won't move past either Aaltonen or Jagr, who both have comfortable leads and are showing enough progress to keep themselves safely ahead of TEAR, but the next tier of guys like Nethila Dissanayake and John Frostbeard could be in trouble. He even has an outside chance of passing up Sigurdsson for third among right wings in this draft, which would be an astonishing feat for someone who may end his VHLM career before he's even drafted.

 

Defense

Total: 61

30 TPE: 27

31-100 TPE: 20

101-199 TPE: 14

200+ TPE: 0

 

Top 3:

Charlie Paddywagon - 184

Jerry Garcia - 182

Aron Nielsen - 178

 

The breakdown of draft-eligible defensemen is really interesting to me. There aren't any top-level talents available right now, but the next tier down has more potential VHLers than any other position group. The top two maxed their development out last week, and Garcia is already there for this week as well. All three of these guys could be top-pair VHL defenders in a couple seasons, and a few names farther down the list could join them.

 

Two names that stand out to me are Rusty Shackleford and Apollo Hackett. Both players are progressing at an elite rate, but both are a bit behind due to being a couple weeks late to the party. Of course, that will all even out down the road. While it's possible that only one or two defensemen go in round one, I wouldn't be surprised if one or both of these guys are the stars of round 2.

 

Goaltender

Total: 18

30 TPE: 9

31-100 TPE: 4

101-199 TPE: 5

200+ TPE: 0

 

Top 3:

Owen May - 173

Wendy Kandee Cain - 152

Clayton Park - 139

 

With the well-known lack of goaltending jobs available, as well as the lack of offensive statistics to compile, it's no wonder that the goaltenders make up the shortest list of eligible draftees. There aren't many goalie-needy teams aside from the expansion squads, although a couple teams may be looking for a new starter in a couple seasons. As far as the draft-eligible crop goes this year, Owen May seems to be establishing himself as the top dog in the class. With a capped-out progression every week for the last two months, he's giving himself a good rep as a possible franchise goaltender for either Malmo or Moscow, unless one of the other squads wants to scoop him up and either stash him or trade him.

 

After May, the main contenders for a roster spot are the other two goalies in the top three. Cain has some more experience, but doesn't seem to be progressing at the fastest rate. The same goes for Park; both goaltenders are getting better, but it's not hard to picture a newcomer in the next season or two passing them by at their current rate.

[Hybrid1486 577]

1,008 words (not counting number breakdowns), so I'll claim for the week of the 14th as well

[gregreg 930]

Hybrid knows! 

Edited April 3, 2019 by gregreg

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

55 minutes ago, gregreg said:

Hydrid knows! 

[Hybrid1486 577]

It's okay, I know

[gregreg 930]

50 minutes ago, TheLastOlympian07 said:

Haha hydrid is his evil twin