Draft an Austrian

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Draft an Austrian  

 

In the past not many hockey superstars come out of Austria and very few get to play professional hockey. A few of the most successful Austrians include, Thomas Vanek, Michael Grabner and Michael Raffl. Unfortunately, out of the three Austrians none of them chose the VHL route. However, over the past few years Austria has created a VHL development program which allows them to train with retired VHL Legends. The goal of this program is to give more Austrians the opportunity to play professionally and hopefully strengthen their team for International Hockey. As a result of this program, there are currently 2 Austrians eligible for the upcoming VHL draft. It’s a small step forward but Austria plans to continue the development process to hopefully have even more players in next year's draft. Now let's take a in depth look into how these two Austrian draftees are doing after going through the development program.  

 

Name: Clayton Park 

Position: Goalie 

Height: 5’10 

Weight: 150 lb. 

Age: 18 

VHLM Draft: 49th overall by Yukon Rush 

TPE: 139 

Current Stats:  56GP, 29W, 23L, 4OTL, 0.889 SV%, 3.19 GAA, 2 SO 

 

Clayton Park has devolved into one of the top goalies in the upcoming draft. When he was drafted 49th overall by the Yukon Rush most people thought he had very little potential. However, as his rookie season progressed the young net minder has improved tremendously and climbed the draft rankings. I believe in a few years he will be an elite VHL goalie and a team thinking about the future will likely draft him. Let's take a look at some of the things that make him so special. 

 

Strengths 

 

Rebound Control: When Clayton was in the Austrian VHL Development Program the coaches worked with him daily to improve his rebound control. In my opinion rebound control is one of the most important skills for a goaltender to have. If you can create less second chances, the opposing team will have less opportunities to score. This is something that Clayton has become incredibly good at and the VHL scouts love it. I believe a good part of Clayton’s success is due to his ability to control rebounds and slow down the game. This feature is very important when his team is struggling in the defensive zone as he can slow down the play by controlling the rebound and covering it up.  

 

Heart/Willpower to Succeed: There is many other strengths Clayton has including fast reaction time, great style control & incredible hand speed. However, the one I chose to mention is his heart. This kid has incredible heart and plays every game like a playoff game. He never quits and always battles until the final buzzer. Also, you can see his willpower to succeed in his training. This kid is always pushing himself in training and trying to improve his game in any way possible. Last year when he was training for the VHLM draft he stood out to Yukon scouts by pushing beyond his limits! 

 

Draft Grade: B+ 

Draft Projection: I believe Clayton Park will be the 1st or 2nd goalie drafted in the upcoming VHL draft. My projection is that he will be drafted somewhere around the 3rd round.  

 

 

Name: Thomas Vancheck 

Position: LW 

Height: 5’5 

Weight: 140 lb. 

Age: 21 

VHLM Draft: Undrafted, picked up by Las Vegas Aces 

TPE: 48 

Current Stats:  58GP, 3G, 1A, 4P, -7, 8 PIM 

 

Thomas Vancheck broke into the league at an older age but that doesn’t stop him from trying to make the VHL. He was picked up by the Las Vegas Aces, who currently sit 4th in the standings. Thomas is clearly not having the rookie season he would have liked but hopes to turn it around as his team pushes toward the postseason. I believe he needs to step his game up and show the scouts that this Austrian is not to be taken lightly. Thomas will need to start helping his team offensively if he wants to impress the scouts for the upcoming draft. I feel like this rookie will need a few years to develop and work on his game before making the jump to the VHL.  

 

Strengths

 

Skating: When Thomas was at the Austrian VHL Development camp the coaches spent a lot of time working on his skating. The time spent was clearly worth it as he has developed into a pretty decent skater. As a winger skating is very important as it gets you into good position for scoring opportunities. Also, defensively it is very important for a strong back check. Being a strong skater is something that scouts are looking for and they find extremely valuable.  

 

Scoring Ability: I know it hasn’t been seen much this year but Thomas has a great scoring ability. I believe he is having a difficult time settling in but will heat up as he gets more comfortable. In his last season of junior hockey, he scored a total of 30 goals. This kid has a great ability to find the loose puck and create scoring opportunities. Also, he has a hard-accurate wrist shot that he used to fool many goalies in junior. All 3 goals he scored this season were wrist shots that came from the top of the hash marks. I believe you will see more of his scoring ability as Las Vegas pushes towards a long playoff run.  

 

Draft Grade: C- 

Draft Projection: Thomas Vancheck’s draft projection is based off of the fact that he needs more time to develop and work on his game. Unfortunately, I believe he will go very late in the draft. However, I believe if he works really hard in the off season, he could prove to be a steal!  

 

 

 

Austrian VHL Development Program 

 

I am very pleased that the program has helped develop these two young individuals into great prospects. I am very confident that this program is a great experience for young Austrians who want to work towards a VHL career. I hope to see more Austrians coming through this program and working their way towards a successful VHL career.  

 

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Edited April 3, 2019 by leafssteen
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