Season 66 Draft By Country

[Symmetrik 102]

There are 248 players listed as eligible for the S66 draft. Those 248 player represent 37 different countries, and 4 territories, 1 self-governing dependency, and 1 continent. Unfortunately, for many of these countries, their lone representative will go undrafted. Only 17 of those countries have multiple players even eligible.

 

If we remove everyone who is below 50 TPE, there's only 79 players from 23 countries, 1 territory, and 1 dependency. If we go even further, to 100 TPE, it's down to 49 players, from 19 countries and 1 territory. All numbers from this point only are players with over 100 TPE, unless otherwise specified.

 

USA - Best Player: Hunter Hearst Helmsley

The USA leads the way, with 19 draftees over 100 TPE. As it usually is, the league is chalk full of American born players. They have the top 3 players, and could make up at least half the first round.

• American Samoa - There's 1 player listed from American Samoa, unfortunately he will not be drafted, with only 30 TPE. He would have been the first American Samoan in the VHL.
• US Virgin Islands - There's also 1 player listed from the US Virgin Isles, though he has well will not be drafted, also only at 30 TPE. Would have been the first from the Virgin Isles in the VHL.

 

Canada - Best Player: Tyler Barabash Jr.

Canada has the 2nd most players, with just 5. Though Canada is expectedly the country with the 2nd most players, it's a stark dropoff from USA to Canada. Even within Canada, it's a big dropoff from Barabash Jr to any other players.

 

Sweden - Best Player: Maximilian Kirbsson

Outside of the USA, there's not much power in the draft for any one country, though Sweden is probably as strong as you'll get. Outside of the USA, I feel confident in saying that their 1-2 draftee duo is better than anyone else's.

 

Czechia - Best Player: Shawnomir Jagr

Czechia is the first of 6 countries with 2 players, your list of typical secondary hockey nations, for the most part. Jagr is a good prospect, and Matt Tocco is not bad himself. Jagr could find himself as a 1st round pick.

 

Russia - Best Player: Dimitri Volosenko

The Russian duo is pretty close to the Swedish duo in terms of skill level. Volosenko should be a 1st round pick and Valeri Morozov won't be too far behind. They're definitely the strongest country with more than 1 player, as they don't have 1 or more late round players to drag down the class average.

 

Germany - Best Player: Hans Gruber

Germany has 2 players in this draft, and both should go in the middle rounds of the draft. Gruber is the best, but he's not a 1st round pick. It's a deep draft so it's not a knock really, just the Germans don't have the same star power in this draft as the other top countries.

 

Iceland - Best Player: Arnor Sigurdsson

Iceland is not known for it's ability to produce hockey players, but here in S66 they have 2 players in the draft. Sigurdsson is a potential 1st round pick, a big achievement for the small nation. Their only other player is a goaltender, who may fall simply because there's so few goaltending spots available at a time.

 

Latvia - Best Player: John Frostbeard

Latvia's 2 players are much like Germany - likely middle round draft picks. Frostbeard and Richard Hejtsel are both decent options, just not at the level to compete with the depth higher up in the draft.

 

Finland - Best Player: Mikko Aaltonen

Finland has just 1 player, and he's a damn good one. A player with top 5 potential. Aaltonen is the lone Finnish representative, but he's doing a hell of a job representing them.

 

Ukraine - Best Player: Jet Jaguar

UKRAINE! Not known for their hockey talent at all, Jaguar will be the only Ukrainian in the VHL after the draft. The country had an undrafted prospect a season ago, who has gone nowhere since, but Jet Jaguar has come in to shine for their hockey program. He will be a 1st round pick, without a doubt.

 

Netherlands - Best Player: Kari Jurri

Kari Jurri is right on the edge of the 1st round for this small nation. The Dutch known more for wooden shoes than for skates, but Kari Jurri is a prospect with a lot of potential and would be the only active Dutchman in the VHL.

 

Faroe Islands (Denmark) - Best Player: Aron Nielsen

Where? The Faroe Islands are a small territory of Denmark. It would have been a big achievement for the Danish hockey program is Nielsen was from mainland Denmark, but this is truly a spectacular achievement. He's a very good player for an early 2nd round pick. I'm tempted to call him the most spectacular player based on where he comes from, based on skill and location obscurity, but there's some wild stuff in this draft.

 

Switzerland - Best Player: Owen May

Switzerland has 1 promising player in this draft, and it's a goaltender. If he was a skater he'd probably be an early 2nd round pick, but he will likely fall due to his position. Not a great draft for this secondary nation.

 

Sri Lanka - Best Player: Nethila Dissanayake

Yeah, remember when I said there's some wild stuff? This is some of it. SRI LANKA! A small islands country off the coast of India. If you told me they would ever produce a VHL player, I would have laughed in your face. But Dissanayake has done the seemingly impossible. Right on the end of the 2nd round for likely pick location. Based on the skill level, I'm going to say this is the most miraculous player in this draft. But there's some more wild stuff coming up.

 

South Korea - Best Player: Chico Smeb

At least they hosted the Winter Olympics. Turns out that helps produce some skilled hockey players. Smeb has the opportunity to break into the VHL and join last season's draftee Matthew Kai as the only South Koreans in the league.

 

Austria - Best Player: Clayton Park

Almost exactly the same situation as the Swiss. Occasionally the Austrians are known to produce decent hockey players, but like the Swiss, in this draft their only player is a goaltender. He's not nearly as strong of a prospect as Owen, so definitely a poor showing from the Austrian program this season.

 

United Kingdom - Best Player: Codrick Past

Occasionally they're produced a decent player, but the British don't have much this season. Past is a decent middle round pick. Not a ton of potential, but enough to make a respectable showing coming out of the UK.

• Cayman Islands - What would be the first player from the Cayman Islands, will not be. He's got 30 TPE, and won't be drafted.
• Isle of Man - Technically they're self-governing, but are a Crown Dependency and the Queen is their head of state. They're listed under the UK here. Not that it matters, as their lone prospect is highly unlikely to be draft. He has 62 TPE but that might not be enough to make it.

 

St. Kitts and Nevis - Best Player: Beau Buefordsson

If Buefordsson was a little bit better this would be the most spectacular thing I've written. St. Kitts and Nevis is a teeny tiny island nation in the middle of the Caribbean. Buefordsson should still make history for the nation, but I still give the edge in spectacularness to the Sri Lankan.

 

Armenia - Best Player: Raphael Nazarians

Armenia is a small Asian nation falls right on the line between Europe and Asia. It's very close to some other hockey nations, including bordering on Russia, but they haven't produced hockey players. Nazarians is the first, though he's not a star prospect by any means, he's good enough that he should get his name called on draft night.

 

North Korea - Best Player: Cody Parkey

A pretty wild one to round things out. South Korea has 1, and will likely have a 2nd player drafted to the VHL, but this will be North Korea's first. Parkey is not a big time prospect, but he might just make his way into the late rounds of the draft.

 

There were some other countries with players, unfortunately none of their players cracked the list of players I expect to be drafted. He's "the rest":

Australia - 3 players, 35 average TPE

Italy - 2 players, 33 average TPE

France - 2 players, 66 average TPE

Japan - 2 players, 66 average TPE

Cambodia - 1 player, 41 TPE

Hungary - 1 player, 30 TPE

Pakistan - 1 player, 30 TPE

Tanzania - 1 player, 30 TPE

Belgium - 1 player, 82 TPE

Afghanistan - 1 player, 30 TPE

Singapore - 1 player, 30 TPE

Bahrain - 1 player, 30 TPE

Sierra Leone - 1 player, 69 TPE

Vietnam - 1 player, 30 TPE

Antarctica - 1 player, 30 TPE

Norway - 1 player, 30 TPE

New Zealand - 1 player, 30 TPE

Liechtenstein - 1 player, 30 TPE

Lithuania - 1 player, 51 TPE

[nethi99 39]

SRI LANKA! SRI LANKA!!

Edited April 9, 2019 by nethi99

[bluesfan55 103]

You already know i be reppin the icey boys

 

[Radcow 63]

On 4/7/2019 at 11:20 PM, Symmetrik said:

If Buefordsson was a little bit better

Oof

[cpetrella 74]

SIERRA LEONE BABYYYY

[cpetrella 74]

Its okay if I don’t get drafted  Reapers for life