Flowers' Potential N.Y. Fit

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As we come up on the VHL Draft this Sunday, a number of mock drafts have begun to pop up, all saying the same thing: Adrienne 1, Flowers 2. There was a point in time where arguments could be made concerning where players wanted to play and the potential for a winger to sneak up top, but given Adrienne's stated desires and the roster makeup of both Malmo and New York, those mocks would seemingly have a good chance of being correct.

 

But for defenseman Lance Flowers, that begs the question: How would he fit on New York's current roster? We decided to break it down in two key ways.

 

His Linemates: It's likely that Flowers would slot in alongside either last year's second round pick Guy LeGrande or fellow S68 draftee (and GM player) Keven Foreskin. Both of those players have one key thing in common: their main skill is sniping from the blue line. Foreskin's 22 goals for Minnesota in the VHLM show where his priorities lie, and although he's defense-first (with a Defense attribute of 85), on the offensive end he's all shooting. And despite LeGrande's 9 goals on the season, his splits are even more pronounced: his 90 scoring abilities is in the upper echelons of defensemen, while he hasn't added a single point to checking or strength.

 

In that way, Flowers would be a perfect fit next to either one. He's not a scorer in the least, instead focusing on his passing and hitting abilities - he was in the top ten in the VHLM last season in both categories. Pairing Flowers with a scoring defenseman would allow for the best of both worlds from the blue line, and particularly give New York a facet on defense (and crucially, the penalty kill) that they were missing much of last season.

 

His Age: It goes without saying that New York is a young team, and they're about to get even younger - they hold 4 of the first 9 and 6 of the first 16 picks in this upcoming draft. There's a good chance that New York isn't going to see the fruits of their work for another season or two, and for Flowers, that's perfectly fine. While many wingers can get good, quickly by excelling in a certain skill like scoring or checking, a player built like Flowers needs to be more well-rounded to show off their worth. And for him, that just means more time in the weight room.

 

While being on a winner right away is always fun, it may not be what's best for Flowers' overall development. New York is likely building for success in S70 and 71, when their loads of S68 draftees will be ready for primetime while still being on relatively cheap contracts. And by that time, Flowers believes he'll be ready to truly take the league by storm.