Down (the Draft) But Not Out: Late-Round Picks

[Renomitsu 934]

 

All too many know how painful the story often goes: a hometown superstar or high-quality minors prospect devotes their life to the game. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours of practice year after year, an incredible mentor or two, and they're making a name for themselves in the minor leagues. A solid draft spot and long career seems like a reasonable conclusion to their first year or two in the league.

 

Draft night comes, everyone and their mother is wearing their Sunday best, and you wait. Maybe you're not Cinnamon Block, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, or Condor Adrienne. That's fine, no-one expected you to go first. Then the first few draft picks are off the table -- you get your hopes up because now, the teams that already have a solid core of players and are in contention can pick. You're passed on a few more times, and it's the end of the first round -- that's fine, those 350 TPE kids can do what they want with their fancy carry-over.

 

By the end of the second round, your stomach starts to churn. Will anyone take you? Mid-tier players start moving off the draft board, and maybe a friend or old teammate of yours is exasperated.

 

"You're definitely better than that guy," they say.

 

End of the third, and maybe the fourth - the round where, in most drafts, the GMs start passing on selections - and you're beside yourself. In the Season 66 through S68 drafts, you might see yourself drop into the fifth, or maybe even the sixth or seventh rounds. Some people might consider that an insult so great that it cuts them off from the game in no time flat -- after they collect the first season check, at any rate.

 

But we're not going to talk about the many players that flame out of the league in their first season. No -- we're going to discuss those that were passed on literally dozens of times, those that used this perceived slight as motivation. These are the handful of players that should, by most conventional metrics, be a subtle 'oh, he was famous for some reason or another' or a nice, obscure trivia question at local bar nights - but instead kept at it, grinding out a proper spot for themselves in the major leagues. Here are each season's late-round survivors.

 

Season 63

Image credit to the man himself, Tape-to-Tape!

 

RW/C Joey Boucher @Tape-to-Tape, Helsinki Titans

Drafted: 25th Overall (Round 4 of 4) by Helsinki

Career TPE: 688

 

The oldest member of our list, Joey Boucher is getting awful close to retirement - but he still certainly has a spot on the Titans' roster. He's spent time on three different teams - being shipped off to a Continental Cup-winning Toronto Legion in Season 65 and moving to Malmo for Season 68 before spending what will likely be his last couple of years back in Helsinki. Some will argue he's one of the shortest members on the list; he's listed at 5'6", but that hasn't stopped him from enjoying a satisfying pro career.

 

Because he's the oldest, he also has the most history to discuss. Boucher started his career as a relatively pure scorer, but took a season or so to bloom. He scored just 16 points in his first year with Helsinki as a third-liner on a team that included the likes of The Charm and Keaton Louth, as well as younger versions of Kronos Bailey and Julian Borwinn, he had little time on the ice (12.87 minutes/game). His second season - likely his most successful - saw him play over twice as many minutes while scoring a whopping 63 points for the Legion; indeed, he was moved to Canada with The Charm and, in spite of receiving 2nd/3rd line minutes and marginal time on the powerplay (as a defenseman!), he managed a solid season.

 

He since has recorded another couple of seasons over 50 points, including a 72-point outburst in his last season with Toronto. He's gradually evolved into a more grinder-style forward, capping out oat 192 hits in Season 67 with the Legion, though he continues to manage ~0.5 ppg with the Titans this season around. Part of Boucher's charm is how wonderfully he treats his teammates, shouting out Virgil Ligriv as an 'unsung hero' of his team just a couple of days ago. Most of the youngins on Helsinki know Boucher's name well -- and though he's not a first-line worthy forward at present, most still see him putting in the hours at the team practice facility on a regular basis.

 

Season 65

 

RW Don Draper @Infernal, Prague Phantoms

Drafted 28th Overall (Round 4 of 4) by Vancouver

Career TPE: 418

 

The second player on our list is none other than the Mad Man himself, Don Draper. He's just old enough to be one of the few players to have both "Quebec City" and "Vancouver" listed on his career transcript (on the portal, anyway). Provided his draft position, some assumed that he was condemned to obscurity -- especially provided he spent three full seasons in the minor league as part of the Ottawa Lynx. His pick originally belonged to Davos, which had been traded around a couple of times (to Seattle, then to Quebec City as part of a trade that involved star Veran Dragomir).

 

While his first minor league season was unspectacular, he managed 92 and 90 points in his second and third VHLM seasons, respectively -- and that earned him the call-up in Season 67. After being swapped back to the Dynamo (with other assets) for Shawn Glade, he was unspectacular for Davos, and like Boucher was only afforded third-line minutes (provided end-of-season lines, receiving only 10% ice time at that!). With the Season 68 expansion, introducing Prague and D.C. as new franchise locations and Draper finally experiencing free agency, he took his talents to Prague. Though times are always tough as a franchise's first set of forwards, Draper took the dive and has had his most productive pro seasons to date, with 58 and 41 points (so far) respectively. He also has a reputation as a two-way forward, with excellent defensive and checking acumen on top of demonstrable scoring chops.

 

Season 66

The only picture of Cody Smith I could find was the one in his signature!

 

D Cody Smith @cody73, Calgary Wranglers

Drafted 42nd Overall (Round 5) by Calgary

Career TPE: 520

 

Season 66 is historic, and continues to hold the title of the largest number of picks (80) in a VHL Draft ever. Because it went a mind-boggling eight full rounds, with no GMs skipping any selections and a new franchise in the Malmo Nighthawks, there were going to be some players that got lost in the sauce, so to speak. Cody Smith is the first, and arguably one of the most significant for wriggling his way into an important spot for the Calgary Wranglers.

 

To be clear, no draft before Season 66 even had 42 total picks to begin with, which is significant -- Smith is actually the highest selection of any player in the Season 66 draft to make this list. He had an unremarkable first VHLM season with Halifax, scoring 23 points in spite of playing every game in the season -- but then exploded with the Hounds in Season 66, ending with 87 points (45 G, 42 A). He then was called up to the Wranglers as something of a project player. The Wranglers employed the Canadian defenseman on their second and fourth pairs in tandem with the now-retired Robert Malenko with marginal minutes but an excellent plus-minus in context (+14) with 45 shot blocks.

 

When the Wranglers moved on from Malenko, they brought on promising rookie Kefka Palazzo, and a gradual change in the Wrangler guard has occurred in the seasons since, with standbys Sebastian Ironside and Leph Twinger moving on to the end of their careers. While still an incredibly important part of Calgary's depth, Smith has played a more integral role in the Wranglers' defensive pairings, notching 44 points in 68 games, 157 hits, and 82 shots blocked (so far) this season. The Wranglers may be out of the playoffs this season, but Cody Smith has earned himself a spot as a pro defenseman for years to come.

 

 

LW Blake Laughton @Grape, Prague Phantoms

Drafted 47th Overall (Round 5) by Malmo

Career TPE: 409

 

Laughton follows a career trajectory similar to Cody Smith - spending two seasons with the Ottawa Lynx and breaking out in Season 66 with 80 points (41 G, 39 A). Arguably more importantly from a scouting standpoint, he managed a very physical 261 hits. Laughton occupies a niche not often filled in the big leagues, and has had 170 or more hits in all three of his pro seasons.

 

Though Laughton was taken by the Nighthawks, he wasn't in their plans for long -- and ironically enough, the Canadian forward was traded to New York on (American) Independence Day in exchange for a couple of late-round picks in the S67 and S68 drafts. He's maintained his gestalt of an enforcer-scorer hybrid in the last few seasons, but has had some difficulty finding the net with regularity for the Phantoms (50 points in S68, 34 points in S69). Regardless, he stands as an important part of both power play and even-strength units in Prague, and will likely continue his consistent play through depreciation.

 

 

D Dean Clarke @Kyle, Moscow Menace

Drafted 51st Overall (Round 6) by Moscow

Career TPE: 482

 

The first of just two 6th rounders on this list, Dean Clarke is a rare breed of defensemen that is tasked with manning a Moscow defense fraught with the most goals against among the top seven or eight teams. Clarke has managed roughly 100 shots blocked per season ever since entering the pros in Season 67 -- an impressive enough feat for a first rounder, to say nothing of the company he has on this list.

 

In his two most recent pro seasons, he's been part of this offensively-oriented, fast-paced team with schemes that might leave most average defenseman befuddled in the dust. It took Clarke some time to adjust (8 points in S67), but now he's matured nicely into his role as a second-pair defender for the Menace -- so nicely, in fact, that he was offered a nice extension through Season 71 just this past off-season.

 

 

LW Ben Hafkey @McLovin, Helsinki Titans

Drafted 53rd Overall (Round 6) by Vancouver

Career TPE: 527

 

American winger Ben Hafkey -- in fact the lowest draft pick on this entire list -- has the most TPE of any mentioned player in this article. Like many others on this list, Hafkey was a project player, spending a second season with the Reapers in the minor league before being called up in Season 67. Unlike most other players on this list, however, he has no strong minor league season to brag about in the pros -- instead, he has a lengthy history of success, including a Founder's Cup and multiple successful regular and playoff appearances with Vancouver. His playoffs streak will continue with a Helsinki team that is likely to take the second or third seed in the European Conference.

 

Hafkey's scouting profile is often more impressive than his numbers. A relatively pure, traditional forward, he has excellent passing and scoring abilities, as well as good defensive positioning. To this point, his big knock has been average skating skills and a penchant for getting knocked off the puck - but that hasn't stopped him from posting upper-tier plus-minuses (+17 this season) and reasonable shooting efficiency (15 goals on 150 shots). He also keeps a squeaky-clean penalty sheet, with just 32 penalty minutes accrued in 213 games

 

For some perspective, this sixth round pick has earned his way onto the same line as multiple-award-winners Julian Borwinn and Kronos Bailey. Not bad for a project player, huh?

 

Players from the S67-68 Drafts that should be recognized, but aren't featured in this article:

C Edu Stava @Edustava

G Virgil Ligriv @MMFLEX

RW Bud Knight @Dilly Dilly

RW Raleigh Ritchie @DangerGolding

 

Total Words: 2020 excluding this. This was done intentionally, fight me.

Claiming for Unsung Heroes Theme Week.

[Esso2264 774]

S64 was garbage i see

[Renomitsu 934]

2 hours ago, Esso2264 said:

S64 was garbage i see

sadly not a ton of high impact players in S64's fourth round

[cody73 87]

@Renomitsu I'm a FA this summer. Who says I have to resign in Calgary? Given when I sit in TPE, I could be a pretty viable option for more than 1 team in FA. 
 

[Renomitsu 934]

4 hours ago, cody73 said:

@Renomitsu I'm a FA this summer. Who says I have to resign in Calgary? Given when I sit in TPE, I could be a pretty viable option for more than 1 team in FA. 
 

100% agreed!

 

I tried to be as careful as possible, specifying 'pro defenseman' rather than saying Calgary again. I can certainly always be clearer though!

[DangerGolding 222]

I’ll be looking for a full write up when I start playing for DC next season @Renomitsu. Mr 61st is coming up 

[Tape-to-Tape 298]

Enjoyed this read. Thank you for the mention.

[Grape 680]

As long as I can skate, I'll still be throwing the body.

[Renomitsu 934]

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