Top 4th Round Steals of The S70's So Far — The Dream Team

[Patrik Tallinder 1,087]

Hello everyone, it's been a little while since I released an article outside of the RavenSkill Development (formerly DilAgency) ones. For theme week, I wanted to incorporate my scouting background in some way, and to look back at some of the drafts I've covered. I settled on the hidden gems of the draft: the fourth round steals. I had a few tough decisions to make, but I'm pretty happy with the result. Without further ado, here it is!

 

 (S72) LW - Jared Willis - 312 TPE @BlueMaple

selected by HC Davos Dynamo

 

Following a 44th overall selection, Jared Willis spent S72 and S73 in the VHLM, where he put up 66 points in 144 games. His rookie season so far has consisted of 13 points in 44 games in Davos, and a nice 7 goals which is the 6th most on the team. The young winger has not dropped below 7 TPE in any given week since May, and has seen steady and quality growth in his game as a result. I could definitely see Willis developing into a super consistent secondary scoring threat who can pot 15-20 per season. To me, he is the obvious selection here.

 

HM: Logan Hoffman.

 

(S72) C - Pietro Angellini - 418 TPE @okifenoki

selected by the Moscow Menace

 

With the second last pick in the S72 Draft, Moscow picked center Pietro Angellini. I'll be honest, and say that Angellini wasn't really on my radar a whole lot prior to the draft. However that changed unbelievably quickly afterwards. The American forward started capping out weekly and earning TPE like a first round talent. Like Willis, he is also in the midst of his debut seaosn, and it has been a pretty good one overall. He is operating at a hair under a 0.5 P/GP pace, with a total of 21 in 43 games to date. Although Angellini's TPE eaning has taken a bit of a hit lately, he is still the star of this team, and a fantastic young player.

 

HM: Alek Andreshnikov, Jim Allen.

 

 (S73) RW - Secel Keller - 177 TPE @xsjack

selected by the Prague Phantoms

 

Keller is a player who made a comeback for the ages, becoming one of his team's more exciting prospects after a concerning 11 consecutive inactive weeks. His recovery has been more than impressive, averaging around 9 TPE over his last 9 weeks. The big winger is a versatile offensive threat who has posted 0.5 goals per game in the VHLM this season, and produced at just a tad under a point per game. He may be a bit behind in TPE right now, but keep in mind that he is younger than every other skater on this list.

 

HM: Ernie King, Fongs Son, Peter Louis II.

 

 (S72) D - Ziarie Anigbogu - 361 TPE @ngine4

selected by the Toronto Legion

 

Toronto defenseman Ziarie Anigbogu is a smooth-skating menace from the back end, and one that impacts the game on both sides of the ice. Anigbogu had a very successful VHLM career in which he put up 168 points in 225 games, and now he is transitioning his game to the big league. He has put up 6 points so far, but that number is bound to go up quite soon if he keeps developing consistently. His TPE earning has been a little patchy as of late, but he has proven time and time again that he is on the trajectory of an seriously impactful player in the VHL.

 

 (S72) D - Chance Rust - 319 TPE @turkey2349

selected by HC Davos Dynamo

 

Chance Rust is our final skater, as well as our 4th S72 player. That draft was filled to the brim with talent, and Rust is yet another name that has emerged as a mainstay in the VHL from it. He is an outstanding puck-mover with all the tools to be a breakout machine, and just a great asset to have all over the ice. His 17 points are a great starting point for his career, and he will only get better with time, of course. The defender's TPE production has been solid, other than a small blunder last week with just 2 TPE. Defence might just be the best part of this dream team of mine, and Rust adds a lot to this blueline.

 

HM: Erik Hjalmarsson, Yuuto Kira Cloudera, Nathaniel N.

 

 (S74) G - Markus Emerson Jr - 199 TPE @Xflexz

selected by the Vancouver Wolves

 

This was easily my hardest decision to make. There is 100% a case to be made that another goalie should have this spot, however I'm taking a swing for upside. I believe Emerson Jr was THE steal of S74, and he is wasting no time in catching up to the top dogs of his draft class. The 5'10" goaltender has capped out for 4 consecutive weeks now, earning an average of 25 TPE per week in that time span. This is a player with potential to be a quality starter in the VHL one day, and that is more than you could ever ask for from a 4th round pick. 

 

HM: Bacon, Nils Friedriksen, Jacob Carson, Michael Olson, Piero Angela.

 

 

Well, there it is. The fourth round steals of the S70's so far. It was tough to leave some players out, but I'm now leaving it up to them to prove me wrong in not choosing them.