VSN Presents the S76 Mock Draft Preview

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SEASON 76 Draft Preview

 

FOREWORD

 

For the first time in quite awhile, the ‘GM player’ has been removed for this draft.  That means no GM has the right to reserve his player with his pick in the first round.  This was decided after the season 75 draft.

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this draft is about Red Lite going first overall to the New York Americans.  This team has gone through a serious drought, and Red Lite sure accelerates New York’s rebuilding plan going forward.

 

Prodigy defensemen Battre Sandstrom and Hulk Hogan Jr. could go to Prague and Los Angeles in the second and third spots, respectively.  These young dmen have had pretty successful seasons, with Hogan Jr. helping the Mexico City Kings to the Founder’s Cup finals.

 

Calgary, Toronto and DC have the next three picks. Cup winner Tom Eagles could go to Calgary, Frank Funk Jr may end up landing in Toronto and Gunnar Odinsson should go the DC Dragons, who are enjoying a very successful season and ongoing cup run.  

 

The draft begins getting interesting here.  There’s a solid pool of players that are and may be ready to begin their VHL careers next season.  Hard hitting Phil The Rock Johnson had a down year playing in a deep San Diego Marlins roster, but he’s a very solid pick.  Defenseman Kristof Welch has offensive flair and a bright future as well.  Two Reapers players, winger Caitlyn Catowize and centerman Jivere Zolnek finally showed more productivity during the playoffs, helping Philadelphia to a title.  Miami centerman Phoenix Dawson is a solid 2 way centerman who did see some success this past season, while Reapers defenseman Robin Galante Nilsson provided excellent play for the Reapers.

 

This next player I have a bit of a soft for.  Aces centerman Hex Rose has made a huge impact in the community since his arrival and challenges teams to take him sooner than his rank suggests.  If you’re thinking about taking this gamble, you will not be disappointed.  He may need another season in the VHLM to bank and be an absolute force, setting up a possibility to be a ROTY candidate for season 77!

 

Only left wingers round out the top end of the hypothetical first round draft class.   Magnus Verlander has been a force for the Mexico City Kings during the season and their playoff final run.  San Diego sniper Kaladin Kvothe hasn’t yet blossomed, playing deeper in the lineup than hoped.  With another season in San Diego, he should score many goals and finalize his build.  Saskatoon Wild waiver claim Lenny Sanderson showed off his skills during the season, but didn’t show much production until the playoffs, where he had over a point-per-game.  Mississauga waiver pickup Eeli Rantanen burst onto the scene right before the season started and was very productive, getting a point-per game on a somewhat weak Hounds squad.  Philip Stein joined the Ottawa Lynx and put up some respectable point totals, although the Lynx was the bottom place team .  Willy Myers joined with the Saskatoon Wild much later in the season, but he developed quite quickly.  With only 17 regular season games, this sniper needs another season to show the VHL what he can really do. Abe Roque, another end-of-season waiver claim by Mississauga, came ready to play and showed his offensive skills, getting three points in four games.  With another season and more playing opportunity, he could be a dominant defenseman.

 

There are many other notable players deeper in the draft, but time will tell if any player develops into the player they want to be.  This is a top-heavy draft and the prizes are at the top (for the most part).  Some things to take note of in particular, is that Calgary has three 1st round picks and five 3rd round picks, Chicago, Riga and London are only picking twice in the 2nd and 4th rounds. HC Davos is also only selecting twice, but in the 3rd and 4th rounds.  Malmo and Warsaw only have two selections each as well, but they are first and fourth round picks, while Vancouver has five selections in the first two rounds.  Lastly, Toronto only has two picks in this draft and they are both in the first round.

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by MattyIce