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Rtpc31 · 05-08-2024, 10:59 AM

As the Seattle Argonauts close out the S76 season, they find themselves in a position in the standings with which they have become all too familiar. The once vaunted powerhouse of the late S60’s not only dwells well outside the playoff picture, but holds dead last on the table with a measly 24 points and 11 wins to their credit. The end of another painful season marks their fourth consecutive finish as one of the bottom three teams and extends their playoffs drought to four seasons, as well.

While it is understood that the recent dire state of the team is a symptom of their past successes, the Argonauts and their supporters have had nothing to look to except the future when searching through the wreckage for positives to cling onto. Luckily for them, the future is remarkably bright due in no small part to the draft positioning their recent downfall has brought them. The once bare cupboards of prospects have been replenished over this four season stretch of melancholy, and the Argonauts currently sit with one of the brightest futures of any team in the SHL. Over the past 3 drafts, Seattle has made a whopping 20 draft picks with six first rounders, seven second rounders, and seven more in round three through five. Let’s take a look at how these prospects have fared this past season and through their junior careers.

S74
R1.P3: Will Tomlander (@roastpuff)
R1.P7: Squidwardo Tentacles (@TheOPSquid)
R2.P23: Shadow Fenix(@ShadowFenix)
R3.P47: Newton “Lizard” Campbell (@Cambridge_)

S75
R1.P3: Pinli Switchbang (@leviadan)
R1.P9: Olivija Agate (@jacobcarson877)
R2.P22: Henri Losanov (@gaby)
R2.P29: Jean-Jacques Francois Jacques Jean (@r0tzbua)
R2.P34: Supah Dupah (Moved to SFP)
R3.P42: Groaty Bronson (@Grybyx)
R3.P50: James Madison (@Waldo)
R4.P62: Wellerman (@jtanner20)
R5.P82: Warwick Windsor (IA)

S76
R1.P5: Stavros Kondos (@Ohtaay)
R1.P15: Kristians Mikelis (@FnoRespect)
R2.P22: Chuff D’Lee (@CreHuf8)
R2.P31: Lyle Odelein IV (Moved to NOLA)
R2.P35: Caper Poirot (@JellyRamp)
R3.P42: Peppi Giuseppe (IA)
R3.P49: Squilliam Fancyson (@Kanye33)

Along with these already drafted prospects, the Argonauts will hold high picks in the S77 draft as well to continue to build into a contender in the seasons to come. Let’s take a look at some of these incoming prospect profiles:

Will Tomlander: LW: Detroit Falcons
Junior stats: 260GP, 86G, 108A, 194P

This young Swedish forward burst onto the scene with 20 goals and 38 points in his draft season with the Detroit Falcons before being taken third overall in his draft class. Since then, he has been a consistent producer for them over the course of his four seasons in the Motor City tallying 0.75 points per game during his tenure there. His skill set is decidedly offensive minded with the ability to not only shoot the puck, but also make plays for his teammates. He has played important power play and penalty kill minutes during his time in juniors and projects to do so in Seattle as well. He also comes with a championship pedigree having taken home the Four Star Cup in S74.

Squidwardo Tentacles: LW: Yukon Malamutes
Junior Stats: 264GP, 96G, 151A, 247P

Latvian born Tentacles has been a staple in the top six forwards for basically his entire tenure with the Yukon Malamutes and finishes his SMJHL career leading the team with 55 points. While this may seem like a pedestrian season for a first round pick, Yukon struggled to score during the S76 season and Squidwardo was one of the few bright spots for the Malamutes. His plus/minus of 0 led the team by a fair margin with most of the rest of the team deep in the minus territory. His peak production was in S74 when he potted 27 goals and 75 points which shows he has more offensive ability with better talent around him. His ability to play in all situations and strong offensive attributes are sure to propel him to the top of the lineup for the Argos.

Shadow Fenix: C: Colorado Raptors
Junior Stats: 260GP, 149G, 198A, 347P

Fenix’s illustrious junior career with the Raptors comes to close with him leading his team in scoring for an impressive third consecutive season. Considered one of the biggest steals in the S74 draft at pick 27, he’s shown a penchant for producing in all situations averaging 1.33 points per game over his junior career and has proven to be a notorious offensive threat even on the penalty kill with a jaw dropping 27 shorthanded goals and 47 shorthanded points over his four junior seasons. His speed and hockey IQ in the offensive zone are his calling card attributes which are sure to drop him into a huge role for the Argos from the start of his SHL career. He, too, brings championship experience to Seattle with a Four Star Cup ring in S75.

Newton “Lizard” Campbell: D: Ottawa Highlanders
Junior Stats: 264GP, 32G, 84A, 116P

Minnesota native Newton Campbell joined the expansion team, Ottawa Highlanders, for his final junior season after 3 seasons with the Yukon Malamutes. While the S76 season was statistically the poorest junior season for Campbell, the larger role and quality of competition were significantly elevated for the young defender and Campbell played that role valiantly. Never shy to throw his 6 foot 5 inch body around, Newton collected 104 hits and was among the league leaders with a heroic 204 blocked shots. The defensive bulwark will be relied upon almost immediately next season as the Argos look to significantly improve their defensive play.

Pinli Switchbang: C: Colorado Raptors
Junior Stats: 198GP, 90G, 101A, 191P

The diminutive Finnish forward at only 150 pounds has punched well above their weight through the first three seasons of their junior career. Switchbang has been an offensive force on an offensive minded team taking 279 shots on goal and burying 37 goals for the Raptors this past season including 12 on the power play which ranked top 10 in the league. Not only that, Pinli has shown the clutch gene with 18 game winning goals over their short three years in Colorado including 9 this past season. With another year of junior hockey left and the departure of some high profile teammates, Switchbang is sure to explode in their final season with the Raptors and hopes to bring another Four Star Cup to Colorado to add to Pinli’s achievements.

Olivija Agate: D: Carolina Kraken
Junior Stats: 198GP, 36G, 86A, 122P

The future top pair defender from Latvia is coming off of an impressive season that saw the Carolina team turn things around and rise to the top of the league under Olivija’s steady blue line play. Agate ended the season with an outstanding +37 which ranked near the top of the league and chipped in with 14 goals and 45 points while playing huge minutes game after game for the Kraken. While not large in stature at 160 pounds, Olivija was not to be pushed around recording 77 takeaways and 98 hits over the course of the season. The sky is the limit for this future pillar of the Argos blueline with another season of big minutes left to play with Carolina.

Henri Losanov: G: Regina Elk
Junior Stats: 122GP, 58-47-9, 3.14GAA, .901 Sv%, 6 SO

As the only goalie in the prospect pipeline right now, the French netminder for the Elk in the SMJHL has big hopes of one day becoming the starter in net for the Argos in the future. He’s coming off a season that saw him start 44 games and win 22 of them with a 2.85 GAA which place him as top 10 goaltender statistically in those categories. He’s known for his strong technical game with impeccable positioning and rebound control which will be a welcome sight for Argonauts fans who have watched far too many pucks go into their net over the past few seasons.

Jean-Jacques Francois Jacques Jean: LW: Maine Timber
Junior Stats: 198GP, 72G, 144A, 216P

This massive 6 foot 5 inch French Canadian specimen is coming off a monster season playing on arguably the SMJHL’s most dangerous line along with the two Lavoie’s in Maine. Jean-Jacques’ 58 assists are good enough to rank third league wide behind only his other two linemates. This also marks his second consecutive 50 assist season, and with the trio returning for one more go around for the Timber next season, he’s in good shape to eclipse even this season’s excellent statistics. He’s not afraid to throw his big frame around either, having recorded over 100 hits in each of his 3 junior seasons. The Argos can expect not only offensive production, but strong physical play from this second round pick.

Groaty Bronson: D: Vancouver Whalers
Junior Stats: 198GP, 17G, 65A, 82P

Hailing from Nova Scotia, the 6 foot 5 inch Bronson has spent the past two seasons playing top pair minutes for the Vancouver Whalers. While his offensive numbers are stunted by an anemic offensive team, Groaty has excelled in his own team’s zone with some of the best defensive metrics for a top pair defender in the SMJHL. He has registered a jaw dropping 463 blocked shots over the past two seasons including 234 this past season that ranked 3rd in the league. He’s a big body that’s not afraid to mix it up with the opposition’s best and will be a thorn in the side for Argos opponents when he joins the team.

James Madison: C: St Louis Scarecrows
Junior Stats: 198GP, 61G, 71A, 132P

It hasn’t been easy for Madison playing for a perennial bottom feeder during his time in juniors, but nonetheless, he has been able to produce respectable numbers on a team lacking offensive punch. The U.S. born forward has persevered and managed to put up 28 goals this past season which was enough to lead his team. His laser shot and ability to find the open areas on the ice are his calling cards and those skills are sure to blossom with playmakers beside him once he finds himself in Seattle. Better times are ahead for Mr. Madison.

Wellerman: LW: Yukon Malamutes
Junior Stats: 161GP, 38G, 53A, 91P

The Czech forward has not had the junior career that they envisioned when entering the league with the Malamutes. Their lack of activity has seen them unable to make the lineup toward the end of the season and there are concerns that this player will not factor into Seattle’s plans. A rare miss in the last three drafts for the Argos.

Stavros Kondos: C: Regina Elk
Junior Stats: 132 GP, 41G, 48A, 89P

The number 5 overall pick in the S76 draft had his coming out party during his sophomore season with the Elk registering a 30 goal season. What makes this more impressive is that he managed that impressive number with limited power play time and potted 26 of those goals in 5 on 5 play with third line minutes. Regina has very few players ready to graduate to the SHL, but Stavros is hoping his production will force the hand of the Elk management to give him bigger minutes which would be sure to propel his stat line to new heights. While the offensive talent is there, the Greek dynamo will have two more years in juniors to round out the rest of his game and hit the ground running with a young up and coming Seattle team by the time he arrives to the SHL.

Kristians Mikelis: D: Maine Timber
Junior Stats: 103GP, 12G, 37A, 49P

The Riga, Latvia native has been playing big minutes on a stacked Timber team over the last season and saw a large uptick in production over his freshmen season in juniors. Kristians has proven to be reliable on the blueline with a 3:1 takeaway to giveaway ratio and has chipped in on the power play and penalty for Maine showing ability to play in all situations on a good team. The physical tools and attributes are certainly there for Mikelis, and with another couple seasons to work on his defensive game with top pair minutes, this is a prospect ready to burst onto the scene when he arrives in Seattle.

Chuff D’Lee: D: Colorado Raptors
Junior Stats: 132GP, 5G, 54A, 59P

Dipping back into the Colorado Raptors well for yet another draft pick, Seattle selected D’Lee with their second round pick in the S76 draft. The Nova Scotian did not disappoint in his second season in the Rockies playing strong second pair minutes and a physical brand of hockey far beyond what one would expect from his 5 foot 11 inch meaty body. He finished second on his team with 145 hits and third with 120 blocked shots. With a little more refinement in physical attributes, Chuff is going to bring the hunger to be a force on Seattle’s blueline sometime soon.

Caper Poirot: RW: San Diego Tidal
Junior Stats: 132GP, 21G, 52A, 73P

After joining the expansion San Diego Tidal squad for his second junior season, the winger from the great north province of Nunavut found himself with a bigger role and had himself a productive season with 17 goals and 48 points on San Diego’s second line. He performed admirably on the penalty kill and features a well rounded skill set that will be a solid foundation for him to build on going into his third year of juniors.

Squilliam Fancyson: C: Anchorage Armada
Junior Stats: 132GP, 38G, 46A, 84P

After a monster first junior season which saw the Irishman record 20 goals and 51 points for the Armada, Fancyson’s production took a dip in S76 with only 33 points registered. Much of this likely can be attributed to Anchorage’s drop in goal scoring as a team compared to the season prior. Nonetheless, Squilliam will use this season of playing bigger second line minutes to build on his well rounded skill set into years three and four of his junior career.

To sum up, the future is indeed bright in Seattle after the nadir that has been the past few seasons for the Argos and their supporters. Management has drafted tremendously well with very few players underperforming their draft positions, but rather several of them overperforming compared to their expectations at the time of draft. They have brought in a well rounded mix of scorers, playmakers, quarterbacks, defenders, and crease clearers with which to build a contender for many, many seasons going forth. With Will Tomlander, Squidwardo Tentacles, Shadow Fenix, and Newton Campbell set to make the jump to the SHL squad next season and many more prospects right behind them, expect to see Seattle rise in the standings and start on the path to return to their past glory in the very near future. This upcoming draft class of high end picks will surely top off this cup of talent that already overfloweth and we will check back in with them after next season.

~2500 words

jacobcarson877 · 05-08-2024, 11:05 AM

Excited to join the big squad after one more round in Carolina! Great group we've got coming together!

*kahri* · 05-08-2024, 11:39 AM

i love rencey rence

TheOPSquid · 05-08-2024, 12:19 PM

we're gonna win the cup

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