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Looking Into The Future: Calgarys S46 Draft
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(This post was last modified: 02-22-2019, 10:38 AM by bk1689.)

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Today we will be taking a look at the Calgary Dragons S46 Entry Draft and what it means for the future. The Dragons are one of the perennial contenders in the SHL and look to keep that reputation. This draft should be a big step back into the hunt for greatness as the Dragons addressed a few of their future needs. With all that being said, lets jump right into it and see how they did.

Round 1, Pick 16 - D - Brennan Kennedy Jr. Lions

G = 5 A = 20 P = 25 +/- = -10 PIM = 42 HIT = 60 SB = 60


With their first pick in the draft, Calgary went after their biggest need, a defender. Choosing the big bodied Austrian from Lethbridge, Brennan Kennedy Jr. This name should be familiar with Dragons fans as Brennans father retired just last season from Calgary. Kennedy put up solid numbers in the SMJHL in his rookie campaign. His 20 assists was good for 2nd in rookie scoring on the Lions. With 25 points he was tied for 2nd on his team in rookie scoring, but led all rookie defenders. Kennedy is an elite puck moving defender that can be trusted to play in all situations. Not afraid to put his bod on the line, he will go for a big hit whenever possible and if he can't reach you in time, he has no problem taking a puck to the body. Word is that he will not be reporting back to Lethbridge and be making the jump to the SHL this season. With any luck his game will transition well to the big leagues and Kennedy will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come as a mainstay on the Dragons blue line.

Round 2, Pick 22 - C - Barry Batsbak Knights

G = 8 A = 5 P = 13 +/- = -4 PIM = 4 HIT = 15 SB = 6


In round 2, The Dragons had back to back picks, with that in mind, they knew they could get a couple of elite players without having to worry about losing one in between picks. For their 2nd pick in the draft, they grabbed a playmaking centre from Canada. Barry Batsbak came into an already solid Kelowna Knights squad and found himself fighting for a roster spot day in, day out. Batsbak became a mainstay on the 3rd line and found himself averaging almost 12 minutes a game. With his limited amount of time to play, his game didn't really stand out, but Calgary wasn't worried as they saw what kind of player he can be given the opportunity. Barry is likely to be back in Kelowna next season and should play a more important role on the team. This looks to be a breakout year for him as he gets the chance to prove what he is capable of and put all they naysayers to rest that think Calgary reached with their pick here.

Round 2, Pick 23 - D - Chico Smeb Raptors

G = 4 A = 13 P = 17 +/- = 3 PIM = 22 HIT = 32 SB = 23


With their 2nd consecutive pick in the round, Calgary grabbed a player from the famous Smeb family of Korea, Chico Smeb. Standing head and shoulders over not only all of his fellow draftees, but also about 99.9% of his home country, Smeb is a giant at 6'8" and 220 pounds. As mentioned before, defense was one of the positions Calgary looked to strengthen coming into this draft and Smeb is certainly able to help out in that regard. Coming from a junior team in Colorado where he played with a few of his brothers, Smeb was able to put up some respectable numbers, his one weakness, surprisingly given his size, is his lack of throwing the body around. Only landing 22 hits this past season, look for Chico to work on that area of his game as the rest of his game is pretty well complete. There was speculation that he may be nervous being separated from his brothers, but he's been welcomed into the Calgary family and immediately seemed very comfortable in his new surroundings. There is rumors that Chico was coming up to the big team as well, and after speaking to the Calgary Dragons GM, Esa Anrikkanen, he has confirmed the rumors are true. Smeb will be playing on the 3rd pairing with fellow rookie defender, Brennan Kennedy Jr. By far, the youngest D pairing in the league, the call ups say a lot of Anrikkanens confidence in the young duo to be able to step up and make an impact so soon.

Round 3, Pick 39 - D - Bernik Vrzala Whalers

G = 0 A = 19 P = 19 +/- = -10 PIM = 12 HIT = 23 SB = 40


This young Czech defensive defender knows his role and plays it well. He played some big minutes for the Whalers last season averaging over 20 minutes a game. Not one to be flashy with the puck, he still managed to thread the needle for 19 assists which is more then enough given everything else he brings to the team with the way he plays. After drafting 2 D that were known more for their play making abilities, Calgary decided they needed a shutdown defenseman and drafted well in grabbing Vrzala. Bernik is able to break up plays when down in his end and able to get in front of the puck when called upon for a shot block. His game will continue to grow in juniors this season and when he gets the call up to the big team, whenever that may be, look for him to eat some big minutes in some sticky situations that the Dragons may need bailed out of.

Round 4, Pick 60 - D - Oliver Klozoff Militia

G = 0 A = 4 P = 4 +/- = -4 PIM = 14 HIT = 35 SB = 15


Adding to the ever growing list of defensive prospects, in the 4th round Calgary grabbed Olivier Klozoff, a Russian two way defender from the Montreal Militia. Klozoff came over to the SMJHL roughly half way into the season and ended up playing only 29 games. He struggled a bit adjusting to the smaller ice surface, but towards the back half of the season started to find his groove. Klozoff, not one for many words, shocked many in the SHL world when he came out before the draft with a press conference announcing that he wouldn't report to any team except for Calgary. Dropping his draft stock quite a bit, Calgary was more then happy to be able to grab the Russian in the 4th round. While the numbers don't show it, Calgary knows what kind of player they are getting in Klozoff and as he trains more during the season, his numbers can only go up as he looks to reach the ceiling of his potential.

Round 5, Pick 69 - D - Olin O'Dowd Militia

G = 2 A = 8 P = 10 +/- = -4 PIM = 32 HIT = 42 SB = 39


Surprise, surprise, 9 picks later, Calgary grabbed another defensemen. Going back to the Militia and grabbing Klozoffs teammate, Olin O'Dowd. The small scrappy Irish offensive defensemen put up some respectable numbers for a rookie in the SMJHL. While not as impressive as some of his new teammates drafted ahead of him, O'Dowd was playing some limited minutes, but looks to be able to handle some bigger minutes this upcoming season. While being billed as an offensive D, O'Dowds defensive game is just as strong as anyone else in the draft and he can be relied on just as much as anyone else. While it may be a few seasons before O'Dowd makes the jump to the big club, that will just give him more time to make his game complete and be able to step right into a vital role in the organization.

That's a complete look at how the Dragons drafted in the S46 Entry Draft just a few days ago. Overall they ended up adding 5 D and 1 C prospect to the organization. As mentioned before, defense was a glaring weakness for the Dragons as the pipeline had pretty much well dry, but they more then filled this need. With 4 rookies moving up in total, and with 2 of those being true rookies, this is a glimpse into the new look Dragons of the future. While expectations aren't quite as high for this team as they have been in past seasons, it's my prediction that with this draft, the Dragons will be right back into talks of a Challenge Cup contender as early as next season.





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#2

THIC Draft class

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#3

Love this Calgary draft class... when it’s all said and done will be a historic dragon group Cheers

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Knights|Dragons|Austria
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#4

History will be made! History will be parm!

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Barracuda Germany Scarecrows Knights


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#5

02-22-2019, 10:58 AMKatth Wrote: History will be made! History will be parm!

May the Parm be with you

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#6

Beautiful

Former
SHL Head Commissioner S12ish-S27ish
GM Dragons S8 & S9 (Won cups both years)
2x GM Of The Year
5 Time Cup Winner
League MVP

Past Players
[Image: HOF2.png] D - Aidan Richan - [Image: HOF2.png] (S5 11th Overall) Dragons
[Image: HOF2.png] C - Chico Salmon - [Image: HOF2.png] (S17 1st overall)  Renegades

Current Player
D - Chico Smeb (S46)

SMJHL - Drafted 65th Overall by Raptors
SHL - Drafted 23rd Overall by Dragons
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#7

Dragonite

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#8

Noice

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#9

Great write up!

This was a huge draft for the Dragons, adding some incredible players and people to our room. The future is extremely bright and we're all looking forward to this new look roster taking shape.

No questions we will be a force in the coming seasons as this group and out other young players continue to develop!

Dragonite

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#1 All-Time SHL Goal & Point Scorer 
- First 2,000 TPE Player in SHL History - 
- First 400 Goal Scorer in SHL History -
- Only 500 Goal Scorer in SHL History -
- First GM to Win 5 & 6 Challenge Cups -
Esa Anrikkanen Award - SMJHL ROY - Est. S34
Vidrik Onoprienko Award Winner - S45

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#10

BRING BK BACK PLEASE

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