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AW13 · 04-12-2019, 01:45 PM

The NEW Order: A New England Wolfpack Draft Review

Hello everybody! Your friendly, neighborhood Wolfpack co-GM and mediocre goaltender here! My first draft as a co-GM in the SHL was an exciting time! Today we will be reviewing the recent SHL Entry Draft for the New England Wolfpack and how each pick stacks up in some sort of grading system, just kidding, all A+ for my Wolfpack boys!

Round 1: Pick 9 - Eko van Otter - LW - Anchorage Armada

The Wolfpack came in with a plan to improve the offense by focusing on the forward position in this draft, as you will see later on. With a draft day draft earlier in the day, the Wolfpack acquired the 9th overall pick for a Season 50 1st round pick, figuring to get the youth now and let the core develop nicely rather than wait and see. The plan was to get some talented players in place and let the offense grow from within and that is exactly what happened with pick number 9 here. The selection was Armada Left Winger Eko van Otter, a talented player who is an otter.

The Why: van Otter was one of the highly touted prospects by the Wolfpack management in the current draft after a productive season and a great draft interview with head Wolkpack GM Ace. The move for number 9 was primarily to pick him here as we did not feel like he would be available at our original pick at 16 so it tells you two things. One, we really wanted van Otter on our team and two, we knew he was a top 15 player in this draft in general. Our main focus at first was a playmaking forward and van Otter fits the mold there with the ability to set up his teammates for scores in the future. As long as Otter continues that growth trend he has been on, New England looks to have a future superstar on hand!

The Stats: For the Anchorage Armada, van Otter was not given a ton of ice time last season in the SMJHL, something that may change this season though admittedly, I know nothing about the current landscape of things in the minors right now besides what the guys in the NEW locker room say, though I will be following our players more as I start to learn more! I hope Otter is given a chance to shine at first in the SMJHL with the Armada this next season as Anchorage will not regret giving this guy some more ice time! Let's look:

Games Played: 50
Average Minutes per Game: 14.76
Goals: 6
Assists: 9
Points: 15
+/-: 4
Hits: 48
Shots Blocked: 5
Points per 20 minutes: 0.41

For a team with a lot of returning talent, the Armada were not able to play Otter as much and were in the playoff hunt all season, finishing 4th in the SMJHL. Otter in his limited time did impress and compiled a +4 on the ice, tied for 7th on the Armada roster. The points will be there eventually as he develops but being a rookie can sometimes be a tough task in a competitive league. Expect Otter to be above his 0.41 P/20 next season for the Armada.

The Position: Van Otter has the ability to feature in as a natural winger or even as a possible center for the Wolfpack given his playmaking abilities.

Round 1: Pick 16 - Slap McShotty - C - Anaheim Outlaws

Another pick, another forward here, with McShotty falling to pick 16 to the Wolfpack. In my opinion, the thing that will change this team from promising to great is having those players with high potential at positions of need and center for me, was our biggest need in the draft with not many young centers on our roster. McShotty fits perfectly here with positional needs and to my knowledge, while I could be completely wrong, is the 2nd player ever taken out of Anaheim after teammate Corey Kennedy went 3rd overall in the draft.

The Why: McShotty fit three things we were looking for, positional need at center, a good scouting interview I believe, and one of the higher TPE guys in the draft, even at pick 16. He is an active guy that wants to get better and who doesn't love a memey name like Slap McShotty!? I know I do, and sometimes, you gotta draft for the name. This time, name value plus player value is right up there. A mild steal in the first round.

The Stats: So, like Otter and the Anchorage, Anaheim was a playoff team as well, finishing just above the Armada in 3rd place in the SMJHL and with this the minutes were limited for younger players. Now for McShotty, he just received about 10 minutes per game and a lot of the time, it is hard to stay focused and active when getting as little ice time, but he did stay on and became a first round pick! Also, it can be difficult starting out right away as a power forward archetype but it can definitely work of course! While I expect McShotty to get more ice time next season, we feel like he will be able to do big things for both the Outlaws and eventually the Wolfpack in the SHL!

Games Played: 50
Average Minutes per Game: 10.16
Goals: 2
Assists: 3
Points: 5
+/-: -5
Hits: 29
Shots Blocked: 6
Points per 20 minutes: 0.20

It was a bit of a rough rookie season for the promising young prospect but don't discount his total ability. It is hard to score a lot on a lower line without getting much time on the ice and while the numbers don't jump out at you, we expect a bigger role and bigger stats for the 1st rounder. It only matters what he does in the SHL anyways from this point but it is always fun to do well in the minors for a bit regardless!

The Position: McShotty can fit into any spot on the forward line but with young center depth not being quite there, I expect him to develop as a center

2nd Round: 21st Overall - Joseph Laraque - LW - Halifax Raiders

Another left winger!? Yep! We really wanted to boost that forward position and really get solid in a lot of different spots on the ice, especially while our great wingers age a little bit so the new crop of talented players is being developed for ultimate Pack dominance! Laraque is another talented player who can be considered a steal at pick 21 in the draft and has the talent to be a premier player in the league.

The Why: I know this is a player that our management really wanted and it was more a question of when do we take him rather than a question of do we take him? Luckily, teams passed on him and we were able to get another targeted player at 21 to really start filling out our forward staff. A very active user that wants to be here is always something you love seeing so it was a no brainer here at 21 and while maybe his total overall TPE is not super high right now, he is comparable to a lot of top picks in the draft and within 8 of number one overall pick Duggan, and he is amongst the higher earners at his position from my understanding and he is great in the locker room so...win! Plus with our Halifax connection with GM Flareon, it was an easy choice in terms of familiarity.

The Stats: Another playoff team, though a lower seed with number 7 Halifax, Laraque was able to get decent minutes and shine with them on the Raiders. The biggest thing I noticed as I was writing this is that his minutes actually were not that much higher than Otter's in Anchorage, but Laraque did wonders this past season with his minute allocation.

Games Played: 50
Average Minutes per Game: 15.80
Goals: 16
Assists: 13
Points: 29
+/-: -3
Hits: 26
Shots Blocked: 9
Points per 20 minutes: 0.73

The leader in points per 20 in Halifax with 0.73, Laraque finished 3rd in points on the team and tied for first in goals. Dude can put up goals and points when he is on the ice, that is for sure. Look for that to continue to develop as he makes his way to the SHL but the Wolfpack will definitely keep an eye on if Laraque can keep up the good pace with similar or extended minutes for Halifax next season!

The position: As a sniping forward, I expect him to stay on the wing at either side with his ability to put the puck in the net.

2nd Round: Pick 25 - Przemysław Brzeszczyczkiewicz - LW - Detroit Falcons

Yes, I just found his name to copy and paste it because I was not typing all that and I also don't have a keyboard for Polish letters as well so I was going to need to copy it anyways. Another forward though for the forward happy Wolfpack and this time in the form of the Polish wonder in Przemysław Brzeszczyczkiewicz. The world record for a Scrabble score has a definite ability and at 25, that is definitely what you are looking for.

The Why: Remember I said name-value meant something, it does here, especially hearing Ace pronounce it in the voice chat as we were drafting him. Also, at pick 25, you are looking for best player available and that is exactly what he brings to the table here being the highest TPE player on the board at this point besides a goalie, which was not a position of need, a right winger named banana, and a GM player. The man with 6 Z's is no sleeper here, he is a talented player that fell and we are happy for that! Also, with the need in playmaking forwards, he hits that archetype desire as well so not bad for pick 25.

The Stats: Detroit was not a bad team, despite their 2nd to last finish in the SMJHL, but PB (Much easier) did not receive too much ice time last season. He will look to improve as his career continues and the stats are no means for the type of player he is or can be.

Games Played: 50
Average Minutes per Game: 12.65
Goals: 2
Assists: 5
Points: 7
+/-: -8
Hits: 57
Shots Blocked: 2
Points per 20 minutes: 0.22

So, not the greatest statistically but one thing that jumps out is the 57 hits even with less ice time. It appears that PB played a big role as an enforcer type for the Falcons this season and likely played on a pretty physical line so despite the low points, his role was less of a point getter and more of an in your face enforcer, so stats definitely tell you little about a future playmaking forward right here.

The position: Playmaking forwards have a spot anywhere on the forward line and could stay and winger or even play center if need be similar to Otter.

4th Round: Pick 49 - Boris Poroshenko - C - St. Louis Scarecrows

The final player that was drafted for the Wolfpack besides a retiree way late, the Pack pick up an exciting young center prospect that was maybe a bit of an unknown especially as he was a later joiner to the game. Having an active guy at pick 49 after not picking since pick 25, is outstanding value!

The Why: Obviously, at this point, this is where your scouting really comes in to play and also having multiple guys helping with the draft as well. A suggestion by Flareon became a reality with the pick of Poroshenko here in the 4th round and it was a great suggestion turned reality. We had a list of active guys here that was slowly dwindling and considering a guy like Seemu Telanne got drafted ahead of some of these guys, really makes you wonder. The user has been active and that is all you ask for, a win for the Pack so far! Especially considering this guy fits a need at center also.

The Stats: Being later to the show, Boris was not able to put up many stats and looks to improve in the SMJHL for a bit and should see much more time as time goes on. In a small sample size of statistics, it is really hard to see anything statistically that stands out so we wait till that time comes.

Games Played: 16
Average Minutes per Game: 8.28
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Points: 1
+/-: -1
Hits: 5
Shots Blocked: 0
Points per 20 minutes: 0.15

Not much to see here as he joined later and missed out on some opportunities to play bigger minutes and more games. He will definitely improve with a full season next year.

The position: Fits the center needs, and two-way forwards are always fun, so I anticipate him staying at center in his development.

Overall, a great draft for New England and I am beyond excited to see these players in action and eventually in New England!!!

**The__Y-man__100** · 04-12-2019, 02:46 PM

When these young wolfs mature the pack is going to destroy the league! Great write up Smile

**.bojo** · 04-12-2019, 02:47 PM

:nola:

***hotdog*** · 04-12-2019, 06:19 PM

love it

***Ace*** · 04-12-2019, 08:12 PM

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