12-31-2011, 08:00 PM
Well the 7th edition of the SHL draft has just passed. As always though there are some teams that just do better then others, and some teams that did poorly. In this article we will present my winners and losers for the S7 SHL draft.
WINNERS
![[Image: TeamBarComets.png]](http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff60/NJDHalo3/TeamBarComets.png)
I mean bias aside when you have three 1st round picks and 2 2nd round picks your team is going to improve no matter what. No team came out of the draft more improved then the Comets did. At first overall they grabbed the most hyped prospect since Danielle Hogan in the S5 SHL Draft in Armia. The Comets then with the picks they traded down to and traded up for at 5, and 6 drafted two of arguably the best defenseman in the draft in Johansen and Vatinnen who are also two very active guys in thus league. Then at 12 the Comets again drafted another defenseman in Julian Dupont who going in was one of the most underrated players in the draft, he did very well in the time he played for the Firebirds and in the NWJHL playoffs and he also brings a phenomenal lockerroom presence. At 17 they Comets selected a big need in goaltender Jonas Gustavo. Player wise Gustavo's activity was 1st round worthy however, being not a lot of teams needed a goalie he slipped to the Comets at 17 and will be there goalie of the future. After this draft the Comets have locked up a great defensive core for the future as well as adding a franchise goaltender and winger to the squad.
![[Image: TeamBarSteelhawks.png]](http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff60/NJDHalo3/TeamBarSteelhawks.png)
The 2nd winner in the SHL draft were the Steelhawks. They drafted very well with all their picks in the top 20 (they had five). Firstly at 4th overall they drafted Wagner who although he did not have a great regular season really lighted it up in the playoffs and helped lead the charge for the Stingrays to make the NWJHL finals as well as Wagner being one of the most active guys in the league. Then at 10 the Steelhawks drafted Jamie Rose who was the best defensive forward in the NWJHL this past season. She also managed to put up impressive numbers in juniors and her hosting the SHL draft proves she is and will be a very active members in this league. Then at 13 and 15 the Steelhawks drafted two very underrated defenseman in Viola and Lange. Both had good seasons for their respective NWJHL squads and were very good in their lockerooms. Finally at pick twenty the Steelhawks drafted Amodio who although is quiet is still a good active player and was a decent pick up. In conclusion the Steelhawks got a great mix of forwards and defensive talent in this draft and really improved this team dramatically especially since they traded the 1st overall pick prior to this past season to the Comets but they still managed to be one of the big winners in this draft.
![[Image: TeamBarRage.png]](http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff60/NJDHalo3/TeamBarRage.png)
Talk about quantity!!! no team had more picks in this draft then the Rage and they did very well on almost every pick even their later ones. The Rage first selected Belmont at 7 overall. She is a really active junior who is very active in the media and did very well for the Stingrays helping them reach the NWJHL finals. Then 2 picks later they selected another forward Simon Aspelin, he was very underrated coming into this draft and did really well player and activity wise for the Impact and will bring the very same strengths to the Rage. The Rage didnt pick again until the 3rd round but boy they had a ton of 3rds, they had five to be exact. They hit an active in every selection though with Kulikov, Hunter, Vure, Wood, and White. All these picks landed active guys who may very well fill out the whole Rage roster. One thing is for sure Jason had a lot of GM's hoping for a late round gem banging their hands on their desks after the 3rd round he had. He may of not gotten the best quality but he got a great mix of quantity with players who can also produce very well.
LOSERS
![[Image: TeamBarNightmare.png]](http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff60/NJDHalo3/TeamBarNightmare.png)
Here is the main problem for the Nightmare this draft, the 1st selection they made in this draft in Edwards at pick 31 they just cut and there were plenty of other active players still left in the draft to choose from but they went with Edwards for some reason. They also just cut their 5th rounder as well and although it was for cap issues some teams were able to find actives in round 5 or find use for their selection. The Nightmare may very likely lose both Hockridge and Crasher to free agency and in this draft which every pick was crucial for them, they simply just missed.
![[Image: TeamBarPanthers.png]](http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff60/NJDHalo3/TeamBarPanthers.png)
The key reason why the Panthers are losers is because they didnt first pick until the late 4th round. There picks ended up being players nothing special but once again you really cant fault them being they were picking super late but there was still an active or two left they could of found if they looked heard enough. For an aging team they really need an injection some how of young talent. I know they just won the cup but how much longer can this team last honestly? I say no more then two at the tops and with picks lost in this past draft and in the next one The big future for the Panthers is in jeopardy.
That is it for this seasons draft winners and losers. Although this is what things look now this is always subject to change in the future. I hope you have all enjoyed reading this and leave your opinions in the comments
WINNERS
I mean bias aside when you have three 1st round picks and 2 2nd round picks your team is going to improve no matter what. No team came out of the draft more improved then the Comets did. At first overall they grabbed the most hyped prospect since Danielle Hogan in the S5 SHL Draft in Armia. The Comets then with the picks they traded down to and traded up for at 5, and 6 drafted two of arguably the best defenseman in the draft in Johansen and Vatinnen who are also two very active guys in thus league. Then at 12 the Comets again drafted another defenseman in Julian Dupont who going in was one of the most underrated players in the draft, he did very well in the time he played for the Firebirds and in the NWJHL playoffs and he also brings a phenomenal lockerroom presence. At 17 they Comets selected a big need in goaltender Jonas Gustavo. Player wise Gustavo's activity was 1st round worthy however, being not a lot of teams needed a goalie he slipped to the Comets at 17 and will be there goalie of the future. After this draft the Comets have locked up a great defensive core for the future as well as adding a franchise goaltender and winger to the squad.
The 2nd winner in the SHL draft were the Steelhawks. They drafted very well with all their picks in the top 20 (they had five). Firstly at 4th overall they drafted Wagner who although he did not have a great regular season really lighted it up in the playoffs and helped lead the charge for the Stingrays to make the NWJHL finals as well as Wagner being one of the most active guys in the league. Then at 10 the Steelhawks drafted Jamie Rose who was the best defensive forward in the NWJHL this past season. She also managed to put up impressive numbers in juniors and her hosting the SHL draft proves she is and will be a very active members in this league. Then at 13 and 15 the Steelhawks drafted two very underrated defenseman in Viola and Lange. Both had good seasons for their respective NWJHL squads and were very good in their lockerooms. Finally at pick twenty the Steelhawks drafted Amodio who although is quiet is still a good active player and was a decent pick up. In conclusion the Steelhawks got a great mix of forwards and defensive talent in this draft and really improved this team dramatically especially since they traded the 1st overall pick prior to this past season to the Comets but they still managed to be one of the big winners in this draft.
Talk about quantity!!! no team had more picks in this draft then the Rage and they did very well on almost every pick even their later ones. The Rage first selected Belmont at 7 overall. She is a really active junior who is very active in the media and did very well for the Stingrays helping them reach the NWJHL finals. Then 2 picks later they selected another forward Simon Aspelin, he was very underrated coming into this draft and did really well player and activity wise for the Impact and will bring the very same strengths to the Rage. The Rage didnt pick again until the 3rd round but boy they had a ton of 3rds, they had five to be exact. They hit an active in every selection though with Kulikov, Hunter, Vure, Wood, and White. All these picks landed active guys who may very well fill out the whole Rage roster. One thing is for sure Jason had a lot of GM's hoping for a late round gem banging their hands on their desks after the 3rd round he had. He may of not gotten the best quality but he got a great mix of quantity with players who can also produce very well.
LOSERS
Here is the main problem for the Nightmare this draft, the 1st selection they made in this draft in Edwards at pick 31 they just cut and there were plenty of other active players still left in the draft to choose from but they went with Edwards for some reason. They also just cut their 5th rounder as well and although it was for cap issues some teams were able to find actives in round 5 or find use for their selection. The Nightmare may very likely lose both Hockridge and Crasher to free agency and in this draft which every pick was crucial for them, they simply just missed.
The key reason why the Panthers are losers is because they didnt first pick until the late 4th round. There picks ended up being players nothing special but once again you really cant fault them being they were picking super late but there was still an active or two left they could of found if they looked heard enough. For an aging team they really need an injection some how of young talent. I know they just won the cup but how much longer can this team last honestly? I say no more then two at the tops and with picks lost in this past draft and in the next one The big future for the Panthers is in jeopardy.
That is it for this seasons draft winners and losers. Although this is what things look now this is always subject to change in the future. I hope you have all enjoyed reading this and leave your opinions in the comments
.
