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S53 Draft & Comparisons (2xMedia) - Steelhead77 - 03-17-2020
![[Image: NHLDraftMontreal2020-690x388.jpg]](https://www.thedraftanalyst.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/NHLDraftMontreal2020-690x388.jpg)
Coming into the S53 draft in Montreal, the Calgary Dragons management and scouts were hard at work gathering as much information as we could about this incredibly deep and talented reddit class. There were so many high-end players and big tpe earners, especially in the first round that we knew we probably couldn’t go wrong with whoever we picked but we wanted to make sure we brought in not only the right player but the right person. We were very impressed by the quality of these prospects, we liked numerous players who were projected to go in the first round and had to really convene and decide who our top targets were, specifically at pick 9. We also tried to project what group could be available at 25 and then if we wanted to also use our pick at 32 or trade it. We gathered as much information as we could on who was projected to go in the top 5 and who would likely be available 4 picks later at #9. There were a handful of players we really liked and we ranked them accordingly. We did well because all 4 were available at our 9th pick, so we took the player we felt strongest about and are very happy with our choice. We also got the player we wanted at 25 so overall this draft was a giant win for the Dragons. We then chose to trade pick 32 for a future 2nd and previously moved pick 36 for a future reddit 3rd as we have a lot of good young players already and decided to go with quality over quantity in this draft.
We now recap our picks in the S53 draft and reveal why we made the selections. We also look back at our previous drafts and discuss what went into making those picks that shaped our current team and compare those players to current draftees from S53 on how they may impact their new teams in a similar way.
S53 Draft:
Location: Montreal, QC, CAN
Date: Sunday, March 15, 2020
Start Time: 2:00PM EST
9th Overall: Bradley Barkov
There were obviously a lot of players in the first round and even second round that will become big members of this league and create SHL superstars. We felt Bradley Barkov was definitely one of these players and identified him as someone we’d love to get into a Dragons jersey. When he was available at 9 we were very excited to call his name. He impressed us in scouting and there was no question he had the work ethic, maturity and the right attitude to fit in great with our group and make an awesome player. We only had drafted 1 defenseman in the previous 6 drafts so we knew it was time to get another stud blueliner of the future. That’s exactly what we think we have with Barkov and he’ll have every opportunity to shine in Calgary. He has all the intangibles we look for in a prospect and has already fit in great in our room. We could not be happier with this pick.
25th Overall: Chris de Siren
After taking a defenseman at 9 we knew we wanted to target a forward at 25 and de Siren was our guy. We actually tried to trade up into the early 20’s for a shot at him because we didn’t think he’d make all the way to 25 so we were pleasantly surprised when he was still available. There were other quality players on the board but we felt Chris de Siren was our best fit. We had some great scouting on him from our alumni in Anchorage and felt he’d add a lot to our room and also had a high ceiling as a player. He has a great attitude and work ethic and we think he can really excel in our development system. He’s already clicked with a few of our vets in the room and we are very happy with this pick as well.
S52 Draft:
Location: San Diego, California
Date: January 17th, 2020 @ 8 PM Eastern
The Dragons held the 10th overall pick in this draft as well as the 26th. We chose to select at 10 and then in a relatively shallow draft we passed o 26 to save some cap and not get a log jam of players down the road.
10th Overall: Trey Nets
We liked Trey Nets a lot in scouting and we knew he had a good sim pedigree from other leagues. He had a proven track record of being a very active sim leaguer and while SHL was new to him we liked his potential to become a great player. He was also a family man on the older side which fits in well with the make up of our team as everyone knows we boast some of the leagues oldest and most distinguished grey haired members. Trey has fit in great with us and is developing well in St.Louis, we remain optimistic about his potential and are very happy with this pick.
S53 Comparison: Reid Sutherland – Winnipeg Jets – 14th Overall. An offensive center like Trey Nets and an active player, Sutherland made a name for himself leading up to the draft and was someone we had on our board as well. We think he was a steal for Winnipeg at 14. He’s talented, hard working and has a good attitude, we would expect he’ll become a key part of Winnipeg’s future and should make a nice impact in the league in a few seasons much like Trey Nets for Calgary.
S51 Draft:
Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Date: November 16th, 2019 @ 2 PM Eastern
The Dragons won the cup in S50 and held the last pick in the 1st round, 16th overall. After picking two stud wingers in the 1st round of the previous draft and with a log jam building in the line up that saw them have to move one of their stars from their cup team, they decided to deal 16th overall to their friends in West Kendall for a future pick. With not much need for more prospects and already holding a ton of picks in the upcoming draft they were happy to move out of this draft and look to the future.
S50 Draft:
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Date: September 22, 2019 @ 2PM Eastern
Not much better than a reddit draft in the state of hockey! The Dragons held two first rounders in this draft, back to back at picks 10 and 11. I’ve been around a long time now and made too many trades so I don’t remember exactly how we got the other 1st and I’m too lazy to look it up because I want to try and knock this article out but I’m sure we did well securing a second 1st rounder in a reddit draft.
10th Overall: Joseph Weston
I remember connecting with Weston early on in scouting and we had some common interests and just clicked. We exchanged a ton of pm’s (yes pm’s on the site cuz I’m old school and that’s how I roll) and I knew he was one of the guys we wanted in the 1st round. We also had some great scouting on him and knew he’d be an awesome fit in our room so we wasted no time making the selection at pick 10. Since he’s arrived he’s been fantastic and has developed very well. After some seasoning in the SMJHL for the Kraken he’s finally coming up this season and breaking camp with the Dragons. We couldn’t be happier with how this pick worked out and what he’s brought to the team. He remains locked in as a giant piece of our future and is on his way to making a star player.
S53 Comparison: Jimmy Wagner – LA Panthers – 5th overall. Wagner was one of the most active members of this draft class and one of the top earners, he has a great attitude and much like Joseph Weston should make a big impact on his team and locker room in LA. He’s also a primary scorer with a good two-way game. This should be a franchise type pick for the Panthers and we think they knocked it out the park with Wagner.
11th Overall: Alexei Rykov
Rykov at 11 was an absolute steal. He’s another member I quickly connected with in scouting for many of the same reasons as his teammate Joseph Weston. I knew I had to get both these guys as they were already friends and teammates from Carolina in the SMJHL. Rykov also impressed our scouts and everyone was on board and excited about this pick. He’s since become one of the top earners from his draft and has been awesome in the room. He’s coming up this season for the Dragons and we’re very excited about his potential and future. He’s going to be a star player and a huge piece for us for a long time. It’s not every day you can draft back to back in the first round and get the exact players you want and have it work out so well.
S53 Comparison: Edward Williams – Texas Renegades – 4th Overall. Williams was a great pick for Texas at 4 and we think compares well to Rykov in terms of carrying high end potential and a great tpe earning rate. Williams should become a big piece of the Renegade’s future much like Rykov is on pace to do for the Dragons. Another franchise type pick here.
S49 Draft:
Location: Dallas, TX
Date: Wednesday, July 31st at 8 PM Eastern
Before we drafted in the state of hockey we brought in a stud in the state of beef! We held the 9th overall selection in Texas and with it being relatively shallow we were thrilled with how it turned out for Calgary.
9th Overall: Prince Devitt
We were beyond pumped to see CFJ there at 9, a well known member with a great history in the league and he was friendly with numerous people on our team already so this was kind of a no brainer. We also needed another defenseman and Devitt fit the bill. Since he’s been drafted he’s become one of our most active members especially in discord and has made a great player already hitting 1000tpe and still climbing. He’s brought a great attitude to our locker room and has brought the team together with some fun media about the Dragons Bullet Club. This was truly a great pick for us and it could not have worked out much better. Devitt is becoming a key player for us on the blue line and has a long career ahead of him in a Dragons jersey.
S53 Comparison: Erben Casius – New Orleans Specters – 13th Overall. Casius is a re-create who has a good history in the league and much like CFJ has previously built a high tpe player who had a nice career. We would expect to this again from Paq and NOLA did a nice job grabbing him at 13. He should become a top for defenseman for them and also have a great impact in their locker room much like Devitt has has done in Calgary.
S48 Draft:
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Date: June 5, 2019 @ 8 PM Eastern
A hometown draft for us this turned out to be a very special one. We held 15th overall after making a story book run to the cup finals as a rebuilding team and then were able to bring back a former Dragon and actual hometown Calgary resident at the same time!
15th Overall: Atlas Rush
One of the best people on the site, if you don’t know Rublic then you are really missing out. His former player Bronsen Zerchai was a fellow S18 draftee with my 1st player Esa Anrikkanen and we’ve been friends ever since. He’s a true Dragon through and through and we knew we had to bring him back to Calgary with his recreate. I was extremely happy to pick him at 15 and he's since come in and been a great part of our room and has developed into a very strong player. A true power forward is a rare commodity in todays SHL and we have a good one in Atlas Rush. He’s now locked into his spot on the team and we expect him to be a stud in FHM and throw his weight around. We love having him on the team and I can’t wait to win another championship with my old buddy.
S53 Comparison: Bulrok Sulfurgold – Texas Renegades – 19th Overall. There may not be a true power forward in this draft like Atlas Rush but Bulrok Sulfurgold has the toughest name in the draft and has a well rounded build capable of playing a strong physical two way game. He also seems to have a good attitude as is well-liked much like Atlas Rush. We expect Bulrok to become an important player for Texas in the coming seasons and this was a great pick for them.
S47 Draft:
Location Hamilton, ON
Date: April 10, 2019 @ 8 PM Eastern
This was the draft where we had my re-create Esa Parmborg auto drafted. We knew we’d be getting a high end player automatically which is always nice. We decided to move our 1st rounder this year to New England for a future 1st and a Kappo Kakko name and number t-shirt. Now that I realize this I think that’s how we got those double 1sts in S50. Not a bad deal, even if I jinxed Kakko by getting the t-shirt, which even as an XXL was a little tight but I still wear it and watch him not score for the Rangers. Also big thanks to Ace who came through and is a man of his word.
S53 Comparison: Frans Eller - New England Wolfpack - Auto Pick. This actually works out well since the aforementioned Ace is GM of New England and had his re-create auto drafted. He's obviously going to be a superstar for New England in goal once he takes control of the crease. We wish him the best.
S46 Draft:
Location Edmonton, AB
Date: Feburary 17, 2019
This was the big one for us. A reddit draft in which we held a ton of picks coming off the expansion year that saw us lose two of our top players and members in Joe K and TDZ. We did well though trading them for picks in this draft and we nailed all of them which shaped our next generation and now all these players are key members and helped us win a cup in S50. Sometimes it all works out, this was one of those times.
15th Overall: Brennan Kennedy Jr
Absolute steal at 15, we knew we wanted BK in round 1 and were stoked when he was available. Kennedy is already over 1500tpe and is one of the premier defenseman in the league and is not even close to regression yet. He’s a great player on the ice for us and will become even better yet, but he’s been absolutely unreal for us in the room even helping with management and scouting. He’s a leader for the Dragons everyday and has a great personality and attitude not to mention he works his butt off to earn tpe and is just an all-around fantastic person. We were lucky to draft him and it’s been an absolute pleasure having him in Calgary.
S53 Comparison: Abaccus Cuddles – Tampa Bay Barracuda – 2nd Overall. There’s no question that this was a lock for Tampa and much like Kennedy Jr for Calgary we expect Cuddles to become a franchise defenseman for Tampa Bay and reach very high tpe levels. A well known member who has proven he can make a great player and have a major impact for a franchise. Great pick for Tampa much like BK was for Calgary.
22nd Overall: Barry Batsbak
Another steal, we identified 1st gen member Katth as someone we really liked in scouting and just had that gut feeling about. It’s turned into one of the best 2nd round picks we’ve ever made. Batsbak has far outplayed his draft position and has become one of our top players already reaching 1500tpe as a center. He’s entering his prime and we couldn’t be more thankful for what he’s brought to Calgary on a daily basis. Even with being in a completely different time zone he is one of our most active members in the room and helps us out with management and scouting as well. He’s also recently become Kelowna’s GM and has done a great job there. This was an unbelievable pick for our organization.
S53 Comparison: Ethan Duncan – West Kendall Platoon – 6th Overall. Duncan is a high end center with a great tpe earning rate and very high potential much like Batsbak. He even played for Batsbak in Kelowna this year and was someone we liked a lot in scouting as well. I think Duncan will become a top center in the league and have a major impact for West Kendall much like Batsbak has in Calgary. Awesome pick.
23rd Overall: Chico Smeb
Holding three picks in the top 23 of a reddit draft is pretty great especially when you’re starting a rebuild. xDpark’s most recent player Chico Smeb was someone I knew we had to draft. He’s a well-known veteran member and former Dragons player and GM as well as former commish. We also needed another defenseman and knew Park would make another star player. He wanted to be here in scouting and we wanted to bring him back. He’s since become on of our top defenseman reaching nearly 1300tpe and holds the special distinction as the only member of the Smeb family to win a championship. We love having him on the team, he’s a great guy and provides a veteran presence in the room. We definitely made the right call on draft day and would not be where we are today without him.
S53 Comparison: Jukka Timonen – Manhattan Rage – 10th Overall. There’s not really a re-create D in this draft who we would compare with a long time veteran like Chico Smeb /xDPark but I think 1st gen defenseman Timonen is close on his projected impact with his team. Timonen was someone we were really looking at bringing to Calgary and we think has a great career ahead of him and much like Chico Smeb will have a major impact on his teams blue line and help them win championships.
39th Overall: Bernik Vrzala
Now in round 3 of this deep draft we again looked to add to our blue line with a fellow blueshirts fan that impressed me in scouting and when he was still there at pick 39 we wasted no time calling his name. He’s since been a great daily presence in our room and is one of the key parts of the Dragons experience. He has a wonderful attitude, he brings a lot to the team and has already served as one of our captains. He’s also making a great player and has recently hit 1000tpe! He’s always wanted to do whatever he can to help the team and is never looking for personal stats or accolades he just want to win and have fun doing it. Winning the cup together in S50 was a great experience I know he will help us do it again soon. Couldn’t be happier with how this pick has worked out for us.
S53 Comparison: Valentín Kalashnikov – Tampa Bay Barracuda – 12th Overall. Sauvamente is a strong shutdown defenseman in the mold of Vrzala and from what I saw from him in the Halifax locker room has a good personality and likes to drive activity. That compares well to Vrzala for the Dragons and we think Sauvamente will make a good player and be an active piece for Tampa and a nice compliment to Cuddles at 2nd overall in the way Vrzala compliments Kennedy Jr and Smeb on the Calgary blue line.
S45 Draft:
Location: Toronto, ON
Date: December 21, 2018 @ 8 PM Eastern
Coming into this draft in the hockey hotbed of Toronto we held the 8th overall pick and were able to secure a franchise player that has since become our tpe leader among forwards.
8th Overall: Maxime Bouchard
What a home run pick this was for the Dragons franchise. We got an absolute stud player and fantastic member in Maxime Bouchard (weretarantula). I remember thinking he was great in scouting and sweating it out until the 8th pick which seemed like an eternity. Since that draft Bouchard has become one of the faces of our franchise and a big leader for us currently holding the Alternate Captaincy. He’s eclipsed 1600tpe and is our most talented forward. He also does ton for us with scouting and is a big help with management, kind of like another co-gm. He’s incredible in our room and is one of our most vocal players driving activity on a daily basis with his great personality. I absolutely love that we got Bouchard in this draft, it’s been amazing for our franchise.
S53 Comparison: Steve Harrington – Buffalo Stampede – 3rd Overall. It’s not every day you can draft a franchise forward and that’s what we think Harrington will be for Buffalo much like Bouchard has been in Calgary. A top earner and highly active member with a great personality who will be a leader for his team. He compares well to Bouchard on many levels and we think he’ll become a big member of the league moving forward.
S44 Draft
Location Unknown.
7th Overall: Mikael Choybuk
We knew who we wanted in this draft and we got them. There was no question we were targeting long time dragon member DollarAndADream’s re-create Mikael Choybuk. He won 5 cups with the Dragons with his previous player Michael “Big Game” Boychuk and is a Dragons Hall of Famer and legend. One of the best Dragons of all-time and the highest scoring defenseman in Dragons history, needles to say we had a lot of confidence in him and this was an easy choice on draft day. He’s since won another cup with us and has been to 2 challenge cup finals with Choybuk. The guy is synonymous with the Dragons and winning. We’ve been teammates for 31 straight seasons now and I can’t say enough about what a great friend and teammate he is. We love having him in Calgary and he’s now one of our top scorers. Maybe the easiest selection I’ve ever made in the draft.
S53 Comparison: Rocco Berni – Minnesota Chiefs – 20th Overall. Berni is a re-create of Blues’ and much like Choybuk he’s been in the league a long time and has made a great player before so he has the experience and knows what it takes to sustain a long career. Berni was one of the top tpe earners in the draft, he’s clearly motivated and ended up being a steal for Minnesota at pick 20. We think he will have a big impact in the state of hockey and should become key player moving forward.
17th Overall: Brock Nuck
Nuck is another former Dragon and long time friend in the league, he actually played for me in my first years as GM back in Detroit in the early 20’s and then again in Calgary and won 3 or 4 cups with us on the Dragons. This was another easy selection and one we had incredible confidence in. We also knew Nuck wanted to come back to the Dragons and we were very happy he was there at 17. He’s put together another good player in Brock reaching over 1000tpe after making a legend in Bubba. He’s now helped us win championships with 2 players as Brock was part of our most recent cup team in S50. Nuck is a great guy and good buddy of mine and while we had to recently let him move on to create space for our young players he’s always been a positive classy member of the Dragons and we really appreciate him.
S53 Comparison: Danny White - LA Panthers – 30th Overall. White is a scoring center with a good sim league history. Much like Nuck he made a legend with his first player Dani Forsberg and knows how to succeed in the league. At first glance at his tpe rate he’s doing pretty well but may not reach the elite level of his first player. That being said he should still have a very good career and be a great addition to any team. Much like Nuck he will have a nice impact in a few seasons when he gets called up. LA did well grabbing him at 30.
S43 Draft:
Location: Manhattan, NY
Date/Time: Monday, August 27 @ 8 Eastern
What could be better after winning the cup in S42, we had a draft in the big apple! The best pizza and deli’s in the world and we got to bring back another Dragons legend and one of my best friends in real life. Doesn’t get much better than that.
14th Overall: Nicky Pedersen Jr
After spending nearly 20 seasons with the Dragons on his previous player, Nicholas Pedersen Sr, and winning 5 cups, this was a no brainer pick for us. I’m sure everyone knew it was coming and that’s why Nicky Pedersen Jr was available at the last pick in round 1 at #14. It’s no a secret that we’re good buddies and he only wants to play for me in Calgary, much to Wasty’s chagrin.. Pedersen is a Dragons legend and SHL Hall of Famer, he’s absolutely great for us in every facet of the game and loved in the room. Being able to enjoy the league with one of your best friends and win 6 championships together is pretty awesome. Nicky Pedersen Jr is still one of our top players, just entering regression he reached over 1600tpe at his peak and has been a dominant player for us for a very long time.
S53 Comparison: Jaska Seppala – Buffalo Stampede – 7th Overall. Coming into the draft everyone knew Seppala wanted to return to Buffalo after being a key piece of their team for so long with his first player. Much like it was no secret that Pedersen wanted to return to Calgary for the same reasons with his 2nd player. Both players are highly talented scoring forwards and like Pedersen did in Calgary, Sepala should make another great player for Buffalo and have another long successful career.
S42 Draft:
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date/Time: Tuesday, July 3rd @ 8:30 PM Eastern
We ended up dealing our picks in this draft, at the time we had a loaded roster and knew we didn’t want to create a log jam, we also had some older players about to retire (see above) and we knew we wanted to bring them back in the upcoming drafts and have places for them to play when they were ready to come up. I don’t remember the exact trades we made but it obviously all worked out.
S41 Draft:
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Date/Time: May 7th, 2018 // 8:30 EST
We’re in Beantown for this draft where held the last pick in round 1 after winning the cup in S40, but we were still able to lock down a franchise player and renowned bean eater.
14th Overall: Kata Vilde
Finally I was able to get this guy to our team. After recruiting Barnabascollins (formerly belgarat) to the league from one of my dynasty hockey leagues, he ended up getting drafted by Texas with his previous player Vlad Lidstrom and he was so good for them I was never able to pry him away. We always wanted to play together so this was a very easy selection. He’s since become one of the top tpe goalies in the league and led us to the cup in S50 as well as the finals in S47. He’s one of my best friends on the site and we talk about food so much it’s definitely not healthy for either of us lol. He makes me so hungry on a daily basis, but he’s giant part of the dragons experience and one of our veteran leaders in the room. I’ve loved being able to be teammates all these years and after reaching such lofty tpe totals I’m happy to say he’s going to be our starter for while longer. Home run pick for the Dragons and couldn’t be happier.
S53 Comparison: Jerry Huuveri – Tampa Bay Barracuda – 23rd Overall. Comparing anyone to the great Kata Vilde is a lofty comparison but as the #1 tpe earner among goalies in the draft Huuveri gets the honor. He’s worked hard and has a lot of potential to be a superstar for Tampa Bay. He could have a major impact in their organization much like Vilde and after some seasoning could settle in as Tampa’s starter. I'm not sure he loves food as much as Vilde, but we think Tampa did well picking up a potential star in Huuveri at 23.
S40 Draft:
Location: San Francisco, Puerto Rico
Interesting location for this one and we went in big for this draft, trading the kitchen sink to move up to 2nd overall, our highest selection since taking Randy Randleman 1st in S24. We moved up for a chance to select another of my great friends in real life and someone who if I somehow didn’t get he would never let me hear the end of it.
2nd overall: Otis B Driftwood
The man the myth the legend.. Slappydoodle. There was no way I could take a chance at anyone else getting him so I knew we had to move up as high as possible. We traded a bunch of high future picks to Manhattan for a chance to draft our next franchise defenseman. He’s obviously delivered on his elite draft status by making another super high tpe player, still the highest on our team even after a couple seasons of regression. He’s a popular member in the league and an amazing teammate, we all love him in the room and he’s currently serving our Captain. He’s been incredible for us on and off the ice and has now won 2 cups with the Dragons, which has been a special experience for both of us.
S53: Comparison: Bradley Barkov – Calgary Dragons – 9th Overall. As I said earlier we were very high on Barkov, maybe not as high as slappydoodle gets on his podcasts, but pretty darn high! We knew Barkov was a player we wanted to try and bring in if available and we expect him to have a similar impact to that of Otis B Driftwood, who is currently our highest tpe and player helped lead us to 2 championships so far in his career. We think Barkov has that kind of talent and character and is already making an impact in our locker room. In time he will be a major force on the ice for the Dragons much like Driftwood has been, but Barkov will blaze his own trail and create his own legacy in Calgary.
Well that’s it, hopefully 1 or 2 of you actually read this and found it enjoyable. It was fun to reflect back on some of our draft picks and speculate how the S53 class may have similar impacts for their new teams. There were lots of great players in this draft, I wish them all the best and hope they have long successful careers!
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5,289 Words - 2xMediaRE: S53 Draft & Comparisons (2xMedia) - DeletedAtUserRequest - 03-17-2020
A nice trip down memory lane
Great read!
RE: S53 Draft & Comparisons (2xMedia) - Weretarantula - 03-17-2020
Holy hell what a write up, great job Esa!
RE: S53 Draft & Comparisons (2xMedia) - Off - 03-17-2020
Great work as always mate. Gald to see we have insight on the upcoming opposition!
RE: S53 Draft & Comparisons (2xMedia) - ACapitalChicago - 03-17-2020
Wow that's some great depth writing, excellent work! Couldn't be happier to be in Calgary with Rykov and the rest of the Dragons, this team is gonna kill it in the future!
RE: S53 Draft & Comparisons (2xMedia) - Katth - 03-18-2020
Excellent article and thanks for the nice words. Just doing my best!
RE: S53 Draft & Comparisons (2xMedia) - RaginCajun - 03-19-2020
Looking forward to being a Dragon this season!