After a tough season where the Tampa Bay Barracuda finished last in the league with only 16 wins and 36 points, the Cudas needed to prepare to have a big draft where they would hopefully pick up some nice reinforcements to go along with their already young core. With 5 picks being made in the stacked Season 53 Draft, the Barracuda sured up their future, bringing in the next wave of great players for Tampa. This draft was monumental for the club and if these picks pan out, then the Barracuda should be able to get out of this low point quickly with these 5 young picks joining the likes of Tom Fiddler and Michael Fitted, forming a new young core.


Ambacas Cuddles enjoying his time on the ice with the Carolina Kraken

At pick number 2, the Barracuda selected Ambacas Cuddles, a defenseman for the Carolina Kraken. During his first season in the SMJHL, Cuddles impressed scouts with his extremely effective defensive play. An absolute physical specimen, Cuddles is 7’9” and weighs 350 pounds, allowing him to effectively use his massive size to shut down his opponents. Despite his massive size, Cuddles can skate pretty well and is good at getting up and down the ice. Despite his defensive role and play, Cuddles was able to put up one goal and 21 assists in 50 games, just shy of a half a point per game. Cuddles should be able to play in all situations for the club once he is called up.


Valentin Kalashnikov waits to receive a pass at the blue line

With the 12th overall pick in the draft, the Barracuda went for defense again, picking up Valentin Kalashnikov who played for the Halifax Raiders (now Maine Timbers) last season. Even though the Raiders didn’t have a great season, Kalashnikov put up some pretty solid numbers with 4 goals and 11 assists. He was a physical force out there, gathering a total of 85 hits on the season. Kalashnikov’s offensive abilities aren’t anything to write home about just yet, but his defensive abilities are bested by none. He can skate well which allows him to get up and down the ice easily. Paired with Cuddles, the Barracuda have spruced up their prospect pool at defense and hope that the two can pan out into top 2 defensemen.


Frederick Wanesly skates some warmup laps before a game.

At the 17th overall pick, the Tampa Bay Barracuda decided to draft a forward after picking up two solid defensemen. They drafted Frederick Wanesly, a left winger who played his first SMJHL season for the Detroit Falcons last season. Wanesly has some huge offensive upside and should be able to improve off of a solid performance with the Falcons. Wanesly gathered a total of 6 goals and 10 assists for a total of 16 points. Wanesly has great offensive vision and is a superb passer. He really can pick out his teammates’ stick out through traffic and hit them with a tape to tape pass. His skating ability is above average and that should allow his game to translate easily to the SHL.


Jerry Huuveri squares himself to face an incoming shot

After picking up 2 defenseman and a forward, the Barracuda also addressed their need at goaltender as star goalie Benjamin Blue is getting older. The Barracuda drafted Colorado Raptors netminder Jerry Huuveri who did pretty well for stepping into the league as a rookie. In 12 games for the Raptors, Huuveri posted a 5-3-2 record, an 0.863 save percentage, and a 2.71 Goals Against Average. These numbers are not earth shattering but are a solid debut for the kid who will only get better with time. His positioning in the crease is his best attribute along with his lightning fast reflexes. Once he works on his technical skills a bit more, he will be an absolute brick wall in the net and should be able to take over for blue nicely once he hangs up the skates.


Erik Johansson directs his teammates before the drop of the puck

In the fourth round, the Barracuda decided to take a late round flyer on Carolina Kraken defenseman Erik Johansson. Tampa Bay scouts were surprised to see Johansson fall all the way to pick 49, and did not want to pass up the opportunity to grab a potential steal. A project for sure, Johansson put up only 3 assists but was a physical presence out there gathering 47 hits and 22 shot blocks. Although not having the best season, Johansson has shown the desire to succeed and works hard to better his game. A strong defensive defenseman, Johansson focuses more on keeping the puck out of the net,but also has a decent ability to move and handle the puck. Johansson should be able to make for a nice depth defenseman.

With these 5 picks in the draft, the Barracuda look to the future with hope. THE WATER DOGS ARE COMING!!!! CHOMP CHOMP