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[DOUBLE DRAFT MEDIA] The First Round - Printable Version

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[DOUBLE DRAFT MEDIA] The First Round - Allegiant - 05-03-2022

THE FIRST ROUND
S65 SHL ENTRY DRAFT
Stampede  Dragons  Blizzard  Steelhawks  Panthers  Rage  Monarchs  Wolfpack  pride  Barracuda  Renegades  Stars  Platoon  Aurora  syndicate  Specters  Argonauts  Inferno  Forge  Patriotes

The SHL has had no shortage of excellent players come from the second and third rounds, or even later in some circumstances. But the first round is usually where all eyes are: it’s what generates the most hype, where the biggest immediate stars are taken, and where the biggest trades are made. This article will provide a general overview of the selections made in the first round, with a breakdown of those players’ general skills, their SMJHL career thus far, and a rough career projection. Ultimately, drafts are unpredictable and even the most surefire pick could turn out to be a bust. Similarly, players have been picked on a whim and have really stepped up their performance in later seasons, becoming unlikely stars. The only accurate draft recap is the one done in fifteen seasons after everyone is retired.

Most of the picks on this list rated fairly highly all things concerned, which could reflect either too high expectations on my part, or just the sheer depth of this draft: there were excellent picks right through the first round. The career projections here are perhaps a little hopeful, but it’s very hard to predict who can and can’t reach their potential in the SHL.

FIRST OVERALL - Rage - PASS FORFEIT - D

The Carolina Kraken are a hotbed of talent, in part due to having one of the better management teams in either league. This is very much the case with Pass Forfeit who more than earned his first overall selection. A 6’4” defenceman out of France, Forfeit is perhaps best described as a puck-moving defenceman with a solid, if unconventional shot for a defenceman. He plays an unpredictable style and can excel both as a playmaker and jumping up in the play to seize opportunities. His defensive play is respectable as well, but needs to be rounded out more as he transitions into both a heavier role for the Kraken, and as he looks to his future in the SHL. His 28 points comprised of 11 goals and 17 assists, a respectable number for a rookie defenceman who played very little time on the power-play. Within a season or two, Forfeit may well be in contention for being the top defenceman in the SMJHL.

Grade: A
Career Projection: Star Offensive Defenceman

SECOND OVERALL - Forge - RICKY KOIVU - RW

If plus/minus was a statistic anyone cared much about, Koivu might look a little suspect here with his -48 on the season. Unfortunately, that’s just a result of a rough year for Anchorage: Koivu himself is a big and talented winger with more of a grinding, defensive game than an offensive one. He’s the first of many forwards in this draft who has decided to take his defensive game very seriously, and it’s paid off for him with the coveted number two spot in the draft. Extraordinarily strong for his age, Koivu was immediately thrust into a high pressure spot for Anchorage by being asked to play over 21 minutes a game. In that time, he recorded 8 goals and 12 assists, along with 116 shots blocked and 89 hits. His season wasn’t the best for a forward playing such huge minutes, but he did as good as anyone could be expected to on a team struggling that much during his rookie outing. He should improve next season as he grows into his role.

Grade: A
Career Projection: First Line Power Forward

THIRD OVERALL - Wolfpack - LEON LOKTINOV - RW

Joining teammate Ricky Koivu in the top three is Leon Loktinov, another strong winger with a responsible game. While Loktinov isn’t as much of a physical player as Koivu, he makes up for it by having a more refined offensive game. With 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points to go alongside his Anchorage-expected -53, Loktinov did fairly good for being thrust into a big minute role right off the jump. He could be described as more of a two-way winger than anything at the moment, but his very solid puck handling and passing acument should help him develop into a very solid offensive star for the team within the next season or two. It should be obvious given these two selections that Anchorage has a rather bright future for a team with such a painful stat-line. Moving forward, we should expect Loktinov to make huge improvements to his game, helping to bring the rest of the Armada along with him. He is, notably, farther along in his progression than a lot of people seem to realize.

Grade: A
Career Projection: First Line Two-Way Forward

FOURTH OVERALL - Monarchs - DAN BALTISBERGER - LW

If it wasn’t obvious so far, this class was fairly forward heavy in the top round, something that would have seemed peculiar only a few seasons ago when defencemen were the prime commodity. With this pick, the Monarchs selected Dan Baltisberger, a solid all-around winger from Switzerland. Like most top forwards in this draft, he has a fairly refined two-way game already, but his focus is definitely more on his offensive game than the previous two selections. He’s got a stellar shot already, and he’s also a fairly solid playmaker, making him a constant threat anywhere on the ice. While he’s only average size at six feet tall, he’s very strong on the ice and is known for being difficult to knock off the puck. He played a major role for the Scarecrows this year with 16 and a half minutes on the ice on average, and immediately made a huge impact as their top scorer. 31 goals and 26 assists is a good number for anyone, especially a rookie. As he continues to develop his game, he should be in contention for scoring awards before long. As it stands, he was seventh in the league in goals as a rookie on a weak team. Baltisberger might represent some hope for an ailing Scarecrows franchise.

Grade: A
Career Projection: First Line Scoring Winger

FIFTH OVERALL - Stars - FAUST FAKER - LW

Another player that’s much further along in his development than may be immediately evident, Faust Faker is a very solid offensive winger from Germany. While he mirrored Baltisberger in ice-time, he didn’t have the same immediate impact on the ice given the Citadelles’ stronger all-around team, but 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points is still a very good outing, and he notched a finals appearance to boot as a key player for Quebec. Despite his goal-scoring prowess this season, it should be noted that that appears to be something of an irregularity: his all-around offensive talent helped him succeed in a role he would ordinarily never play, but it was just that. That’s because despite the occasional oddities of the SMJHL, Faker is definitively a playmaker. That’s his focus, it’s always been his focus, and it will probably always be his focus. He’s strong, he hits, and he passes the puck. Given his success this season and the Citadelles overall strong class of rookies from this season, he should be another player who takes a huge step forward next season. Picking him up at the fifth slot is a very good exchange for the Stars.

Grade: A+
Career Projection: First Line Playmaking Winger

SIXTH OVERALL - Blizzard - LUKE LARAQUE - RW

Yet another winger selected high, Luke Laraque also boasts a strong two-way game. While he somewhat lacks for speed, he is an extremely strong winger who is known to be able to grind in the corners and make plays from virtually anywhere on the ice. His shoot still needs a little work and he doesn’t play much in-front of the net, but he seems to be developing a bit of a physical upside to go alongside his all-around solid performance. He isn’t afraid to get into dangerous positions, land hits, or block shots, and he helped Nevada’s offense greatly this season with 11 goals and 18 assists. Laraque is known to have been connected to two previous players whose careers didn’t pan out in a major way, but he appears to be set to exceed his previous outings. That being said, Laraque is perhaps the first ‘unknown quantity’ if he can be termed that on this list, making him the hardest to predict. He will almost certainly be a star at the junior level, and the Blizzard’s management team has to like what they see from him.

Grade: B+
Career Projection: Top Six Power Forward

SEVENTH OVERALL - Steelhawks - MIROSLAV KETIL - D

Finally another defenceman. The fact that so few were taken so high really is an enigma, but it just goes to show how quickly the landscape can change. Miroslav Ketil is a defenceman with decent size and an overall offensively-minded game. He’s an excellent puck-handler who can contribute in the offensive end with a strong, not to mention accurate slapshot, as well as solid passing instincts. He isn’t easily knocked off the puck and while his defensive game needs a little more refinement, he doesn’t really do anything wrong. The real question is mostly how Ketil will develop in the future, and whether he’ll round out into a more solid two-way game or really double-down on what appear to be potential top-line offensive defenceman talents. This season he scored 7 goals and 16 assists for 23 points while averaging big minutes for the Whalers. While he may be a bit more of a longterm project than, say, Pass Forfeit, he will have every chance to succeed and more by being drafted to the Hamilton Steelhawks who to date have one of the best player development teams in the league, with all the drama that entails.

Grade: B
Career Projection: All-Around Defenceman with Upside

EIGHTH OVERALL - Blizzard - SOPHIE BORDELEAU - C

Sophie Bordeleau was another player who had an immediate impact for the team she was drafted to. Joining the Citadelles on their run to the Four Star Cup finals, Bordelau scored 19 goals and added 40 assists for 59 points in her full-season campaign. In that time, she recorded about 16 minutes of ice-time and also played on the second power-play unit. She is perhaps one of the most talented rookies going in to the draft, and the only real reason to explain her fall to the eight slot is that teams generally knew she wanted to play in Edmonton. While she is responsible enough defensively to lay her claim to being yet another responsible two-way player in the draft, her real prowess is in the opposing zone, where she is both a dangerous scorer and a natural playmaker. She is also good all-around athletically and even has a bit of a hitting game to add to her toolkit. She’s far stronger than you usually expect from someone who stands at just 5’8”, and is extremely difficult to separate from the puck when she’s on her game.

Grade: A+
Career Projection: First Line all-Around Offensive Forward

NINTH OVERALL - Steelhawks - TOMMY WESTBROOK - LW

Westbrook is a player who likely only fell this far due to concerns around his long-term progression. That being said, he’s perhaps one of the more interesting players in the draft: he boasts a pretty solid two-way game all around, but his real talent is in puck control. He’s  got an extraordinary handle on the puck, he’s a fast skater, he’s extremely strong, and he’s strong enough to just bounce most defenders off of him when he breaks into the opposing zone. He isn’t exactly the most aggressive player at this point in time and he doesn’t put himself into the corners as much as you might expect from a player with his skillset, but he has all the makings of an incredible physical forward and is good enough that he’ll probably be able to develop a more significant offensive game at some point in the future. Similar to Ketil, this is a player who will be given the best chance to reach his potential by the Steelhawks organisation. For Kelowna this season, he was fairly good overall with 9 goals and 18 assists, but he will need to round out his game more to really step up for them.

Grade: B+
Career Projection: Two-Way Forward with Star Potential

TENTH OVERALL - Blizzard - PATCHES THE III - D

A defenceman as far along as Patches likely wouldn’t have fallen this far most seasons, but as stated, this was an unusual year. Patches is a huge defenceman at 6’11”, but he doesn’t play quite the game you would expect for someone that size. His shot is more accurate than it is strong, and he focuses more on his abilities as a quarterback than as a big shot from the point or as a lockdown defender. He’s responsible defensively, but he’s also deceptively fast, strong on the puck, and has a natural playmaking disposition that you don’t always see from rookie defenceman. That translated this season to 8 goals and 32 assists for 41 points while logging big minutes. He needs to improve his performance on the powerplay overall, but that’s as much a team issue for Anaheim (now Yukon) as it is a personal one. Patches is still something of an unknown in terms of his long-term potential, but he certainly has the tools to succeed.

Grade: B
Career Projection: Top Four Offensive Defenceman

ELEVENTH OVERALL - Panthers - REED KOBO - LW

A fellow Anaheim-turned-Yukon player, Reed Kobo is a big winger at 6’5” who actually uses his size to his advantage at every turn. While he boasts a very responsible two way game with very physical play, perhaps his greatest asset is his willingness to use his frame to get in front of the net and make opposing goaltenders even more miserable than goaltenders in the league are on average. That translated to 19 goals and 12 assists in 18 minutes a game this season, and it’s a safe bet that a lot of those goals were probably garbage goals around the net. Kobo is the kind of player that every team needs, and while he doesn’t have the most glamorous role around, he’s the kind of player fans love to see on their team and opposing fans absolutely hate. The Panthers lost in disappointing fashion to the San Francisco Pride in the latter’s surprising run to the conference finals this year, and you have to imagine that Panthers management view Kobo as the kind of player that can help add much needed physical depth to their team to really challenge teams like the Pride in just a few seasons.

Grade: A+
Career Projection: Top Six Bruising Winger

TWELFTH OVERALL - Blizzard - BENJAMIN SURKHI-ZE’EV - LW

On an ordinary day, you might have expected this player to be the one that announcers might struggle to name. But in this particular draft broadcast, that tag goes to just about every other name too. Surkhi-Ze’ev is perhaps best described as a dynamic offensive winger, equally at home in the offensive and defensive ends. He is one of the best skaters in the draft with some serious wheels to him, and is also perhaps one of the more daring forwards at that, always more than willing to risk his body for the play, whether that means going into corners, scrapping along the boards, or fighting for position in front of the net. At a glance, Surkhi-Ze’ev is perhaps one of the most well-rounded players in the draft, and also had a very respectable rookie season in the SMJHL with 18 goals and 18 assists in just 66 games. He’s a player who you could easily see one day manning the top line for the Edmonton Blizzard if he is able to continue along his current trajectory, alongside fellow top pick Sophie Bordeleau.

Grade: A
Career Projection: Speedy First Line Winger

THIRTEENTH OVERALL - Stampede - TOMMY THOMPSON - C

Tommy Thompson had a rather uninspired first season for the Quebec City Citadelles, notching just 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points while playing out of position as a winger. He is the second center to be selected in the draft, and also the second center from Quebec to be selected in the draft, perhaps revealing something about the Citadelles’ focus in player acquisition this past season. While there are a number of solid two-way players in this year’s draft, Thompson isn’t that: at least not yet. He’s a defensive player first and foremost who is equally talented at using his stick or the body to break up plays. His main weaknesses are his underdeveloped offensive game and his lackluster athleticism all-around, perhaps putting a cap on his value until he can address those issues.

Grade: F
Career Projection: Perennial Rival of ByrdeMan

FOURTEENTH OVERALL - Dragons - JOIMI KOIVU - RW

While he played as a center this season, Joimi Koivu is actually a natural winger. He’s another high value pick despite being a bit further down in the first round, revealing how incredibly deep this year’s draft was. He is yet another solid two way forward with a physical upside, perhaps moreso than some previous players, but he is also someone who comes with some notable weaknesses. While his shot is deadly in close and he has a very solid passing game, his ability to react to plays is perpetually hampered by his poor skating. His top speed is a little low for a winger and he effectively only skates in straight lines, given his total lack of any kind of basic agility on his feet. Still, he makes it work: 12 goals and 23 assists on just 14 minutes a game of ice-time is fairly solid, and he’s also developing at a faster rate than some players selected before him. With the Dragons attempting to rebuild their image and rebuild their team, the second Koivu of this draft looks like a pretty safe bet.

Grade: A
Career Projection: Top Six Two-Way Winger

FIFTEENTH OVERALL - Dragons - DIN DJARIN - LW

Din Djarin is a flashy offensive forward from a place that most people have probably never heard of. Unlike his fellow Dragon draftee Koivu, Djarin is a fantastic skater and is able to use that to his advantage alongside a deadly shot and excellent handles. He’s also distinctly hard to pin down and is known for being able to snake his way into the open areas of the ice to put himself in the best position to score at any time. While his long-term prospects are somewhat unknown, he has all the makings of a future top six goal-scorer, and has already showed some of that off with 15 goals and 14 assists in his rookie campaign on just around 14 and a half minutes of ice-time per game, and no real power-play opportunities. Look for him to continue to develop at a fast pace and take an even larger role on for Nevada next season. Perhaps the main thing he needs to be looking at right now is adding a little more strength to his shot to maximize his potential as a scorer.

Grade: B+
Career Projection: Flashy Sniper with Top Six Potential

SIXTEENTH OVERALL - Renegades - DAVID-ARTURRI DONSKOI - LW

Donskoi is a decently sized winger from Finland who has become a fairly significant part of the Regina Elk as they look to break out of their current middle-of-the-pack predicament. He’s a notably physical and aggressive player, logging 140 hits through his rookie campaign, and he also added a solid amount of offensive production with 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 overall points. While he gelled well with Regina and this fit helped to boost his overall production, right now he is perhaps better described as an all-around physical player than anything: he has a good shot, decent passing, solid puck-handling, and responsible enough defensive play, but he doesn’t stand out anywhere as much as he stands out for his physicality. His bold style should help him crack the Renegades roster fairly easily if he is able to continue his upward development.

Grade: B
Career Projection: Grinding Forward

SEVENTEENTH OVERALL - Steelhawks - ALEKSANDER ISKANDROV - C

Iskandrov is something of an enigma as far as his play goes. He’s a big, 6’5” center who has the strength to back up that height, easily one of the strongest and hardest hitting players of his draft class. He’s also got a very good shot and he can hang on to the puck easily, out-muscling the opposition. While he isn’t very agile at all and probably needs to round out his skating a little bit, and his defensive performance is a little unrefined despite his physical edge, he appears like an obvious future star based on his raw ability alone. The question really becomes why he fell so low in the draft when he could have easily gone top ten, and the answer has to be concerns about his long-term development: it may be that teams didn’t think he would be able to make the best out of his natural gifts, or perhaps there were team fit concerns. Either way, he’s another player of unknown potential who will be given the best chance to succeed in Hamilton, perhaps making it an easy fit for the team.

Grade: B
Career Projection: Bruising Center

EIGHTEENTH OVERALL - pride - BEN WATERS JR - LW

Ben Waters Jr is another player that fits into the category of probably only dropping in the draft due to concerns over how he might fit in to different teams. He’s another player who’s very far along in his development, and he has a fairly well-rounded game all things told. While he can often be caught out of position defensively and his skating could use some rounding out, he reads plays well across the ice and he’s also got a fairly well developed offensive game. He can log big minutes despite some of the concerns around his skating, and he’s also able to play as a center due to his above-average ability on the draw for a winger. Moving forward, Waters should be able to round out his game with better consistent positioning and log higher minutes for the Knights, allowing him to exceed his modest total of 10 goals and 13 assists this season. Given the Pride are noted for having an overall positive and welcoming environment, he should find it easy to fit in with the team and will have every opportunity to succeed.

Grade: B+
Career Projection: Versatile Top Six Winger

NINETEENTH OVERALL - :AURORA: - SEBASTIEN DUBOIS - RW

Sebastien Dubois perhaps isn’t as far along in his development as some might have expected of him, but he is a very solid player overall. He’s another winger with a respectable checking game, and while he has a good shot, it’s his playmaking acumen and his solid skating that separates him from some of his more developed peers. While it’s surprising to see this player wind up anywhere other than Baltimore, that ultimately is just a reality of the draft sometimes. Despite falling to nineteenth, he actually had one of the better rookie campaigns excepting some of the clear top stars, with 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points, along with a very solid +26 for Colorado. There’s always a chance that a player from an esteemed agency starting anew with less responsibility is going to bust, but Dubois probably won’t be that player. All told, the Aurora can’t be anything but happy with this pick.


Grade: A
Career Projection: Top Six Playmaking Winger

TWENTIETH OVERALL - Rage - TOM TAYLOR - D

We round out this list with another rare defenceman. Tom Taylor stepped into the SMJHL and immediately started recording twenty plus minutes a game for the Scarecrows, and his development thus far has given fans of that franchise a lot to hope for in the future. Taylor is another player who you could call an unknown quantity: he has no past failures to his name, but there isn’t a lot known about him in a long-term sense. But what is clear is that he’s already a very solid two-way defenceman with excellent passing, an absolutely booming shot that unfortunately didn’t convert into many goals this season, as well as decent all-around athleticism. HE isn’t the fastest skater, but he’s capable of tanking big minutes without issue, and while his defensive game needs more work around the edges, it’s still very solid. Moving forward, the Scarecrows can expect Taylor to boost his already decent offensive game — with 4 goals and 29 assists for 33 points — and he will likely become a fairly recognisable name at the junior level.

Grade: B+
Career Projection: Terror to Shot Blockers Everywhere

4,175 Words - Double Draft Media