The St. Louis Scarecrows are the 14th place team in the SMJHL and the 13th place team has won twice as many games as them. After reading that, you may feel a wave of malaise creeping up your spine; or glee, depending on your relationship with the team. I am here to tell you that the Scarecrows are a sleeping giant with a bright future in the SMJHL. Now, I should put a disclaimer that there will be growing pains and it won't be all sunshine and rainbows.

The linchpin of my optimism is none other than netminder Joshua CorcoranTwitch. A highly intelligent player who showcases sublime positioning that belies his rookie status; Joshua was my #1 sleeper in the previous draft and time will prove me right. CorcoranTwitch has made almost 400 more saves than any other goalie and though there is not much to show right now, I believe this experience will yield strong results as early as next season.

The next line of protection is the blueline corps led by none other than Wendolene Ramsbottom. The rugged rearguard has the monumental task of getting the next generation of defenders up to speed on the fly. Ramsbottom is joined by sophomore Rolf Korhonen who is having a rough season but has all the tools needed to break out if the situation presents itself. Jayden Cloutier is another rookie who I am quite high on. Raw and green, the smooth-skating player has a wonderful future in store if they keep working hard. The Scarecrows should look to supplement this group this offseason. It has the bones to be a great group but unless they add some meat it will be their downfall.

The current strength of St. Louis is its forward unit. Jalal ad-Din Afinogenov is a bonafide superstar who is likely not regarded as such due to the team they play for. Afinogenov would score at well over a point-per-game pace if they were on a playoff team. Sisyphus Embros is another up-and-coming star who is going to do tremendous things as the team grows around them. The superb playmaking centre could eventually be the top player in the entire junior league. Prized rookie, Outdoor Truck will likely join the previous two players to make one of the more potent top sixes in the league. Despite a bit of a slide in the draft, Truck has been playing great hockey and will only continue to get better. Hail Bingus, Sam Stone, Konstantin Strelka, Brain Brettski and Alix Nunez are the integral depth of this team. Players like this might not be flashy and make the highlight reels constantly but every coach is thankful to look down the bench and know that they have veteran players that will do what is needed. St. Louis has shown a penchant for rookie signings as well. Michael Myers and Talan Bacalso join Cloutier as some green prospects that could rise up the ranks of the S64 class.

Another shrewd draft and free agency and I believe the Scarecrows will jump up the standings. A lopsided trade could also expedite the process but I think we should temper our expectations. So, take a deep breath, unclench and trust that the future of St. Louis is not so grim as their five-win season might have you believe.

Approved!

+5 TPE @Dangles13