Login

***luke*** · 07-13-2018, 07:53 PM

This is an in-depth look at the Left Wingers Drafted in the SMJHL 42 draft, starting from the ones drafted first all the way to the end. There was 21 that applied to the draft, but only 19 got drafted by the teams. From that, I will be reviewing the top 11 Left Wingers that got drafted.

Drafted at number 3 by Vancouver Whalers, Max Mauldin

     Born in San Jose, California, USA, this place is not known for producing elite hockey players, but Max might be the first. Coming in at 6'5 and 215 pounds, this Two way forward is the first Left winger drafted in this Draft Year, and deservingly. It seems like he was born with ice skates, one of his best abilities is the way he moves around the ice. Looking at his size you wouldn't see his nimbleness. He is also very talented at Scoring and Defense. For the Whalers, this is very important to them as they do not have a lot of left wingers in their roster. In the preseason Max scored 1 goal and 1 assist and having a +2 +/-. you will be definitely will be seeing more of him.

Drafted at number 9 by Colorado Raptors, Philipp Winter.

    Born in Buffalo New York, but can play for Germany internationally, is a big guy at 6’2 and 197 pounds. A born sniper with a terrific shot, it's not wondering why he went 9th overall, he is a great addition to the Raptors, who will be needing a goal scorer in the next couple years. Scouts noted his strengths include, of course, natural scoring, great skating, and puck handling skills you would think a guy that big would have. In the preseason Winter had put up 1 goal and 2 assists out of 17 games, great for a rookie on a great depth team.

Drafted at number 18 by Detroit Falcons, Tobias Viklund

    Born out of Sweden, one of hockey’s greatest birthing place comes a Power Forward that would compliment any playmaking forward and sniper winger on the side. Tobias is 6’3 and 195, being a power forward he would need to gain some pounds, but once he gains that weight he will be physical forward people need. Although he will not be the one to score a lot of goals, he will be able to play a physical game near the net to let the snipers shoot their shots. His strengths include Strength, Puck Handling, and Skating. He needs a lot of work at passing though. His defense though is at a good skill right now, but if he wants to be good at the SHL level, he will need to get better at it. In the pre-season, he put up 1 goal and 4 assists, with a -4 in +/-, a respectable amount for a rookie.

Drafted at number 29 by Montreal Militia, Mason Hudson

    Born out of Czechoslovakia, Mason is a sniper and is built like one. At 5’11 and at 179 pounds, he needs to get stronger but starting out he is fine. When you see him on the ice, he looks like a pro already, with strong skating, defense, and scoring. With defense, you wouldnt think that he would be this good at defense with his poor checking ability, but he can see where the puck would go like no other. In the pre-season, he posted up only 1 point and -4 +/-. I bet he doesn't like his performance though and will get better as time goes on.

Drafted at number 31 by St. Louis Scarecrows, Nicky Pedersen Jr.

    Born out of Ridgeberry, CT, this two-way forward is nothing to gawk about. The legacy around him makes him a great steal going late 4th round, the Scarecrows scouts knew they found a great player in him. With his strengths in Scoring, Defense, and Skating, it is apparent why he should have been going in the top 20 this draft. Why he dropped this low is puzzling to many. This pre-season has been great to Pederson as he posted 6 goals and 2 assists, bringing his point total to 8 with + 2 +/-. St. Louis has a great prospect on their hands.

Drafted at number 32 by Vancouver Whalers, Luke Thomason.

    Born out of Czechoslovakia, this playmaking forward is a head turner to many teams, as a newcomer to the draft, he fell lower than projected, but the Whalers have found a gem from him. Being 6’0 and 185 pounds, he does have to gain more weight, but he is still looking great on the ice. His strengths are Passing, Skating, and Puck Handling, that dismisses anyone that says he can’t be a playmaker. His one drawback though is his checking, that I hope he will get a little higher skill. It also shows through training camp that he is very skilled in his defense. In the preseason he did alright, potting 1 goal and 1 assist with -2 +/-. He still has a long way to get to an SHL level.

Drafted at number 33 by the Colorado Raptors, Tony Pepperoni

    Born out of Canada, Tony is an offensive forward that is a great mid-round pick by the Raptors. He is 5’11 and 187 pounds, which is very respectable in this league, but like many other prospects, needs to beef up a little to make a better impact. His impacts include Scoring, Skating and puck handling, very strong strengths for a player like him. He is alright at defense, which is good for an offensive forward, making it a strong pick for the Raptors. In the preseason he has a respectable 3 assists and a -1 +/-.

Drafted at number 34 by the Anchorage Armada, Bust

    Born out of the USA, this one named player is a legend in the making. A two way forward, when you see him out on the ice, you can see that he will be someone big in the league. He has major strengths in Scoring, Defense, and Skating, making him a lethal player on both sides of the rink. And in the preseason that shows, raking up 11 points, 5 goals and 6 assists with a -3 +/- makes him one of the best rookies going into regular season.

Drafted at number 36 by Detroit Falcons, Hippo Passamus.

    Born in Sweden, Hippo is a special player. Looking at this player, he doesn’t look like a good Hockey player, at 5’6 200 pounds, he skates better than most players out on the ice. For Hippo, this proves that size doesn’t matter of Hippo, as he is a very good prospect. Hippo is a power forward with strengths in Strength, Skating, and Passing, making an excellent teammate on the line. Though, he needs to work a lot in puck handling, as that is his weak spot. He is also very decent on the defensive side. In the preseason, he posted up 5 points, 1 goal and 4 assists with a great +3 +/-. The Falcons made a good choice with him.

Drafted at number 38, by Colorado Raptors, Zakhar Turakov.

    Born out of Russia, this Sniper got drafted in the 5th round, a respectable place. Zakhar is a sniper, being 6’1 and 190 pounds. The Raptors are loading up on a lot of left wingers with a lot of different types of players. His strengths are scoring, skating and puck handling. There wasn’t much to scout about him, as the scouts,1 I talked to weren't on his radar that much. On the preseason games, he got 3 goals with put up a -2 +/-, which is one better than most rookies on his team.

Drafted at number 40, by the Vancouver Whalers, Jack Kennedy.

    Born out of Canada, this is the second left winger drafted by the Whalers. Weighing in at 225, 6’3 this Sniper is a very big guy, compared to Luke, who is slightly smaller than him, and a playmaker forward. This is a good match to the Whalers, who are in need of left wingers. His strengths are Scoring, skating and puck handling, like many left wingers on this list. And like many other left-wingers, his weakness is checking. In the preseason, he didn’t fair to well, only getting 1 goal and getting a -3 +/-. But if he got drafted, he is still a prospect and the whalers hope he can be a payoff in the long run.

1354 words, x2 media thingy