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Vik · 07-13-2018, 11:56 PM

This will have to be continued over the next week or so but, I have to post this now to get my doubles week. Some things to clarify, I only used the exhibition games and the first 3 round robin games in the WJC stats. Also I started this on Monday but finished most of it tonight, so if numbers are a little off or not current just know that is what happened. I will try to finish the rest of the teams up for regular pay, but I’ve just been super sick and in the ER and everything this week so completing this took me longer than I would have liked. I will make a comment below this and post the rest of the reviews in it, and I will PM a grader when the second post is done, so please grade this first post as doubles week and the second post as regular. Also sorry that it's ugly but I do not have time to format. Thanks guys, hope you enjoy.
I know a lot of people are doing similar articles to this article particularly JayWhy, but I think different perspectives on the same topic is a good thing, and I also think people love reading their names in articles, so I hope that people don’t find this too redundant. At the end of the day though this is double media week and I need some of that good good cash. So without further ado, please enjoy my article about one of the largest reddit drafts in history.

The likelihood of the success of a draft pick is one of the hardest things to quantify in any sport, and this includes hockey. In the SMJHL entry draft every season we see GMs try their hardest to crack the code and figure out what players are going to bring their teams to Four Star Cup success. Will it be the most active player in the media before the draft, will it be a veteran agent with a good history of players in the league, will it be the player who has the most practice hours entering the draft? No one knows for sure, but I’m here to take guesses at how successful I think players will be. I am going to do a team by team, pick by pick, draft review of the S42 SMJHL Entry Draft, one of the largest drafts in recent memory. I hope to revisit this article at the end of the season and check up on where these draftees are before they enter the SHL entry draft. However times can be trying and my attention isn’t always there to write articles for the league, so we will have to see.

Prince George Firebirds Anchorage Armada

So we will be going alphabetically through each team and numerically through each pick for each team. First up are everyone’s favorite newly relocated team, the Anchorage Armada. While I may not be the biggest fan of the new location of their team and was a huge supporter of their bid to move the team to Annapolis, I must say that new logo is fire. That said Anchorage was fortunate enough to have the first overall pick this draft and 10 picks total.

1.) Jax Aittokallio
Agent Name: JayWhy
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 208 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Forward
Projected Current Practice Hours: 224

Notable Strengths:
Skating = 70
Scoring = 60
Strength = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Penalty Shot = 40
Passing = 50

JayWhy is a well known player agent with a great history in the SHL. He was in charge of the systems of the SHL for a while, making sure everything ran smoothly from game to game and has represented many players who have walked through the SHL. Most recently he represented Jason Aittokallio, a four star cup and challenge cup winner. With such a storied history in the league when JayWhy represents a player it’s just about assumed he will succeed. Since JayWhy is representing Jax, Jax will have access to roughly $69 million to buy equipment and time with trainers. As a player Jax is a very well rounded center who is a very strong skater. The most glaring weakness for Jax is his checking, although his penalty shot and passing could use a little work as well. I understand that Jax has been hitting the gym hard and has accrued roughly 224 practice hours and has already started to improve his passing as well as becoming an even stronger skater. In the WJC this season Jax hasn’t performed as well as I believe he will in the SMJHL. He currently has no goals or points in 6 games and is a minus 2. I think all and all Jax was a no brainer for first overall and I hope he can help lead some of the other rookies in Anchorage.

6.) Eero Niemi
Agent Name: spooked
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 176 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Current Practice Hours: 217

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 70
Skating = 65
Puck Handling = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Penalty Shot = 40
Endurance = 50

Eero Niemi was an obvious choice for the Anchorage Armada because his player agent, spooked, is the Co-GM of the team. However, he is still a great pick at this position and will give the Armada a strong scoring threat on the right wing. Eero is a pure scoring winger with a wicked shot and great puck handling skills. He also has some great wheels and has everything you could want in a sniper. Where he lacks most is his checking however his endurance could use some work if he wants to be a top line forward in the SMJHL. Eero has also been hitting the gym a lot and has earned roughly 217 practice hours from what my sources tell me. Spooked as an agent has had one other successful player and has access to roughly $21 million for training and equipment. In the WJC for team Scandinavia Eero has 2 assists and a minus 2 rating in 6 games played. I think this was an easy and great selection for the Armada at 6th overall.

15.) Jonatan Bäck
Agent Name: Daddydonkers
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 223 lbs
Player Type: Defensive Defenseman
Projected Current Practice Hours: 159

Notable Strengths:
Defense = 69
Strength = 60
Puck Handling = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Scoring = 40
Penalty Shot = 40
Passing = 58

Jonatan Bäck was Anchorage’s 3rd pick in the draft, in the second round at pick 15. He is a very large defensive defenseman that they hope can anchor down the blue line for seasons to come. The Armada already have a strong first defenseman with Jordan Von Matt. Also on their first pair is Karl Von Wittelsbach, but it appears Karl’s growth has stunted. Regardless with two experienced blue liners holding down the back end it will give Bäck time to grow into his roll on the team and he will probably need it. Bäck to date has not been seen in the gym very much and has only 159 practice hours to his name, I’m told by sources close to the Bäck camp. However, Bäck’s agent Daddydonkers has been seen as recently as yesterday in league headquarters working to make some more money for Bäck to use for training. As a first generation agent Daddydonkers only has about $700k in his bank account so far which, while great for the amount of time he has been fundraising, is not enough to take Bäck to the next level. Bäck is a solid defensive presence already and strong on his skates with a great ability to check players based on his size and checking ability. Unfortunately, Bäck’s offense is just not there. He has a very poor shot and could use some work on his passing game if he wants to become a better defenseman in the league. In the WJC so far Bäck has an assist, 5 hits, and 13 shot blocks in 6 games. However, Bäck is still a minus 5 in the tournament. Bäck needs some improvement and there could have possibly been some other picks on the board that have more practice hours currently at this spot, but only time will truly tell if this was a good pick for Anchorage.

34.) Bust
Agent Name: Smirnov Light
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 205 lbs
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 208

Notable Strengths:
Skating = 71
Scoring = 70
Defense = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Strength = 40
Penalty Shot = 40

Bust is a left wing who shoots right handed. His player agent is another storied agent who has been in the league a very long time. On July 6, Smirnov Light celebrated his 6 year anniversary of joining the SHL. That’s a long 32 seasons he has been through and he has had some great players. Unlike some long term members though, Smirnov Light doesn’t have a large bank account, only possessing roughly $6 million. Also Smirnov Light’s last player represented Smirnov Light Jr. struggled to practice at times and only reached 470 total practice hours in his 9 season career. That said Bust looks to be a promising young forward with a great knack for scoring and some wicked speed. He has been hitting the gym very hard since the draft and sources tell me he could have in up to 208 practice hours. The biggest weakness for Light right now is his strength, as he is knocked off the puck very easily. Bust had no points and was a minus 3 in 6 games for team USA in the WJC. All in all I think this is a low risk, high reward pick for the Armada. Bust falling all the way to round 5 is a little surprising, and I have a feeling he will have a chip on his shoulder. Worst case scenario Bust should at least be productive enough to be utilized well in juniors.

42.) Rex Kirby
Agent Name: Acsolap
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 212 lbs
Player Type: Two-Way Defenseman
Projected Practice Hours: 199

Notable Strengths:
Skating = 70
Passing = 65
Defense = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Puck Handling = 40
Scoring = 55
Endurance = 55

Rex Kirby is a right shot defenseman who is strong on both ends of the ice. Since the draft Rex has already been working on his game more and has earned himself 199 practice hours according to sources close to Rex’s camp. Rex’s biggest strengths is his skating. His passing is also very strong as is his defense. I have heard sources tell me that Rex has been working on his puck handling some more so it will not be such a glaring weakness since it is such an important attribute. That said, I have heard that because of this his scoring has taken a major hit. Rex’s agent is very new to the SHL and as such still has $0 currently in his SHL bank. I am sure, however that he will start making some money to use on training very shortly as I have a lot of confidence in Acsolap. Rex was not selected by the British Isles to play for the WJC, as the British Isles are very full of veterans. I think Kirby has been an excellent snag in the 6th round for the Armada, however, I would like to see his agent start making some money so he can continue to knock it out of the park.

50.) Ryan Mason
Agent Name: bamba1jl
Position: Right wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 235 lbs
Player Type: Power Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 209

Notable Strengths:
Checking = 65
Scoring = 64
Defense = 61
Fighting = 50

Notable Weaknesses:
Skating = 40
Puck Handling = 40
Endurance = 50

Mason is a good old American born power forward right wing. His checking and scoring are almost equally as impressive and his defense is no slouch either. However, for all the good Mason has in his game he has some glaring weaknesses. First off his skating is atrocious, and if you can’t skate you can’t play hockey. He absolutely needs to improve upon this attribute before he will be able to see success in the SMJHL. On top of that his puck handling is very poor, and if Mason wants to see time on the PK he is going to have to improve that very quickly. Something that does stand out very different from many of the other prospects is that I’ve heard Mason has been training with an American boxer and has really improved his fighting skills over the rest of the class. That’s not the only workout Mason has been doing as rumor has it he has about 209 practice hours in already. Mason’s player agent is bamba1jl, who is also new to the SHL. Bamba1jl has already seen himself go $500k in debt although sources tell me that he does have money lined up to offset this cost. Mason was not selected by the USA to play in the WJC. All in all I think this is a really good selection for Anchorage as we get into the later rounds of the draft.

66.) Kjell Spolander
Agent Name: Kjell
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 181 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 163

Notable Strengths:
Passing = 70
Skating = 61.5
Puck Handling = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Penalty Shot = 40
Face Offs = 40

Kjell Spolander is an offensive forward who has very good passing abilities and hockey IQ. Spolander is also strong on his skates and in the corners, and a great puck handler. Somehow he is an above average defender for such a young offensive forward in today’s SMJHL. That said Spolander has very few true weaknesses, the largest one being his checking. Spolander is a great passer, but other than that I would say he is slightly above average at almost every other attribute. Such a balanced build can easily be morphed into whatever type of player the team needs going into the future. Spolander is represented his agent with same namesake, Kjell. Kjell is very new to the SHL but in his short time here has amassed nearly $6 million already. Spolander has been seen putting some time in at the gym amassing roughly 163 practice hours, however with so much money already you would love to see some of that go towards equipment and training. Kjell was not selected by the Scandinavian WJC team to represent his home country Sweden in the WJC. I think this was an excellent pick by the Armada all the way in the 9th round picking up such a promising young player whose agent has already made a lot of money.

73.) Kalle Spolander
Agent Name: Kalle
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 195 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 163

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 75
Passing = 65
Defense = 64

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Endurance = 40
Strength = 50

Kalle Spolander is an offensive forward with a strong nose for the net. His scoring is definitely above average for those in his class and his passing and defense are pretty good as well. This will help his positioning as a scorer and I feel confident as long as Kalle continues to update he will be successful as a scorer in his first year. Some areas that need some development are his strength and his endurance. Like many offensive forwards he also shows weaknesses when it comes to his physical play. Similar to his brother, Kalle Spolander is also represented by someone with the same name as him. Kalle the agent is new to the SHL just like Kjell and also like Kjell has racked up a good amount of money so far with a bank balance of roughly $4 million. Again preferably you’d like to see more of that money going to equipment or training but the potential is still there. Kalle was not selected to play for the Scandinavian WJC team either. Again I think this was a great selection and I am glad that Kalle was able to get drafted with his brother Kjell both will be steals in my opinion.

74.) Tucker Baloo
Agent Name: Tucker Baloo
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 204 lbs
Player Type: Two-Way Defenseman
Projected Practice Hours: 181

Notable Strengths:
Skating = 70
Defense = 66
Passing = 65

Notable Weaknesses:
Puck Handling = 40
Checking = 48
Endurance = 50

Tucker Baloo is a two-way defenseman with strong play in both zones. Tucker can skate very well for where he is in his development and also has strong defensive IQ and passing skills, making him very effective at exiting the zone with the puck. In order for Tucker to excel at the next level he will have to get his puck handling up as right now it is currently a major weakness of his. Tucker has some other notable weaknesses including his checking and his endurance is very low. However, his endurance should be more of a non-factor at this point in the SMJHL because he has 4 defensemen ahead of him on the roster likely. Tucker however, has also been hitting the gym and if he continues this pattern he could likely move up on the depth chart. Sources close to the camp tell me Tucker has 181 practice hours already in the books, which is more than Jonatan Bäck has. However, the main thing I see holding Tucker back is Tucker’s agent, also named Tucker Baloo, has yet to make any money or to take advantage of the double earnings week this week. Tucker Baloo was not selected by his home team USA to represent them in the WJC. As we get in to these very late rounds I think it is hard for a team to make a “mistake” and only reaps benefits with low risk. I think Tucker his a pick that could lead to many rewards in the future.

81.) Larry Atta
Agent Name: Benito Penagarza
Position: Goalie
Catches: Right
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 192 lbs
Player Type: Butterfly Goalie
Projected Practice Hours: 155

Notable Strengths:
Style Control = 83
Reaction Time = 70
Rebound Control = 70

Notable Weaknesses:
Agility = 50
Puck Handling = 50
Endurance = 50

Larry Atta was the last pick for the Armada in the S42 SMJHL Entry Draft in round 11 at pick number 81. Larry is a butterfly goalie that always seems to be in position, something very important for goalies in today’s SMJHL. If you can make a difficult save look easy, you’re doing something right. Larry also has very good reaction time and rebound control which are both very important to a butterfly goalie. Some weaknesses of Larry’s do include his agility, puck handling, and endurance. Looking at each one individually Larry’s agility weakness will probably be what he feels the most. Larry’s puck handling will improve with time just like all goalies in the SHL and since there is a goalie who is capped on practice hours allowed in the SMJHL playing in front of Larry my guess is he will only start a few games this season, so the endurance becomes a non-factor. Larry’s player agent, Benito Penagarza has been less than present when it comes to making money with $0 in his bank account. With the lack of time that Larry has put in at the gym, one might assume the worst, that his player growth has ended here, fortunately for those members close to the Armada though, I have seen Benito at SHL headquarters within the last 24 hours. Just like the last pick, when you are selecting 81st overall you can’t really go wrong with any selection.

Overall draft grade for the Anchorage Armada: A

I think the Armada did great in this years draft picking a good mix of recreates and new members. I think the only pick that I might change is Jonatan Bäck and I’m not saying he is a bad pick, I am just saying I think there were better picks on the board there and he probably would have fallen to the Armada later. Still not a bad pick, but the one that is holding me back from giving them an A+. I’d also like to see Tucker Baloo and Larry Atta start making some money since they both appear to be active. I would also be pleased to see Kjell and Kalle spending their money. All in all great draft for the Armada and I expect them to compete for the next couple of seasons especially if Benjamin Blue continues to play in the SMJHL.

Colorado Raptors

The Colorado Raptors did not have a pick in the first round of this draft but, they did have an impressive 15 picks to their team when the draft was said and done. I also plan to address the mammoth in the room about the forfeited picks in this year’s draft when I get to them.

9.) Phillip Winter
Agent Name: RomanesEuntDomus
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 197 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Practice Hours: 224

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 70
Skating = 70
Puck Handling = 70

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Passing = 40
Defense = 50

Phillip Winter is represented by his agent RomanesEuntDomus or RED as I will refer to him from here on out. I am just floored a player represented by RED fell this far. I don’t know if I missed a media where he said this player will not be practicing as hard as his past players or if there was a belief that Phillip Winter will immediately be called up to whatever SHL team drafts him. Regardless let me give you a slight history lesson for those who are wondering why I’m so shocked. RED’s first player David Winter, was drafted in S7. The first time RED was spotted on the site was actually under a different username, OCairlines and that was back on October 12, 2011. That was less than a year after I joined SHL and almost no one is left from that era. And through this whole time while others have come and gone like me and Sarmo, RED and maybe hallsy have been the most consistent members on this site. It just shocks me that he would fall to the second round. It’s also not like he has no bank, he has about $27 million. Anyways let me stop gushing over RED as a member of the league and start talking about Phillip Winter, the player he represents. Phillip is a pure sniper with great scoring, skating, and puck handling skills. However, he is not without weaknesses. Like many snipers at this stage of development he has very little physical prowess. He is also is an incredibly poor passer, and you would like to see him just get slightly better at that to help keep the defense honest. His defense is also not the best which can hurt his ability to score by having low hockey IQ. All of this said Phillip has been hitting the gym hard and already has 224 practice hours in according to my sources. Phillip was not selected to represent Team World in the WJC. All in all I would say that this is an excellent pick at number 9 overall, you honestly can’t go wrong selecting consistency and that is what they did.

14.) Ignatius Blunt
Agent Name: Gaia Mormont
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 226

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 70
Skating = 65
Passing = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 50
Strength = 40
Endurance = 50

Ignatius Blunt is a left winger that is a strong all around offensive forward. He is a great scorer with notable skating and passing. Surprising to me was that of his weaknesses checking was his actual declared weakness and he already has practice hours focused on that. Since it will take double the practice hours to improve a declared weakness I was shocked to see him put effort into that so early on in his career. Another weakness of his is his strength, which will need to improve if he plans to succeed at the SHL level. His endurance will also need to improve slightly if he is to make an impact on the top line in the future. I am not sure if he will be moved to his off wing in juniors but he has the potential to make a smooth transition to right wing since he shoots left. Ignatius Blunt is represented by Gaia Mormont, a returning player agent who has been involved with the SHL for roughly 5 real life years. I don’t know Gaia very well, but I do know that his last player, Nucky Toohoots, was a 2 time Challenge Cup champion, which is no easy feet in today’s SHL. Despite being around the league for so long it appears that Gaia has tapped into a lot of his reserved money recently and dwindled his bank account down to about $1 million. While this may seem problematic sources tell me that Gaia has several articles and graphics out that have not yet received their pay in the SHL Bank. Ignatius Blunt had no points and was a minus 2 in 6 games for team world in the WJC so far. I think this is a very good pick for the Colorado Raptors at this position, someone who has been SHL steady for so long is a great choice for the SMJHL, because even though Nucky Toohoots never ascended to stardom, he was still a very serviceable and championship winning player. You can’t buy a winning pedigree.

19.) Nate Forsberg
Agent Name: NamelessNate
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 185 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Practice Hours: 194

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 70
Defense = 70
Puck Handling = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Endurance = 55
Strength = 59

Nate Forsberg is a high scoring right winger who hails from Luxembourg. He has a great shot and surprisingly good defense for his stage in development which will certainly help him score more. He also has good puck handling skills that will keep him from turning over the puck. Checking is an obvious weakness for Nate, but the lines of weaknesses started to become blurred here because as I was writing this article cutest updater adamantium began updating the information on these players. The other weakness I saw was endurance and then a very minor weakness in strength which Nate is clearly in the gym working on. So far Nate has earned himself 194 practice hours. Nate is represented by a player agent new to the SHL NamelessNate. NamelessNate has done well getting his voice out there as he has over 40 posts on the SHL forums in only a matter of days. I would like to see NamelessNate get out some more coverage to the media as he has only earned $200k so far for his articles. Nate Forsberg was not selected to represent his team in the WJC, which I believe would be team World. This is a solid pick for the Raptors here in round 3.

22.) Forfeit

This pick was forfeited by the Colorado Raptors after they failed to comply with SMJHL guidelines for roster submissions. While it is very unfortunate this had to happen in a reddit draft, I fully support the SMJHL HO in this decision and applaud them for sticking to their guns when this situation happened. I do think a 2 day turn around for rosters and everything is hard and this was over a holiday weekend (mother’s day) you still have to keep the league moving and this was an unfortunate by-product of that whole situation. The two day turn around is obviously not best case scenario and we can see that 2 teams had roster problems because they were rushed. I feel like the league sets the guidelines, the GMs have to follow, but sometimes we don’t take into account that the GMs have like lives and careers as well. I jut wish there was a way to give them maybe 3 or 4 days instead of 2 since it’s obviously difficult to complete in that amount of time.

30.) Alex Winters
Agent Name: 39alaska39
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 225 lbs
Player Type: Playmaker
Projected Practice Hours: 200

Notable Strengths:
Passing = 70
Puck Handling = 70
Skating = 65

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Strength = 40
Endurance = 45

Alex Winters is a playmaking right winger out of the Czech Republic. Alex is a great passer and puck handler with solid skating similar to someone like Patrick Kane (but at a young age, not like awesome status now). Just like many forwards who are focused offensively at this point in his development Alex has some struggles with physical play including his checking and his strength. He also has low endurance, but I expect him to be in the middle six to start the season. If Alex wants to make the jump to the top line at some point in his career he will have to get stronger and get better legs. Alex is represented by 39alaska39 who is brand new to the SHL. I see 39alaska39 in the Czechoslovakia representative’s locker room every single day, so I have faith he will become a strong player agent in the league. However, currently he has -$500k in his bank account. I do understand that he has some cash coming his way, so it should be no problem. Alex Winters was not selected to play for Eastern Europe in the WJC this season. I think this is going to be a good pick for the Raptors I would just like to see him pick up his money making skills a little more.

33.) Tony Pepperoni
Agent Name: Tommy Salami
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 187 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 205

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 73
Strength = 67
Defense = 65

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Passing = 56
Skating = 60

Tony Pepperoni is supposedly an offensive forward, but his build is a little odd. Scoring being high is no surprise for an offensive forward, but his passing being so low you would suspect his is a sniper and not an all around offensive forward. Two of his other strengths include defense and strength, which you might expect more from a power forward. Most surprising though, is that one of the strengths he listed when turning in his player build, skating, is turning out to be one of his lowest attributes and in fact, a weakness. Tony Pepperoni is represented by Tommy Salami, who is a returning player agent. Tommy Salami represented player Tommy Salami who is retiring at the end of the season. He had a very strong start to his career but his development quickly stalled and Salami only ever reached 638 practice hours. That said Tommy Salami still has nearly $30 million in his bank account and is sitting comfortably to start his career. Tony Pepperoni has also had a great start right out of the gate to his career as he already has 205 practice hours. Tony Pepperoni was not selected to represent his home team of Canada in the WJC. An aside, I can’t believe that is the first Canadian player on this list. All in all I think this is another great pick by the Raptors because even if Tony Pepperoni tapers off in development you know that with a representative like Tommy Salami he will probably at least get to the SMJHL cap.

38.) Zakhar Turakov
Agent Name: Zaitsev
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 190 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Practice Hours: 181

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 70
Skating = 70
Puck Handling = 60

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Endurance = 40
Defense = 55

Zakhar Turakov is a left wing sniper hailing from mother Russia. He has high scoring and high skating for someone at his point in development. He also has pretty good puck handling. The now seemingly routine weakness is checking especially for players like Turakov but, he also has extremely low endurance and defense. The endurance shouldn’t be a problem at first seeing as there are so many wings in front of him in Colorado, but you’d like to see that defense improve as it largely effects positioning in the offensive and defensive ends. Turakov is represented by a player agent named Zaitsev. Zaitsev has had one player before, Luka Zaitsev who joined the league in S22, and made it to 816 practice hours before dropping off in dedication. Zaitsev stopped showing up on the SHL around that time from what I can tell, over 2 years ago. His bank account however, says that he has nearly $30 million, but the player name next to it is a player I don’t see record of in Zaitsev’s history so I’m not 100% sure that’s accurate considering the last time he updated he was told the update could not go through because of insufficient funds. This has me very confused but, for the sake of this article we will assume Zaitsev has these funds. Turakov was not selected by Eastern Europe to play in WJC. I think this could be a good pick if Zaitsev does have these funds and can return and train Turakov the way he originally trained Luka Zaitsev, but it is very much wait and see.

46.) Andrew Martin
Agent Name: Good_Ole_Kimmy
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Practice Hours: 182

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 80
Skating = 70
Face Offs = 55

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Defense = 45
Endurance = 45

Andrew Martin is a sniper right wing from Germany. For where he is in his development he has an incredible shot and very good skating ability, but besides those things his talent really drops off. He is not much of a checker which is not surprising considering his player type. However, his defense is the biggest concern of mine. Martin will absolutely have to improve his defense if he wants to see himself getting big line minutes and scoring more goals. He also has poor endurance so I doubt he is going to be seeing these big line minutes anytime soon, and again there are several wings ahead of Martin. Martin is represented by the player agent Good_Ole_Kimmy who currently has $0 in his bank account. However, I am under the impression that he does have graphics and media submitted waiting for payout. Martin has been practicing a good bit since the draft and according to sources already has 182 practice hours, but I’m really going to want to see more of that go into defense. Andrew Martin was not selected by team World to play in the WJC. All in all I think this is a pretty good pick at this position, you have to wonder when the Raptors will start draft positionally though.

53.) Tye Maximino
Agent Name: austin_burns
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 195 lbs
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 195

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 71
Puck Handling = 66
Defense = 65

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Endurance = 58
Strength = 59

Tye Maximino is a two-way forward that plays right wing. He is a good scorer and puck handler and has good defense which will help him score as well. His weaknesses include his checking, his endurance, and his strength. Tye has been decently active in the gym having an expected 195 practice hours, although I’ve heard from a source that he has had trouble adjusting to the training format of the SHL. Tye is represented by player agent austin_burns who is new to the SHL. Despite Tye’s time spent in the gym austin_burns has not done anything yet to raise money for Tye’s equipment and training. Also we have not seen austin_burns at SHL headquarters for over 24 hours, which is not necessarily long for some people, but we have yet to gauge austin_burns level of activity. Tye Maximino was not selected by team USA to represent them in the WJC. We’re starting to get into later rounds here but, I believe there are still more financially well off players on the board at this point so I have to question this pick, especially since it’s the 8th winger in a row that the Colorado Raptors have selected.

54.) Jake Reid
Agent Name: gittsumm
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 223 lbs
Player Type: Enforcer
Projected Practice Hours: 176

Notable Strengths:
Fighting = 72
Strength = 70
Checking = 69

Notable Weaknesses:
Scoring = 40
Passing = 40
Puck Handling = 40
Skating = 42

Jake Reid is a unique player in the SHL, there are very few enforcers left in this league. Whether that makes you valuable to a team or not remains to be seen, but with enough TPE anyone can become serviceable it’s just can you be good in the J under the cap. Reid’s biggest strength is his fighting, followed by his strength. He also is a very solid checker and though his defense did not make the list it is also sufficient. However, Reid has some glaring weaknesses. Besides not being able to score or pass he can also not skate or puck handle. Let me address these weaknesses each individually. First off, in order to play hockey you have to be able to skate. It’s a huge weakness he will have to overcome quickly to find more time in games. Second puck handling helps keep you from turnover the puck but also increases your chances of creating a turnover, obviously something essential to defense. If you can’t pass as a defenseman you struggle exiting your own zone and turn over the puck more. Scoring wouldn’t be a problem as a weakness if everything else was up to par. Basically Reid needs some time in the gym and some work on his build. Reid is represented by gittsumm a new player agent to the league. Gittsumm has not done anything yet to earn some money, so you hate to see that when a player needs so much work. The British Isles did not select Jake Reid to play in the WJC. I don’t think that Reid is necessarily a bad pick at this spot, because any active member is an asset, but I do think he needs to make some money and do some work on his build.

61.) Sulak O'Hritea
Agent Name: MyLittleHexx
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 210 lbs
Player Type: Power Forward
Projected Practice Hours: 218

Notable Strengths:
Defense = 75
Checking = 65
Strength = 61

Notable Weaknesses:
Scoring = 51
Endurance = 57
Penalty Shot = 40

Sulak O’Hritea is a power forward playing right wing from Switzerland. Sulak is very good at defense for any forward at this level. He also has strong checking and is a very strong person in general. Notable weaknesses of Sulak include scoring and endurance. I would think of Sulak as a very under developed Ryan Getzlaf type player. Strong on the puck and in both ends but also has a large emphasis on the pass. Sulak’s player agent is a returning player agent MyLittleHexx, I have had very few interactions with MyLittleHexx despite our two players playing on the same team last season, but he doesn’t seem awful or to have very many enemies or anything, I just hear through the grapevine that he can be a little weird sometimes. But then again, we are on a website making fake hockey players and writing fake articles about them and their lives, we’re all a little weird. That said regardless of what you think of Hexx he has made successful players and has over $32 million in his bank account. Sulak O’Hritea was not selected by team world to play for the WJC. Sulak already has 218 practice hours in according to sources and with the amount of money Hexx has access to I expect that total to continue to grow. A pretty nice steal in the 8th round if you ask me.

62.) Derek Deffner
Agent Name: TheRealToken
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 189 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Practice Hours: 169

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 70
Puck Handling = 62
Skating = 61
Penalty Shot = 50

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 45
Strength = 45
Endurance = 52

Derek Deffner is a traditional sniper playing on the right wing. His scoring is his best asset followed by his puck handling and skating, however, he also possesses more skill in penalty shots than most forwards at this point in development. Now that is just a statement, some people feel very strongly about spending practice hours on penalty shot this early on in your career when you do have to worry about the SMJHL Cap. Deffner’s weaknesses include the obvious ones in checking and strength, but once again we see someone spending practice hours on a declared weakness. This guy just kind of seems to need a little bit more guidance on how to spend his practice time. He also has low endurance, but this is the 10th winger the Raptors have taken and I just don’t know where they’re going to have them all play. Although I have noticed a LOT of them putting practice time into their face offs. Deffner is represented by a player agent who is new to the league, TheRealToken. TheRealToken has $0 and has yet to do anything to make money. Derek Deffner was not selected by team USA to play in the WJC. This is an average pick I would expect getting into the lower rounds now, not steal status and you can’t really get busts when you’re picking this low.

65.) Gvidas Kazlauskas
Agent Name: Captain Crazy
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 191 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Practice Hours: 220

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 73
Skating = 71
Puck Handling = 71

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Strength = 42
Passing = 60

Gvidas Kazlauskas is a sniper left wing hailing from Lithuania. He is an excellent scorer, skater, and puck handler. Just like most snipers, his weaknesses include checking and strength. After those 2 things though he is already a pretty solid player and I had to make a stretch to say passing was a weakness of his.

Vik · 07-14-2018, 12:01 AM

So I reposted some of what I put about the red slashes are where new content starts I just wanted it to look a little more cohesive. Also I am going to tag everyone in the article in this post because I don't want to edit my first post and do it in case it messes me up for doubles week. From here on out I will tag each person as I get to them. Otherwise in order that you appear in the article's first post there is @JayWhy @spooked @Daddydonkers @Smirnov Light @Acsolap @bamba1jl @Kjell @Kalle @Tucker Baloo @Benito Penagarza @RomanesEuntDomus @Gaia Mormont @NamelessNate @39alaska39 @"TommySalami" @Zaitsev @Good_Ole_Kimmy @austin_burns @gittsumm @MyLittleHexx @TheRealToken

65.) Gvidas Kazlauskas
Agent Name: @CaptainCrazy
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 191 lbs
Player Type: Sniper
Projected Practice Hours: 220

Notable Strengths:
Scoring = 73
Skating = 71
Puck Handling = 71

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Strength = 42
Passing = 60

Gvidas Kazlauskas is a sniper left wing hailing from Lithuania. He is an excellent scorer, skater, and puck handler. Just like most snipers, his weaknesses include checking and strength. After those 2 things though he is already a pretty solid player and I had to make a stretch to say passing was a weakness of his. //////// Gvidas is represented by a returning player agent CaptainCrazy. Captain crazy is best known for announcing retirements…of other people’s players. CaptainCrazy’s last player Oskars Ozols was only signed to Kelowna last season before he retired and CaptainCrazy moved on to Gvidas. Ozols only reached 180 practice hours from what I can see. Gvidas was not selected by team Eastern Europe to play in the WJC. I am not sure if I would pick CaptainCrazy even this low, he hasn’t had a successful player since before the retiring episode. However, sometimes other people can see the good in people that others cannot, and maybe Colorado’s GM InciteHysteria sees something I do not. I guess we will just have to wait and see if he can turn this bad rep around with this new player.

70.) Preston Wreiss
Agent Name: @erlandsson
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 196 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Defenseman
Projected Practice Hours: 155

It looks like erlandsson has not returned to the league since he created so I’m going to skip putting the time and effort into this since I have so many more players to do. This is obviously not a great pick by Colorado as they haven’t signed this player nor moved his equipment into the Colorado locker room. As always we hope to see a member return, but don’t hold your breath on this one.

78.) Pakko Pelai
Agent Name: @PakkyTDH
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 180 lbs
Player Type: Offensive Defenseman
Projected Practice Hours: 155

Notable Strengths:
Skating = 70
Puck Handling = 65
Passing = 65

Notable Weaknesses:
Checking = 40
Strength = 40
Endurance = 50

Pakko Pelai is an offensive defenseman who has good skating and solid puck handling and passing. Just like most players on this list his weaknesses include checking and strength and he has very low endurance for a defenseman. Pakko is represented by PakkyTDH who was spotted in SHL headquarters less than 24 hours ago. Unfortunately for PakkyTDH and Pakko their lack of practicing and media making has left them on the outside looking in for Colorado. From what I can tell Colorado has yet to tender and offer to Pakko, however this could be false as I am not in the DMs. What I can confirm though is that Pakko has not had his equipment moved to the Colorado roster room yet. Be this an oversite or on purpose it is up to Colorado to clarify, but until he gets on the roster I am calling this one a bad pick by Colorado.

86.) Brando Sando
Agent Name: @BrandoSando18
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 215 lbs
Player Type: Butterfly Goalie
Projected Practice Hours: 155

Although Brando Sando has seen his equipment moved into the Colorado Raptors roster room, his agent BrandoSando18 has not been seen since he signed Brando up for the SMJHL entry draft. As such I will not be spending very much time on him, and as always, we hope to see a member return.

Overall draft grade for the Colorado Raptors: B-

The Colorado Raptors had 15 picks in this draft. With these picks they took 12 active members by my records, 13 roster players based off their roster area, and 11 wingers. I am all for best player available mentality, within reason. They have a great top 4 in defensemen, but no centers. Literally no natural centers in their line up. Now given I did see some wingers adding practice hours to their face offs, but this is not ideal. I guess a lot of these guys don’t mind taking one for the team, but I never would want to tell my players they have to build a certain way, only to guide them when they ask for it. All of this said the Raptors did a great job of getting plenty of good guys in the room.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***Acsolap*** · 07-14-2018, 11:28 AM

The work that has gone into this is amazing. Look forward to reading the rest.

Credit to Ml002, King, Wasty, Carpy, Bruins10, Rum_Ham, Turd Ferguson, Ragnar and Enigmatic for the sigs.
Forge

Player page | Player updates

Vik · 07-14-2018, 12:14 PM

Update to include the rest of the Colorado Raptors, I will update as I finish each team and post a reminder in here and then PM a grader when it's ready to be graded. Also I can't figure out how to tag people with spaces in their names, I tried parentheses and underscores but nothing seems to be working. If someone knows could you help me out?

ml002 · 07-14-2018, 12:17 PM

07-14-2018, 12:14 PMJakub Wrote: Update to include the rest of the Colorado Raptors, I will update as I finish each team and post a reminder in here and then PM a grader when it's ready to be graded. Also I can't figure out how to tag people with spaces in their names, I tried parentheses and underscores but nothing seems to be working. If someone knows could you help me out?

Use quotation marks that's the new system for tagging

Credit to Copenhagen, Wasty, FlappyGiraffe, InciteHysteria, and caltroit_red_flames
[Image: MM4nqx6.png]

Vik · 07-14-2018, 12:31 PM

07-14-2018, 12:17 PMml002 Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:14 PMJakub Wrote: Update to include the rest of the Colorado Raptors, I will update as I finish each team and post a reminder in here and then PM a grader when it's ready to be graded. Also I can't figure out how to tag people with spaces in their names, I tried parentheses and underscores but nothing seems to be working. If someone knows could you help me out?

Use quotation marks that's the new system for tagging

Gracias mloo

ml002 · 07-14-2018, 12:39 PM

07-14-2018, 12:31 PMJakub Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:17 PMml002 Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:14 PMJakub Wrote: Update to include the rest of the Colorado Raptors, I will update as I finish each team and post a reminder in here and then PM a grader when it's ready to be graded. Also I can't figure out how to tag people with spaces in their names, I tried parentheses and underscores but nothing seems to be working. If someone knows could you help me out?

Use quotation marks that's the new system for tagging

Gracias mloo

No problem also fun fact if you hit the paper icon in the text bar and then try tagging ppl it I'll bring up a menu you can fill out the name and it will auto complete the name

Credit to Copenhagen, Wasty, FlappyGiraffe, InciteHysteria, and caltroit_red_flames
[Image: MM4nqx6.png]

Vik · 07-14-2018, 12:42 PM

07-14-2018, 12:39 PMml002 Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:31 PMJakub Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:17 PMml002 Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:14 PMJakub Wrote: Update to include the rest of the Colorado Raptors, I will update as I finish each team and post a reminder in here and then PM a grader when it's ready to be graded. Also I can't figure out how to tag people with spaces in their names, I tried parentheses and underscores but nothing seems to be working. If someone knows could you help me out?

Use quotation marks that's the new system for tagging

Gracias mloo
No problem also fun fact if you hit the paper icon in the text bar and then try tagging ppl it I'll bring up a menu you can fill out the name and it will auto complete the name

you're a saint

Sleepy · 07-14-2018, 04:19 PM

07-14-2018, 12:42 PMJakub Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:39 PMml002 Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:31 PMJakub Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:17 PMml002 Wrote:
07-14-2018, 12:14 PMJakub Wrote: Update to include the rest of the Colorado Raptors, I will update as I finish each team and post a reminder in here and then PM a grader when it's ready to be graded. Also I can't figure out how to tag people with spaces in their names, I tried parentheses and underscores but nothing seems to be working. If someone knows could you help me out?

Use quotation marks that's the new system for tagging

Gracias mloo
No problem also fun fact if you hit the paper icon in the text bar and then try tagging ppl it I'll bring up a menu you can fill out the name and it will auto complete the name

you're a saint

no u

**RomanesEuntDomus** · 07-14-2018, 05:56 PM

Thank you for the kind words Smile

. And great read of course!

NamelessNate · 07-15-2018, 12:14 AM

I actually have a media worth 1.7 million out there but idk if I've been payed yet

Beaty · 07-15-2018, 01:12 PM

Wow! Great read so far, look forward to seeing the rest!

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