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***Pythonic*** · 08-21-2020, 05:59 PM

As we near the end of the season, the needs of a young Vancouver Whalers becomes clearer everyday. Soon, the shoes of winger William Hartmann, who sits at a staggering (at least for the SMJHL) 804 TPE, will need to be filled. The up-and-comers Devin Basher and Bryce McMahon are two players to keep an eye on to fill in for Hartmann, as the pair sits at 461 and 467 TPE respectively. In terms of younger forward prospects (members of the S56 SHL draft class in particular), players such as center Dee Centerman IV (262 TPE), right winger KnockedOut ByOvechkin (275 TPE), left winger Valtterri Kauppinen (253 TPE), and center Rikki Petrov (257 TPE) all seem to be fitting in well in their current positions in the Whalers' lineup. All in all, the forward positions are definitely the most stacked compared to defense and netminding.

On the back end of the ice, younger guys such as Zebulon Leavitt, Sarah Burke, and Johnny Shuffleboard are all people you're going to want to keep your eyes on. As Ryosuke Sato, prospect for the Toronto North Stars, continues to grow as a player, it's clear his days in the SMJHL are almost nigh. He currently sits at a pretty decent 654 TPE, which is almost enough to slip into a 3rd pair position on the North Stars lineup. The heads of the team are happy with what they see in their blue line prospects who, like many of the new forward prospects, fit in well where they currently are. It will definitely suck to see Sato head up to the SHL, and will likely cause some problems for their first defensive pairing, but it's clear that depth players are looking to help fill the vacuum that will be caused by this.

If we're looking to the future of the Whalers' overall roster, then Vancouver will definitely need to pick up an active backup goalie come this next draft. Their current starter, Name Redacted, is projected to start a total of 44 games out of 50 this season, which is definitely a concern for his fitness and health. Whalers backup Sergei Potvinov, hasn't been heard from since February in terms of training with the team, and sits at 290 TPE, significantly less than Redacted's 617. As we start getting into the S55 playoffs and recruitment begins to speed up, Vancouver's GMs are going to have to keep an eye to see just how many goalies are in the S57 SHL class, and whittle them down to see who's going to be active. Until that day comes, the Whalers' backup position is definitely their weakest area at the moment.

In the end, the Whalers are a young team that are currently on a very hot streak before we begin the playoffs. Many of their prospects show great promise, and will likely develop into future star SHLers. It's possible that if players like Centerman, KOBO, Leavitt, and Burke stay active and develop quickly enough, that the team could see an extremely deep playoff run as soon as next season, and if not, the season after that. Watch out for this team in the future, everyone else. They're going to be scary.

APPROVED! +5 TPE @Pythonic

Moreorless89 · 08-21-2020, 06:03 PM

Nice.

Kraagenskul · 08-21-2020, 06:51 PM

Good stuff!

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