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roastpuff · 04-04-2021, 04:34 PM

1515 words, ready for grading, double draft media

Aurora Borealis: Winnipeg Aurora Draft and Prospect Report (S59 Edition)

[Image: aurora-borealis-night-winter_wallpapers_...52x480.jpg]

[Image: aurora-borealis-night-winter_wallpapers_...52x480.jpg]

Hello and welcome to the draft and prospect report for the Winnipeg Aurora! Last time, we looked at the S58 SHL Draft in which Winnipeg drafted a trio of great prospects. With the defense set, it was time for the Winnipeg Aurora to look at adding to their forward corps in order to get ready to replace some aging players in the next few seasons.

The Winnipeg Aurora barely managed to make the postseason this time around, needing until the very last few games to secure a berth to the postseason, and falling to the Buffalo Stampede without winning a single game. With strong competition from the Minnesota Monarchs and the Seattle Argonauts, the Aurora are going to have to step it up to keep their playoff streak alive. The Northwest Division is starting to look like a mini tornado with the way the teams are mixing it up, and it’s anyone’s game at this point with an aging Calgary Dragons team, an Edmonton Blizzard squad seemingly entering a rebuild and the youth movement of the Minnesota Monarchs and the Seattle Argonauts starting to pay off in terms of game performance.

Thankfully this offseason the Aurora only lost one key player - Yoshimitsu McCloud @Thunfish , and are starting the season with mostly the roster that they started last season with. The addition of Jst Maro to the third line will be welcome in providing a replacement for the steady third-line pivot, and the offensive punch of Jasper Maximov ought to provide a spark for the blue line’s contribution to the attack for the Winnipeg Aurora.

Without further ado we are proud to present the first-ever Winnipeg Aurora Draft Class of S59!

S59 Draft, in Descending Order:

8th Overall: Alexis Saint-Michel, Right Wing, Vancouver Whalers Whalers

@KenitohMenara

A slippery, creative right winger for the Vancouver Whalers, Saint-Michel has the knack for finding the open space on the ice to receive a pass, make a play, or get off a shot at the opposing team’s net. The six-foot tall Quebecois winger is also strong on his skates and has top end speed to boot. Saint-Michel also gathered the rookie scoring leader title with 38 points, and also led all rookies in goals with 18 goals, which bodes well for his future offensive prowess when he graduates to the big leagues.

9th Overall: Robot Sunfish, Right Wing, Vancouver Whalers Whalers

@yonggarius

Another right winger from the Vancouver Whalers, Robot Sunfish is the opposite of the slippery Alexis Saint-Michel. He is a big, bruising forward clocking in at 6 foot and 3 inches, and weighing in at 256 lbs; Sunfish is also not shy to use his size, having participated in a total of 6 fights and winning 3 of them, being the only other rookie other than noted pugilist Gino Lombardo to win multiple fights. That’s not to say that he does not have any other impact on the ice other than his fists - Sunfish contributed 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists) and meted out 69 hits (nice) on the ice as he was a part of a hard-hitting line for the Whalers.

21st Overall: Cormac Pónaire, Left Wing, Carolina Kraken Kraken

@wumaduce

From the Carolina Kraken, the Irish winger Cormac Pónaire promises to be a future defensive stud due to his two-way prowess. Sporting a balanced build, Pónaire’s unwillingness to quit hustling was notable, and he can be found all over the ice for the Kraken as he made the best out of his limited ice time. Pónaire was also willing to lay his body on the line, as he made a significant 74 shot blocks and 77 hits for the Kraken, and managed to have more takeaways than giveaways which is rare for a rookie.

44th Overall: Scooby Doo, Center, St. Louis Scarecrows

@R_C_S

The last pick taken by the Winnipeg Aurora in this draft, the Latvian centerman (centerdog?) has a nose for the net with a deadly-accurate shot, and has the knack for standing big and tall in front of the goalie, tipping and screening shots. Scooby Doo also has the amazing ability to be in the wrong place at the wrong time for opposing teams, as he manages to find his way to places that he shouldn’t be, resulting in goals for his team. Scooby managed to notch an impressive 25 points for the St. Louis Scarecrows, with 10 goals and 15 assists.

S57/S58 Prospects:

S58 Max Müller, Left Wing, Anaheim Outlaws Outlaws

@dylanjj37

Müller had an average season with an Anaheim team that is on the downswing, having lost a significant portion of their veterans to call-ups to the SHL, amassing 25 points (10 goals, 15 points). His development seems to have slowed down a bit, but hopefully he can get back into the swing of things and continue to grow for an Anaheim team that has a lot of potential.

S58 Zayne Rotzbua, Left Defense, Vancouver Whalers Whalers

@inverted

Rotzbua looks to be ready to take over as the Whalers’ top scoring defenseman with Evangelos Giannopoulous going to his SHL debut with the Hamilton Steelhawks, and being second for the Whalers’ blue line in scoring this season is a good start in that regard with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists). With 118 hits and 122 shot blocks, Rotzbua is also laying his body at opponents and in front of shots, showcasing his physical skills which promise to be solid.

S58 David S. Pumpkins, Center, Anchorage Armada Armada

@Rev

David S. Pumpkins had a pretty good season with the Anchorage Armada including another finals appearance. Unfortunately this time the Armada fell to the Quebec City Citadelles 4-1 in the quest for the Four Star Cup, but two back to back finals appearances is still an impressive achievement. Pumpkins scored 25 points for the season, with 12 goals and 13 assists. While not jumping out on the stat sheets, Pumpkins was a sturdy presence for the Armada and looks to continue his development at a steady pace.

S57 Vincent Mietitore, Goalie, Anaheim Outlaws Outlaws

@ViN

The Outlaws didn’t have the greatest season this time around, but Mietitore did the best that he could, playing 49 games for his team with a 16-29-4 record. Even though the Goals Against Average was a bit high - a product of the number of shots he faced and the green defense of the Outlaws - Mietitore had an above-average save percentage at 0.915, which puts him on the higher echelon of the starting goalies in the junior league.

S57 Dwayne Gretzky, Left Wing, Newfoundland Berserkers

@3lewsers

From a last place finish in S57 to the third-best team in the SMJHL in S58, the Berserkers had an awesome bounce-back season, showcasing that last season was a bit of an aberration. Dwayne Gretzky had a great season in S58, notching 47 points (27 goals, 20 assists) for the Berserkers - good for third on the team in scoring pace. The savvy sniper also showcased his defensie skill with 36 takeaways and 68 shot blocks, showing that he could be trusted by his team on both sides of the ice.

S56 Graduates

S56 Jasper Maximov, Left Defense, Quebec City Citadelles

@enigmatic

Capping off a juniors career with a Four Star Cup must feel pretty sweet, especially if your team was an expansion team barely in its fourth season in the league. The Citadelles finished second in the regular season in the league with 98 points, behind the Kelowna Knights, and Jasper Maximov was a major contributor from the blue line for the Citadelles. Maximov clocked 44 points - 15 goals, 29 assists - the best defender scoring for the Citadelles and just 3 points behind Robert Feltersnatch for defenders in the entire league. An absolute shooting machine with 214 shots, Maximov was a key component of the Citadelles’ power play, where he grabbed 13 points on special teams. The Aurora will be excited to have a dynamic, puck-moving power play quarterback join their squad, which needs a good offensive boost on the blueline.

S56 Jst Maro, Center, Quebec City Citadelles

@JstMaro

Another Citadelle graduating to join the Winnipeg Aurora, Jst Maro is a quiet but vital part of the Quebec City Citadelles, contributing a massive 53 points to the team for their run this season. Effective on the power play, Maro had 18 special teams points including a shorthanded goal, and played on both sides of the ice for the Citadelles. He will be taking over third line center duties for the Aurora squad, and has big shoes to fill as a replacement for the departed Yoshimitsu McCloud.

Ending Remarks

The second draft for the Winnipeg Aurora sees a great crop of forwards joining the prospect pipeline as a possible expansion looms over the league in a couple of seasons, and the management look to get ahead of the curve on their aging roster players. Two championship-winning players are graduating to join the big squad as Jasper Maximov and Jst Maro look to make their SHL debuts, and the Winnipeg Aurora are ready to fight in a chaotic Northwest division that is seeing young teams step forward and old teams regress.

Shine bright!

***TheSparkyDee*** · 04-04-2021, 04:46 PM

*ZootTX* · 04-04-2021, 04:56 PM

So you lost a Thunfish and gained a Sunfish?

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