The Wollker division is stacked. All for teams are playoff teams, and ranked 3rd, 4th, 6th and 10th in the overall standings - which is nuckin’ futs! It’s a total bloodbath over here, and we’re here for it. Bring on the rivalries, bring on he trash talk. Next season is going to be a barn burner.
 



The Citadelles had a heartbreaking end to their season when they got swept in the finals by the Newfoundland Berserkers. They finished second league-wide in wins and goal differential with an impressive +63. The real Cinderella story behind the Citadelles was their goaltender Justin Time - Justin lead the entire league in games played and wins with 43 wins in 59 games while posting a .910 sv% and 11.23 goals saved above expected. He also made the most saves of any other goaltender throughout the playoffs, by just shy of 100 - he had 100 more saves than the next guy. Incredible. 


The citadelles are also in a great position, in that they don’t have many players aging out or getting called up. They do lose their second highest scorer in Aksel Fiske who posted 27/34/61 this past season - but have a bevy of younger talent looking to take a step forward. They also pulled off a last minute trade to secure the 3OA pick which they used to take first-gen player Otis Boudreaux who is looking to fill in where Fiske has vacated, and I think it’s going to be a perfect fit even thought they are massive shoes to fill. Boudreaux, or as I like to call him, the Irish Eagle, can absolutely soar. He is a sturdy steed with a nose for offense. He’s reliable, strong and knows how to finish a check or a play. No chance he doesn’t live up to his 3OA potential with the supporting cast that he has.


The Citadelles also managed to nab a Danish giant. Skovgaard is 6’6 and is a constant threat with or without the puck. What he lacks in foot speed he more than makes up for in puckhandling and sheer tenacity. Skovgaard will be a welcomed addition on the back end and help relive some pressure from Justin Time.


Draft Rating: A


The Citadelles did what they had to do, made a trade and secured a high pick then used it it to fill the biggest hole they had. They also managed to bolster the blue line at the same time, there is no reason they can’t contend again this season.



It’s a curious case for the Detroit Flacons. They finished second in the division and fourth overall with an outstanding goal differential of +96 before being swept in the semi-finals by their divisional rivals the Quebec City Citadelles. It would appear as though the majority of their roster is heading into their second last, or last seasons and they decided not to make many picks on Saturday - putting their fate into the players that they currently have. Admirable, yes, but the loss of Sconnie McHits and no immediate replacement could spell disaster for the Falcons. McHits had an absolute monster of a season potting 45 goals which was good for the league scoring record and just three points (83) shy of the scoring title. Those points are not easily replaced. Their offense is going to have to step up huge if they intend to contend the way they did last season. 


Despite not taking an offensive minded winger of center with their two picks they did manage to snag who I believe will be one of the top defensemen in the entire draft. Frolsch has all the makings of a modern puck-moving defenseman, he can skate, hit, score, kill penalties and quarterback a powerplay. The guy can do it all and he will be a mainstay on the Detroit blueline for seasons to come.


Jim Bob not so much, they took a swing on a player that hadn’t logged in since he created three weeks ago, the fact that he isn’t on their roster page makes me think they have moved on as already.


Draft Ranking: C+


I really do think Julian Frolsch is going to be amazing for them, but the fact that they don’t have a replacement for Sconnie and no immediate answers makes this draft a bit of a bust.




The Maine Timber prove just how tight the Wollker division really was last season as they placed third in the division and sixth overall. I’m certain Maine would like a do-over of last seasons playoffs when they lost to the eleventh seeded Carolina in six games, an upset is an understatement. Maine will also lose their three top scorers in left-wing Viktor Krunk (32/45/77) and centers Alexis Paquette (24/45/69) and Jesper Aittokaillo (24/39/63). I do wish they would have picked up another center at the draft but their roster is quite deep an they have secondary scoring throughout. Wether or not their secondary scoring can become primary remains to be seen.


They chose the Swiss born Emil Egli with their first pick at 6OA, Egli is shaping up to be a solid draft pick and has all the potential in the world. Much like his Swiss counterpart Julian Florsch, he fits the mold of a modern mobile defenseman to a tee. He can skate, hit, score, play special teams - and he looks damn good while he does it. They also managed to grab Nibbles the Squirrel who is by far the fastest player in the entire draft class. Can he score? Can he defend? Who knows. But he can skate like the damned wind, and if he can jump on pucks like he does nuts, they might be on to something.


They also addressed goaltending with their last pick and took Sir Devoir who is also proving to be a committed member of the Timber. If he can keep this up he will find himself in the starters crease in time flat.


Draft Rating: B+


The Timber picked up some really solid players, as I mentioned I really wish they would have gotten some help down the middle but they now have three more players to ad to their core. Solid draft from SouthPaw and KaleSalad.



Great Falls came in last in probably the strongest division in the league, so all is not lost for the cubs as last in the Wollker is 10th overall with a near .500 record. And though they may not have made the playoffs they finished with a better record than some that did, which is sad and frustrating. Much like the Timber the Grizzlies relied on their whole team to contribute to the scoring colum which seems to have worked out quite well for them, and the better news yet - their leading scorer Ambrosia Snow (27/29/56) just finished their second season. It’s looking good for the young squad from Great Falls even if they are losing their star defender Vadim Askerov who put up a very impressive 16/38/54 from the blueline.


Allsiters was an off-the-board pick at 14, many of the mock drafts had him going later in the second round, but I would love for the Great Falls management to make us looks like fools with this pick. The Latvian has all the tools of a goal scorer which is exactly what Great Falls needs, if he can help them move the needle on the score sheet this could be a seriously great pick up for them. 


I’m always glad to see a team get stronger down the middle and for a third round pick it doesn’t get any better. From here it’s all up to Xman, could be boom or bust. I think we all hope that it’s boom. At least I do. And picking up Alvin Towne is just the sprinkles on top of the icing on the cake. This draft was super goalie heavy and why not throw a dart at the board? You never know what kind of chocolates you’re going to get.


Draft Rank: B+


They filled some needs and took some chances, this grade could go up a lot higher if one or both of Xman or Towne turn into contributing regulars.