Well I talked about the goalies in my other article, so I’d already done that research, and since I have to make a mock draft for the PT anyway, I figured I might as well make an article out of my research.

While I dove into the goalies on rosters for the SMJHL teams, I won’t be going too deep into the roster needs of each team individually. Since I need to make the mock it will be plenty of writing anyway given I have *checks watch* 15 hours to the draft at the time I started writing this. I will look at the needs but I won’t break it down. Skater needs are obviously more complicated as well.

I don’t know individual scouting conversations obviously, and I don’t know every team’s preferences on what they are looking for. In a way this is largely a ranking; and as a former SMJHL GM (for like 2 seasons) these are the kind of signs I would look for that would make someone a good pick. I don’t remember my track record with drafting in the SMJHL but I think it was alright at least.

One of the most prominent distinctions between players in the SMJHL draft is first generation players vs recreates. A lot of people assume a recreate equals a better pick than a first gen. That’s just not true. Recreates have their value from being a safe pick, generally. They have a history of earning, established by a previous player, they have a bank built up from contracts, media, etc on their old player. They might even have a league job already that a first gen who joined a week ago doesn’t. This makes them usually reliable picks. If a recreate doesn’t have that though, it’s a pretty big negative. First gens have a ton of value if they can use the pre-draft time and scouting to prove their reliability. First gen players bring a unique enthusiasm and excitement to their team and their player that recreates 99% of the time don’t have. They probably won’t become your scouts or future GMs. If they wanted that, they probably already have it. Most teams, I think, would prefer to draft a reliable first gen instead of a recreate, but the key is to figure out the reliable ones without history to prove it.

The things I checked for comparison here are - Bank Balance, Early Bird PT, Interested Prospects PT, if they have ever done a Chirper, and if they’ve done any media. While it’s not really quantifiable, I also consider what I’ve seen from them in the S79 class discord.

Alright let’s just jump into the mock draft!

1st Overall - - Ima Noobie - C - @YetiTaz - 194 TPE

At 1st overall I think Yukon takes Noobie. Like I said, you’re looking for first gens who show they can be reliable and Yeti has checked every box extremely well so far. Tasks are being done, a bunch of media has been made, and they’ve been actively doing Chirper. They are one of the most talkative people in the rookie discord and have been doing a great job. They only have 194 TPE right now (max is roughly 208-214), but that comes from not buying all the equipment yet as they build a bank and wait for the media to payout. Yeti has shown all the enthusiasm you want from a first gen and has done everything possible to showcase themselves as a reliable earner and a good person to have in the LR. I originally had them at 4, but I believe they are the clear cut best first gen in the class right now and if you want a first gen, you’re taking Yeti first. Yukon would also LOVE a good 2nd line center right now, so this is a perfect fit.

2nd Overall - - Jason Bourne - RW - @SFresh3 - 214 TPE

My mock is immediately into confusion at pick 2. Genuinely, after Yeti as the best first gen and probable #1 pick, teams could go in so many different directions. San Diego needs help on the wings, especially the right side. They could look at defense here as well and someone like Hip Hurts or Kenneth Lind. I think ultimately SD plays it safe with a recreate pick here and they look for the help up front. The thing with this draft is I think there’s so many good options that there’s no real separation. Bourne will be a great pick. So would Lind, or Hurts, Marineau, Juneau, etc. It’s hard to make a wrong choice here.

3rd Overall - - Kenneth Lind - LD - @Canadice - 214 TPE

Like I said, Lind would be a good pick too. Anchorage desperately needs defensive help. They only have 2 defensemen on the roster with a combined 404 TPE. Much like with San Diego before this, they play it safe, get a stud recreate defender to lead the way for the future. It’s hard to go wrong here, and Canadice is a great addition to lead the Anchorage blueline.

4th Overall - - Hotdog Lunch - RW - @Papajon - 189 TPE

Newfoundland is one team I believe will likely only really be looking at first gens at pick 4. I could be wrong, but I really think they want to establish a new player here early in the draft. Jauhnne Hawky is also a good option here, as would be Barcus Juneau, but the Berserkers are very set on defense, and they have 2 top Cs established. It wouldn’t be impossible to draft a C and put either them, or someone else on the wing, but all 3 are solid options and Papajon has established themself well with Chirper, doing all the tasks, and participation in the rookie discord.

5th Overall - - Hip Hurts - LD - @juke - 214 TPE

The thing with Great Falls is I have absolutely no idea what they are going to do. Winger is a strong need for them, but at 5th overall I think they can happily just take the BPA. Honestly though, I never heard from GFG scouts, there’s been very minimal conversations about them in the rookie discord where we try to put together a mock idea. I have absolutely no idea what they might do, so this is a far bigger guess than any other so far. I give them a recreate here with Hip Hurts, juke will be a great pick. They could draft Waters to address the winger need. They could take a first gen like Jauhnne Hawky and put them on the wing or Barcus Juneau instead of Hurts. They could have some more under-the-radar first gen that they like like Tip Toasty or Chuck Lumbermouth. Maybe there’s a different recreate with strong ties there that I don’t know about like Oatmeal Josephsdóttir. GFG is the most mysterious team in the draft at this point.

6th Overall - - Chaos Giraffe - C - @Jayba1t - 203 TPE

This pick isn’t really based on how I’d actually draft if I was Colorado right here, but what I heard was a likely possibility. Colorado doesn’t really need forwards - they have 6 capped forwards already and a 7th not far behind. They have 1 capped defenseman. I would love to see them jump at the chance to draft Barcus Juneau here, or Javelin Bodine if you want a recreate. Going against my gut instinct here and I’ll stick with what I’ve heard and say they pick Giraffe here. Don’t get me wrong, like I said earlier it’s hard to go wrong with these picks because there’s a ton of great options, Giraffe included, but I don’t see how this is a worthwhile use of resources for Colorado.

7th Overall - - Roisin Armagh - LD - @Ara - 184 TPE

The first of many picks for Carolina, while Ara lags behind in TPE a bit, they more than make up for in establishing themselves pretty reliably otherwise. With a job in the SMHL Events department (handling the sheet work for this very draft), media out and chirper done, I have Ara as a top 2 first gen, and the Kraken are lucky to get them at pick 7. Every defender to go before this point is a recreate. The 1 knock I have against Ara right now is an incomplete IP PT. It does have a long due date, so it’s not impossible to get done, so it’s a pretty small knock and is inconsequential to Carolina IMO.

8th Overall - - Javelin Bodine - RD - @blix900 - 208 TPE

Bodine could be a defender who goes earlier than this, but I think NBB is happy to take them here. Nevada has a stacked roster so they can take whoever they want here. They need a 4th defenseman and a couple of 3rd/future 2nd line wingers, but that’s it. Given they have to draft Kiwi Söderberg-Snooks in the 2nd round (a RD) this would be a good opportunity to take a winger for a middle 6 spot. Someone like Waters-Johnson, Christina Fantobens or Puddles O’Duckling if they desire a recreate too. They have a chance to pick up Juneau here as well if they wanted a first gen defender.

9th Overall - - Barcus Juneau - RD - @icewindoo - 212 TPE

The first of 3 straight picks for Carolina, Juneau is a solid looking first gen defender. They’ve done their tasks, they have equipment, and a lot of Chirper. There’s no media and they’re a bit quiet compared to some others in the rookie discord, but I really think Juneau can be a solid pick. They took a first gen defender in Ara just a couple picks ago, and they add another here. Carolina only has 1 good defender right now, so they stack up what they can. This could also be Abbe Wass here, they played the end of last season with Carolina ahead of their draft, so they may want to bring them back.

10th Overall - - Jeremy Snugglemuffin III - RD - @SchwarzNarr - 214 TPE

Carolina has obliged the commissioner’s request by drafting not 1 but TWO first gens before picking her. If there was another first gen they wanted to pick right now I bet they’d take them here and then draft Schwarz at 11th to make it 3. I think they take a recreate at 11 so they draft Snugglemuffin at 10th overall. This rounds out a really solid top 4 for Carolina. 2 good first gens and the commissioner alongside the S76 Max Belcher this season.

11th Overall - - Puddles O’Duckling - LW - @Z-Whiz - 207 TPE

Carolina has drafted 3 defensemen so far, and they need to take a forward here. This could very easily be a first gen as well, there’s a few good options available at winger - 1 of which is Walbilly Koala - they did their IP thread and Early Bird PT here just hours before the draft. There’s also other recreates still like Fantobens or Waters-Johnson.

12th Overall - - Dejana Kaptina - C - @Valpix - 208 TPE

The worst kept secret in the draft, most people can see that former QCC players want to go back. QCC still has to play fair and take Kaptina as soon as they can, but no one else feels like jumping for this pick and QCC can’t let her fall past them.

13th Overall - - Jauhnne Hawky - C - @Brenadyr - 214 TPE

Hawky could go even higher than this and maybe deserves to, but that is the deal with a draft class that looks as strong as this one does. There’s a lot of option, but I think Brenadyr is a really strong first gen and gets picked up here at the latest regardless of anything else going.

14th Overall - - Dieter Frühstück - RD - @bluesfan55 - 208 TPE

This was one of the earliest picks penciled into the mock, the Armada want defense, the Armada want bluesfan, and the Armada have been leaning recreate. I would be shocked if this is anyone other than Frühstück.

15th Overall - - Earl Biggins - LD - @Cootdaddy - 185 TPE

A player who snuck in the Early Bird PT and the IP PT under the cover of nightfall, they were someone I spotted when doing my research last night and made a mental note they could sneak up here. Ottawa would love an enthusiastic first gen here and I think Biggins could be an under the radar pick. I’ve also heard they could really sneak under the radar here and go significantly higher in the draft.

16th Overall - - Chuck Lumbermouth - LW - @LeakyCink - 186 TPE

At this point there’s a ton of different directions things could go. There’s a lot of first gens that show promising signs, I know NL likes first gens. A lot of these picks are going to come down to private scouting conversations, which I’m not privy to. In my opinion, Lumbermouth is one of the top first gens still available. Other first gen possibilities I have are Slava Kasyanenko, Jervis Arbwranger, Tip Toasty, Jimbob Ghostkeeper, Walbilly Koala, Jacob Marsh, and Abbe Wass. I think it is certainly one of those players, but trying to predict at this point is throwing darts. For me it’s either Lumbermouth or Kasyanenko here, but none of these players being picked would surprise me.

17th Overall - - Walbilly Koala - LW - @Noruoficeland - 214 TPE

Like I mentioned earlier, they really cut it close on doing PTs ahead of the draft, it gives them a little boost. The good news is that Koala already has 214 TPE without them, so it’s not the end of the world. People were likely still interested and seeing those PTs get done gave them a bit of relief about feeling more confident in Koala’s potential. I feel like San Diego might be more comfortable taking one of the recreates here, but after a quick scan of the board no one jumps out to me as a good fit.

18th Overall - - Slava Kasyanenko - C - @Rengoku - 186 TPE

This is a really interesting point of the draft. Rengoku has really impressed me lately, they are a fairly recent create but they’ve been really enthusiastic and I think their stock is rising pretty quickly. It wouldn’t surprise me if they climb into the first round too. I think Carolina really would like them and they are in a tough decision making spot. They want a goaltender, probably with pick 18 or 22. Newfoundland wants one with 21. I had mocked myself at 18 here originally, as I think both Carolina and Newfoundland would want me as their goalie. It’s a bit of a waiting game here. I think both probably like Kasyanenko too. It’s a very interesting little game here. If Carolina takes Kasyanenko, Newfoundland will take Katharina Rosenthal (me), and then Carolina may wait until the 3rd to draft a goalie. But if Carolina drafts me here, I think Newfoundland will snipe Kasyanenko at 21 and they will take a different goalie in the 3rd. The goalie situation makes this really funky, as I detailed in the previous article, it’s only gotten more complicated. It’s really only 4 options in nets, and Evok is destined for QCC and Van seems destined for Colorado, which means Carolina and Newfoundland fight over their preferred choice of the other 2. But there are other teams who are not afraid to pick a goalie here, like potentially OTT at 28 or NBB at 29. Ultimately, Carolina has a choice to make here and I think they take Kasyanenko.

19th Overall - - Grindle Waters-Johnson - LW - @Waters - 214 TPE

Waters goes in either this spot or the next one for sure, but I think it’s Anchorage who makes the pick. Theoretically, YUM could pay up big to try and get ahead here to pick Waters. Either way, if it’s not the Armada I think it’s someone else picking Waters at 19. Anchorage wanted defense and loaded up with 2 good defenders in the 1st round, so now they are free to select a forward here.

20th Overall - - Tip Toasty - RW - @TipToasty - 186 TPE

This is a spot where I’m really having to guess. This will likely come down to private scouting conversations or even a trade. Yukon wanted Waters, who goes the pick before. Maybe they trade for it. Maybe they trade even higher. If they don’t get Waters though, and they are sitting here at 20, they could trade it away or look at a different forward. Normand Marineau is an option, but I go with a first gen Tip Toasty here. Toasty has shown some promise, but again it’s pretty much the same as Wass, Marsh, Arbwranger, Ghostkeeper, and more.

21st Overall - - Katharina Rosenthal - G - @Symmetrik - 208 TPE

Like I said at 18, if Carolina doesn’t pick me I think Newfoundland does. They can both get good goalies options, BUT they can’t wait too long. It comes down to myself here and Jeff Kirkstone III for Newfoundland and Carolina. I don’t know about Grape, but at least for me I know other teams that don’t need a goalie right now would not be afraid to take me if I’m there at a good spot. This is a really interesting spot. Newfoundland might not make the pick and then hope that Kirkstone is still available at 37.

22nd Overall - - Abbe Wass - LD - @NordicNailer - 209 TPE

Wass played the end of last season with the Kraken, so they bring them back here. The Kraken are in a tricky spot here, as they definitely still need a goalie, but knowing Newfoundland took a goalie already, they gamble that NBB, OTT, or MET do not draft a goalie before pick 38 comes up.

23rd Overall - - Normand Marineau - C - @jason97 - 212 TPE

Marineau is a really good recreate option who’s fallen further than expected. As I’ve said a number of times, this draft seems crazy good right now. There’s a lot of people I would say are usually first round talent who are not going to go in the first round, maybe not even in the second round. Marineau could be a 1st rounder but won’t and Anchorage will say thank you very much.

24th Overall - - Christina Fantobens - LW - @Fantobens - 208 TPE

Great Falls is a complete enigma to me. I have no idea what they want or even an inkling of what they look for or who they might like. This is a complete guess. Most of the things I’ve said and guesses I make are educated guesses. This is just a pure guess. Fantobens is a solid recreate who could have gone earlier. There’s also a few 1st gens I like as a possibility here like Jimbob Ghostkeeper.

25th Overall - - QCCBOT4 - G - @Evok - 208 TPE

This has been pretty locked in from the start. I detailed this pretty much in my goalie article, but while Evok will play for any team, she would enjoy it more in QCC. She won’t say no to other teams, but much like Evok will play nice with other teams, other teams will play nice as well and let her go to Quebec. And like Valpix at 12, QCC still has to play fair and actually pick Evok here rather than try to game anything.

26th Overall - - Darby Reznor - LW - @WildfireMicro - 208 TPE

Unlike QCC who has to play nice, while I think Jon-Isaac Forty-One is pretty much destined for Colorado, they don’t feel obligated to pick him here. Unlike Evok he’s refusing to play for some teams (maybe everyone else) so Colorado will pick him later. Reznor is a good pick for Colorado, while despite some teams potentially having reservations Reznor will be a good player for the team.

27th Overall - - Hamper Linthome - C - @Sburbine - 208 TPE

I should have mentioned this earlier, but Linthome is a GM pick, which means Sburbine has to draft himself with any 2nd round pick. Obviously using the latest one is the best value, so he does that and takes himself at 27. We’ll see 2 more picks like this as well.

28th Overall - - Jimbob Ghostkeeper - C - @mikebobcat - 186 TPE

Ottawa has a few decent options here, and I would go with a first gen who I initially had penciled in higher. Ghostkeeper looks promising, it’ll come down to scouting conversations but I think it could come down to Ghostkeeper, Marsh, or Arbwranger.

29th Overall - - Jacob Marsh - LW - @Mtstreaks04 - 190 TPE

Again just like Ottawa, there’s some good options here. I think ultimately Nevada will make their choice based on personal fit which is only going to come out through private scouting conversations. I’m not sure who it will be, but possibilities include the aforementioned Arbwranger as well as possibilities like Oatmeal Josephsdóttir, Master Empoleon, or Hughes Incorporated.

30th Overall - - Teddy Bloos - C - @yosh - 208 TPE

The 2nd of the forced GM picks. Bloos is locked-in to Thunder Bay, though I’m sure they’d love to be able to get someone else too.

31st Overall - - Kiwi Söderberg-Snooks - RD - @Aleris - 212 TPE

The 3rd and final GM pick, at least Nevada was able to sneak in another pick at 29 before needing to take Kiwi.

32nd Overall - - Nanashi Mumei - C - @ValorX77 - 214 TPE

Valor is someone who could easily go higher here, I’m just not sure who would pull the trigger in the 2nd round before this. I know for sure Maine would not let Mumei slide past this point, so they make the pick. If Valor is already gone by this point, I could see Maine picking one of the Louchards. I’m not sure if they all want to play together, but Maine picks at 32, 34, and 40 so they can accommodate picking all 3 in short order.

I’ve written plenty so far, and I’ve honestly got pretty tired from the analysis and writing at this point, and there’s less than an hour to the draft, so I’ll stop at the 2 rounds needed for the PT. I will give some brief mentions to other players I like though here.

Hughes Incorporated - LW - @Lumosityfan - 212 TPE

Seems really engaged, though a recreate with a negative bank balance doesn’t have the recreate safety net. Wants to turn that balance around though and is looking for a league job. Solid potential.

Jeff Kirkstone III - G - @Grapehead - 208 TPE

Kirkstone is a solid goalie who probably deserves to go in the 2nd round but teams will play chicken with goalies (as much as I like my initial predictions in my goalie article, I’d love to see some chaos if teams play chicken and someone like Ottawa or NBB take a goalie)

Jon-Isaac Forty-One - G - @C9Van - 214 TPE

I’d like to write more on this like I did for Grape, but Van seems locked into a single destination, so even if the goalie situation got a little funky I don’t think anything would change here. Probably to Colorado at 42.

Jarvis Arbwranger - RW - @cbx - 188 TPE

Someone I’d have to scout to know for sure, as they’ve been quiet in the rookie discord, but done all their tasks and is active on Chirper.

Jérémy Louchard - RW - @louchy31 - 203 TPE
Anthony Louchard - C - @Louchyz - 183 TPE
Charles Louchard - LD - @Charuzu - 180 TPE

They’ve been doing all their tasks and Chiper. Maybe there’s something in the chirper, but I’m a little surprised we’ve not seen any media. Typically in a situation like this there’s coordinated media and such. I’m curious if they all want to play together.

TBFAW - RW - @TBFAW - 191 TPE
Vladimir Bar-down III - RW - @hockeyboy1 - 189 TPE

If you combined them they’d be making a hell of a solid user. TBFAW has done the tasks available, but no Chirper and no media and sits at -1.5 million in the bank. Vlad has done Chirper and a media piece (@media graders please don’t miss that it was posted in the Miscellaneous media subforum instead of in the main subforum) but not the PTs.

One final fun fact, every person I mocked has done both available PTs except for 2 people. Ara as mentioned hasn’t done the IP thread (which doesn’t close until September, so it’s not all doom) and also SchwarzNarr - YES YOUR COMMISSIONER - has not done the Early Bird PT. Tsk tsk.

Anyway that’s all the energy I have to write today. Good luck to everyone in the draft!

Code:

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https://www.twitch.tv/symmetrikal

Katharina Rosenthal || G || Newfoundland Berserkers || 208 TPE ||
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 154 lbs

Christian Kinsinger || D || Winnipeg Aurora || 2042 Peak TPE ||
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 212 lbs

Luca Veccelli || C || Retired || 1093 Peak TPE ||
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 208 lbs

Chris York || RW || Retired || 1817 Peak TPE || HOF ||
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 184 lbs

Prince George Firebirds GM (S34-S36)
Toronto North Stars GM (S37-S43)

im so smart at this

(see you in a season when we find out if i am smarter than any GMs)

https://www.twitch.tv/symmetrikal

Katharina Rosenthal || G || Newfoundland Berserkers || 208 TPE ||
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 154 lbs

Christian Kinsinger || D || Winnipeg Aurora || 2042 Peak TPE ||
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 212 lbs

Luca Veccelli || C || Retired || 1093 Peak TPE ||
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 208 lbs

Chris York || RW || Retired || 1817 Peak TPE || HOF ||
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 184 lbs

Prince George Firebirds GM (S34-S36)
Toronto North Stars GM (S37-S43)

wow you got me exactly right

Kiwi Söderberg-Snooks || RD || Nevada Battleborn
Birthplace: Wellington, New Zealand
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 225lbs
Number: 38
------------------------------------------------------------

S78 31OA in SMJHL Entry Draft - Nevada Battleborn

S78 WJC Team Czechia Player - Silver Medal

S79 6OA in SHL Entry Draft - Chicago Syndicate

------------------------------------------------------------
SMJHL Regular Season Stats

S78 - NBB || 66 GP || 5 G || 22 A || 27 P || 4 Wins || 81 PIMs

SHL Regular Season Stats

Conner Snooks || LW || PHI/EDM/NOLA/WPG || NBB || Retired

Birthplace: Swansea, Wales, UK

Height: 5' 10"

Weight: 190lbs

Number: 19

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

S60 Undrafted FA - Nevada Battleborn

S60 WJC British Isles Player - Gold Medal

S61 13OA in SHL Entry Draft - Philadelphia Forge

S61 Vyacheslav Onoprienko Trophy - Most Underrated Player - Finalist

S62 WJC British Isles Player - Gold Medal

S64 Ryan Jesster Award - Best Rookie - Winner

S68 Made All-SHL 3rd Team

S69 Challenge Cup Winner

S69 IIHF Great Britain Player - Bronze Medal

S73 Challenge Cup Winner

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

SMJHL Regular Season Stats

S60 - NBB || 66 GP || 11 G || 7 A || 18 P || -46 || 11:56 ATOI

S61 - NBB || 66 GP || 28 G || 21 A || 49 P || -6 || 17:10 ATOI

S62 - NBB || 66 GP || 21 G || 22 A || 43 P || 1 || 16:58 ATOI

S63 - NBB || 66 GP || 28 G || 35 A || 63 P || 26 || 18:12 ATOI

SHL Regular Season Stats

S64 - PHI || 66 GP || 24 G || 18 A || 42 P || -1 || 18:42 ATOI

S65 - PHI || 66 GP || 27 G || 30 A || 57 P || 18 || 20:42 ATOI

S66 - PHI || 66 GP || 33 G || 38 A || 71 P || 5 || 19:15 ATOI

S67 - PHI || 66 GP || 37 G || 52 A || 89 P || 26 || 21:55 ATOI

S68 - PHI || 66 GP || 48 G || 51 A || 99 P || 35 || 21:30 ATOI

S69 - PHI || 66 GP || 38 G || 34 A || 72 P || 13 || 20:53 ATOI

S70 - EDM || 66 GP || 43 G || 53 A || 96 P || 6 || 21:16 ATOI

S71 - EDM || 66 GP || 29 G || 36 A || 65 P || 30 || 18:02 ATOI

S72 - EDM || 66 GP || 24 G || 40 A || 64 P || 43 || 16:43 ATOI

S73 - EDM || 66 GP || 22 G || 32 A || 54 P || 43 || 16:05 ATOI

S74 - NOLA || 66 GP || 31 G || 32 A || 63 P || 28 || 19:53 ATOI

S75 - NOLA || 66 GP || 19 G || 36 A || 55 P || 23 || 16:40 ATOI

S76 - NOLA || 66 GP || 18 G || 35 A || 53 P || 12 || 16:58 ATOI

S77 - WPG || 66 GP || 6 G || 23 A || 29 P || -8 || 18:12 ATOI

:AlerisApple: || co-GM Nevada Battleborn || S63 - S77

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S60 - WJC - Team British Isles Gold Medal

S61 - WJC - Team Young Guns Group Stage

S66 - WJC - Team British Isles First Round

S66 - NBB - SMJHL Regular Season 1st Place Finish

S66 - NBB - Nour Harrak Winner (Best GM Duo)

S66 - NBB - Four Star Cup Winner

S76 - WJC - Team Ice First Round