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Waters · 08-07-2024, 10:03 AM

Code:
Was hoping to get more of this done before media week deadline, but I'm going to make this a three-part series.  3417 words, ready for grading.

Folks, the SMJHL draft is more than just a draft; it’s the beginning of a journey, a chance for new players to make their mark. As we move farther and farther away from saturday's draft, the excitement, the mystery, the scouting, and the work put in by these players is only beginning to show itself. The junior draft has much less known factors than its' SHL counterpart, but that makes it all the more important. The first overall pick is volatile, unpredictable, and has extremely variable results. The right landing spot could make a player generational or end their career with a whimper, and the right pick could make a team unstoppable or put them in another rebuild, 2 seasons down the line. The quick turnaround for juniors makes it all the more exciting and gives us a glimpse into what the future of the SHL looks like. Let's look back on the previous 78 first-overall picks, starting with the first 23, celebrate their achievements and contributions to the league, and show the variability that comes with drafting with so little information.

The NWJHL Era: S1-S13
for these first 13 picks, I did write many of them based on the research I was able to gather but, since the information was scarce, I will be using my historical consultant JP's thoughts as a bonus perspective.

S1: Lucas Read

For these early picks, the amount of information we have to go off could be much higher. The original SMJHL, called the NorthWest Junior Hockey League, had only 4 teams, all of them based in, you guessed it: the northwest. One of those teams was the Brandon Blazers (today the Carolina Kraken), their pick on the 9th of June, 2010, was graded out as "not going great" by historical consultant JP. I found, genuinely, no other information on this player. It was not the greatest pick.

Historical Consultant JP:
Drafted first overall by the Brandon Blazers in S1. Didn't even make it to the end of the season. Retired. Two issues arise with Read -- One, the Prince George Firebirds absolutely dominate because Gibson (the simmer and GM of PGF when we used to let them be the same person) would just rig sims. Sim day, and then re-sim to make Prince George win. In this, lines would constantly be wrong and screwed up. In a set of sims, Lucas was either benched or put on the 4th line. This made him angry and he retired on the spot, not even making it to the SHL draft.

S2: Ideen Fallah

The NWJHL, now expanded to 6 teams, hosted their second draft, and this pick was significantly more successful. Fallah's SMJHL success led to a fruitful SHL career, winning the NWJHL MVP and getting picked 2nd overall by the ... Platoon (They somehow had both of the first two picks and neither of them was their original pick). That 12-season SHL career included several achievements: winning a challenge cup with the LA Panthers in S6, becoming the captain of the Finnish National Team, and a many-time all-star. While not a Hall of Famer, Fallah had a significant legacy on the league, and that legacy today lives on the Ideen Fallah Award, the top award possible for SMJHL players in today's day and age. Deener, as a member, would also be one of the only members with the distinction of having multiple first overall SMJHL draft picks, as we will be discussing Maxim Horvat in S16.

Historical Consultant JP:
Ideen Fallah would go on to become a pretty good SHL player in his own right. He would also GM/play for the expansion franchise the Los Angeles Panthers. Fallah was a really popular user back in the day and was able to sway a lot of SHL players to the expansion franchise. LA and Minnesota would go on to face each other in the expansion battle in Season 6 in the Challenge Cup finals. LA would ultimately win. Fallah would go on to have a decent rest of his career with that one Cup win and would eventually go on to build the Texas dynasty in the S20s.

S3: Marc-Andre Turcotte

Turcotte was another very successful pick in a, still, 6-team league. Drafted by the Blazers in S3, he would go on to win playoff MVP that year after being traded to the Knights mid-season, and went 6th overall to the Dragons. He only had a mildly successful SHL career, however, petering out after a weak rookie season and only really achieving 0.5ppg type success. He spent some time on the jets as far as I can tell, but never really panned out past juniors.

Historical Consultant JP:
has no idea who this guy is

S4: Jordan Banack

Jordan Banack was an interesting story. Drafted by the Anaheim Outlaws, Banack failed to make an impact at the level expected in juniors, and was not successful early in his SHL career, before realizing he was actually Russian the entire time and changing his name to Alexei Kyexholyze. then he also didn't do anything after that. Not much to say about Banack, he was a failed pick.

Historical Consultant JP:
Banack would be a high NWJHL pick, lauded for his activity around the forum early on. He would pretty quickly go dormant and get drafted in the mid-third. In S7 he would be back, an SHL free agent after being dropped by Edmonton, he would sign in West Kendall. He would play a few uneventful but decent seasons there. You know him as Banacock today and he has had a lot of successful players in his time since he came back in S17.

S5: Brian Danielson

Brian Danielson, named after the wrestler probably, is another weird case, as he absolutely proved his value at the NWJHL level. Drafted by the Vancouver Whalers, he was the first (as far as I can tell) junior player to stay down an extra season after being drafted, playing two seasons with the Whalers, probably. Looking to be a potential breakout star in S8-S9, he never really made it at the SHL level.

Historical Consultant JP:
I'm positive Danielson was one of the first recreates. He was a force of a user, known for a while and a known commodity to earn TPE. So Vancouver wasn't missing on him. He would have a good NWJHL career and get drafted 12th by Toronto. He was a known commodity, but was a middle earner who had potential to stick around but not be a bright light like some of the players picked at the top of the draft like Summers, WIlliams, Perhonen, and Miller. He had a long career in Toronto, think he bounced around a bit at the end. No real complaints. Big bruiser. I think he left the forum many years ago.

S6: Rashad Thomas

Rashad went 1st overall to the Boston Battalion (not in the northwest by the way. This is still called the northwest junior hockey league and Boston is very much not there). He went on to have a fairly successful career, being drafted 2nd overall by the Winnipeg Jets, winning a challenge cup immediately as well as being an all-star in his first season, but didn't do much else before getting his FA rights traded to Toronto, and he seemed to have a fairly pedestrian career after that.

Historical Consultant JP:
Spangle. I believe future commish still at this point. Was a big user. Big time poster. This was his second player. Was already a mod in several places and very involved. So it was a no brainer to pick him first. Back in this day you probably just hoped he'd rig for you and you'd win a Cup. Spangle would get drafted by the Jets and win a Cup immediately in S7. Good career, but Spangs bounced players around like nobodies business. Great SMJHL horrid SHL pickup.

S7: Antero Salmelainen

Salmelainen was created by the user Brandon, who was on his second player, having previously created one of the first-ever SHL hall of famers, Brandon Holmes. He did something nobody else has done at this point: he managed to go 1st overall back to back. Wow, very impressive. His career, however, did not match up this lofty pedigree. He wasn't as active as he needed to be, and was moved around a ton.

S8: Harry Potter

Yeah. Harry Potter, from the fricking movies. it's really him. A recreate from the user Munk who created Jeff Dar (yes, that Jeff Dar), Another Boston Batallion pick, Potter struggled heavily as a rookie, but that did not matter. As far as I can tell, Potter was a GM player, as Munk was Minnesota MONARCHS GM at the time. He changed his name to Ja'far Dar, did nothing major, and petered out. A common theme at this point.

S9: Michael Haan

Haan makes history in several ways here, becoming not only the first non-original member/recreate to go 1st overall but also the first new-gen to go back-to-back 1st overall. Long-time member Bayley, current San Francisco Pride GM, was the creator of this player, so I'll try to be more accurate with my research, even though researching this era of SHL is like sorting through old newspaper clippings from the 1800s. Haan did not have a standout time in the NWJHL, but he still had a solid career, winning a Zach Miller award for most dedicated member during his NWJHL season, and winning top WJC defenseman. He was nominated for a Stevens in year 3 of his career, a pretty crazy accomplishment, and would go on to be a key member of the mid-teens Edmonton Blizzard dynasty, winning 3 challenge cups. An excellent career, even if not Hall of Fame.

S10: Roman Schultz

Schultzy was a very interesting user, being a long-time holder of the largest contract ever (get fucked buddy). However, his players were not as successful. He would win the same award as Haan, top WJC defenseman, before going 5th overall. He was a contributor on two Steelhawks cups teams in S11 and S20, but was not able to achieve significant individual accolades. However, as a user, he was a key member of the early S20s, winning several Damian Littletons. Without a doubt, not a bust, but not a major hit either.

S11: Alexey Kovalenko

Our string of first-gens technically ends here, as member Dion, who was somehow a four-star cup-winning GM in S9 before even making a player, created his first player for juniors only. However, his second player, Alexey Kovalenko, would go on to have legitimate success at both levels, becoming our third back-to-back 1st overall. He was drafted by the platoon, nominated for the Jesster, and then had a crazy suspension involving several personal attacks, saying some pretty insane shit. This would lead to a trade with the wolfpack, to which Commissioner Spangle reacted "Good job, Maxy. Dumping somebody who'll miss much of next year and might be inactive for a 2nd rounder and a decent inactive." Unfortunately, it wouldn't play out this way. Kovalenko was an extremely effective player in his SHL career, winning several individual accolades, several cups, and winning gold with Latvia in S18. Still not a Hall of Famer, however.

S12: Tuomas Vitikka

Unfortunately, we have found a complete bust. HFFO's first player was moderately successful, but his recreate, Tuomas Vitikka, was not. Despite going 3rd in the SHL draft, indicating moderate NWJHL success, he decided to give up early on his career to recreate with fellow SHL member Bacon. Nice one HFFO. good player man. no individual accolades. Nothing. This player did nothing at all.

S13: Marian Potoczny

This next one was solid. Wasty's third player, Marian Potoczny, went first overall in NMJHL and would go 2nd overall to the Panthers. The rest is history for Wasty as a member, as he would become LA GM for probably a decade of real-life time. He's also another member here with several 1st overall SMJHL picks, as we will be discussing his next one in S28. Potoczny himself would have a short career, winning a Jesster and winning a championship as part of the S17 Panthers, of which he was the GM. However, he had a brief career, ending in only 7 seasons.

Summary of NWJHL Era:
There was a hefty emphasis on recreates and experienced members, as they were much more of a sure thing. Regardless, members like Bayley and Schultzy would stand out as new-gens, and several of these members, despite these players being drafted over a decade ago, are still on the site today. That's pretty cool.

40-Game Era (S14-S23)
We're now entering our first new era, the 40-game era of the newly named SMJHL. I was not personally around until a couple of eras down the line, but we are definitely entering more documented and easily researchable territory.

S14: Logan Court

Jesster was an OG user, having had several players, being a dedicated user with several Damian Littleton nominations, and even has an award named after him today. Court, however, was not the best representation of his abilities as a player creator. Despite going back to back 1st overall, but that only turned into 100 points over a 10-year career, 11 playoff games, and 0 accolades.

S15: Maxim Horvat

We're back at Deener, and this one is a doozy. Another back-to-back 1st overall, Jets forward Horvat would quickly win a challenge cup and get nominated for playoff MVP. Right after that, he would get traded to the Renegades, where he would quickly become a key member of a dominant team, winning 2 back-to-back cups and going back-to-back-to-back as a player, which is insanely impressive. He was also a huge part of a great run for Canada in IIHF. While not being the most dominant player as an individual, his incredible team success at several levels of the SHL should've probably landed him in the hall of fame, but he sadly missed the mark.

S16: Chico Salmon

Wow, our third straight player to go back-to-back number 1 overall. xDParK had already been a very successful GM with the Dragons, and Salmon had nothing more to prove as a bonafide elite talent entering the season. On top of that, Salmon somehow managed to go #1 overall in another draft, being the first pick in the Portland Admirals (the Pride today) expansion. If I wanted to just list his accolades, I could probably get to 1k words on this alone, because Salmon was the first SMJHL #1 overall pick to enter the Hall of Fame, playing for nearly 20 seasons, being part of the aforementioned Texas team, and winning a ton of individual awards as well. In his one SMJHL season, he was dominant, somehow managing to score the most goals AND get the best defensive forward award, winning the Lindsay as well. He won Rookie of the Year, won those two cups, managed success in Minnesota where he was a Mexico nominee, and had an absolutely dominant S25 in Edmonton where he won every award there was to win. He also won some medals with Finland. An insane career for Salmon, and if I were rating these, he'd probably be up there for the best SMJHL #1 overall pick of all time.

S17: Magnus Vikstrand

And next, we have teztify, a fantastic GM already with the Edmonton blizzard. As such, he breaks our back-to-back streak, as Vikstrand was a GM player, but he was still a strong player, though obviously not at Salmon's level. most of his success came as part of a very good Sweden team, but he was able to get a couple more accolades, being nominated for best defenseman in his SMJHL season, and a challenge cup in S28 (alongside Salmon). teztify's legacy does not really come through on this player, but more through his incredible run as GM of the Blizzard.

S18: Kaspars Tsizling

Another member who is active today! Ace was an established member already at this point, but he really made his impact after returning in the mid-S30s from a period of inactivity. Tsizling was a very successful SMJHL player, becoming one of the first players to usher in the era of send-downs, winning four-star cups in both his seasons on the Whalers and even winning the Witzel in his first season there. Once he reached the SHL, he was part of a very successful Wolfpack team, though he did that while registering multiple Turd Fergusons. He was also a 2-time gold medalist with Latvia. Middling career, but not the worst by any means.

S19: Chuck Goody

Goody was drafted by Regina, which was PGF, which also turned into PGF again which turned into the Armada, and not the Regina that turned into Thunder Bay. Why are you confused? Stop being confused RIGHT NOW. He was a very successful pick, going back-to-back first and playing his early career with Manhattan before going on a journeyman run. In that time, he'd be nominated for rookie of the year, and win the Scott Stevens and a cup, all within his first 3 seasons. He'd win another cup as part of the S28 Blizzard (this team just had everybody I think) and have a great IIHF run with the US. Eventually, he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, becoming our second Hall of Famer so far.

S20: Sean Leonidas

Next, we have a pretty interesting case. Leo Senpai created Sean Leonidas, his first player and the first new-gen drafted 1st overall in 9 seasons, had a pretty strong career where he was very active on the site, and then never touched the site again. His SMJHL career was monstrously successful, particularly his send-down year after going 7th to the Seattle Riot (which turned into Tampa Bay). That season, he won: the Lindsay, the Hanson for most points, the Fallah, a Four Star, and Playoff MVP as well. In the SHL, he would be a huge part of a great Sweden IIHF run while really making his mark in the mid-S20s, eventually becoming co-GM of the Riot. He would never have a season quite like his S21 SMJHL season in the upper levels though, and was done by S31.

S21: Stacker Pentecost

Back-to-back new gens, but this illustrates the risk involved, as Pentecost was a massive bust. He went inactive very early in his career, and as a player, his only success was as an IFA signed by the Knights in S25. Then his shell would play a few shitty seasons in Buffalo. An unfortunate pickup for the Scarecrows at 1st.

S22: Asbjorn Alexandersen

This one is super super weird because the portal is absolutely broken here, they don't have this player on the correct user and the bojo box has him as Asbj?rn Alexandersen which took me a while to figure out. Regardless, I was able to piece together everything I needed. BigTittySmitty was a recreate, coming off a Hall of Famer first player, and Asbjorn was no slouch either. Alexandersen was an absolute DOG in juniors, but I can't give you his exact stats as his S23 season is missing on Bojobox (what the hell is going on). He won a Four Star, scored the most goals in the league, and won playoff MVP. He then got called up by Texas, having a solid rookie season. He didn't truly break out until S27, being nominated for an Aidan Richan, and he'd have a great run as part of that Sweden team in IIHF as well. He never really won anything big, though.

S23: Beau Ballard

The slur king, Dion, is back. Wow. Ballard was really not a very relevant player though, despite going 3rd in the next year's SHL draft. He was part of a successful IIHF Canada team but didn't really ever post stunning numbers. He would become a key part of the Admirals Expansion, however, and did play a role there. He retired pretty early and never had any sort of accolade or even got close to one.

Summary of 40-game Era:
The emphasis on recreates continues, but send-downs are now standard. The SMJHL landscape is shifting, which will be reflected in the next era.

That's all for this part, let me know what you thought of the article and how I could improve it for the next part! We will most likely cover the 350 cap SHL era as a whole in that part. Stay tuned!

***luke*** · 08-07-2024, 10:08 AM

Classic early SHL. Interesting that the simmers team always won

Amazing article Waters! Love the early history

Popol · 08-08-2024, 09:09 AM

Great read. Looking forward to the next eras

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