The St Louis Scarecrows are coming into this season with high hopes of contending. Last season the Scarecrows did not impress many fans as they finished the season with 18 wins and 39 points. Good enough for third from last, just above long time rivals the Detroit Falcons and the once great Kelowna Knights. The Scarecrows’ lack of success in S56 is credited to their not so hot draft. Out of all six rookies that were chosen to wear the Scarecrows sweater, only one was drafted to the SHL and remains on the team for this season. Something the Scarecrows did towards the end of the season, after the trade deadline, was picking up a bunch of draftable free agents. Which is basically a professional try out for the team during the remaining regular season games. The team actually performed better with these DFA’s in tow. Enough to get a better matchup in the playoffs. They faced off against the very strong and sturdy Maine Timber. Taking the Timber to seven games in the first round, but ultimately sent back home.
What did St Louis do in the S57 draft to better their chances? Winning the lottery helped a lot. Drafting better than last year also helped a lot. With the first overall selection in the S57 SMJHL Draft, St Louis selected Jean-Locke Zidane from France. The big right defender is known for his strength and physical presence, something that was lacking for the Scarecrows since LPLL was called up. They did not stop there. They continued to make good picks all night. Drafting winger Friedensreich Hundertwasser at 15 should be considered a steal. Hundertwasser should have easily been in the first round, St Louis had him as a DFA and were excited to bring him back. At 18, the Scarecrows took what I consider the best goalie in the draft, Kit Kirkstone. Kirkstone is a strong prospect who is going to build into a strong starter. While not taking the number one spot right away, Kirkstone should see enough starts to get him ready for the starter gig. Hunter Sharpe, Greg Davis, and Nick Grant were also added in the next few rounds. All three are showing great promise and look to be a solid core for the future.
Pre-season is currently underway and St Louis is showing some signs of life. The first game against Vancouver ended up in a battle of the goalies. The Whalers edged out the Scarecrows 2-1 largely due to veteran goalie Jon St Ark. Rookie Nick Grant would score the only St Louis goal. Game two did not go to plan. Colorado ended up winning 4-1. Not a strong start for sure. Game three, rematch with the Whalers. This time, St Ark would not be able to stop all the shots being put against him. St Louis walked away with a 7-2 win. Nick Grant would score another goal and pick up an assist, Hunter Sharpe found his first point, and Jean-Locke Zidane ended with a goal and three points. Pretty good showing for the rookies so far. Anaheim is up next and St Louis would continue their dominance in a 7-1 victory. In this victory, Hundertwasser decided he wanted a piece of the rookie pie but he did not stop at one goal, he went for the hat trick. Maine Timber put a big fight and beat the Scarecrows in a shootout 3-2. With more pre-season games to come, St Louis is looking better already. As their new rookies keep developing, the Crows should be at the top of their game in no time.

[602]

Approved, +5 TPE @Nictox