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FinnRhys · 11-23-2019, 09:44 AM

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Raiders Review – Part Two “A New Hope”

As mentioned in Part One, in this edition of the Raiders Review, we will profile some of the recent draftees to our hometown Raiders team and see how these new faces will fit in on a team that loses both its Captain and one of the Alternates during the S50 season. For a team that came in last in the recent season, the youth movement is in full swing at Halifax, with General Managers @Flareon and @Citizen of Adraa scouring the globe to find hidden gems. It is important to note, however, that it isn’t just finding talent that is going to turn the Raiders around, but continuing to cultivate that talent into polished gems that will ultimately determine the course of the franchise. With so much talent to work with, the Halifax fan base is hopeful that the team will be resurgent in S51 and beyond and show consistent improvement as it challenges for a Four Star Cup.

During the S51 SMJHL draft, Halifax had the fortune of selecting 8 new Raiders to join the team and fill some critical gaps in the team while shoring up some much needed depth. This deep class, combined with the draft class of S50, will look to continuously improve while playing a demanding schedule in a league where parity is becoming the norm and there will be no easy games.

In the first round, with the 8th overall pick, Halifax selected Olli Saarinen, Jr (@prettyburn), a coveted Finnish goaltender that will look to fill the void left by the fizzling out of backup Mike Montgomery and will push veteran goaltender Biz Nasty for playing time. Olli, a tall and lean hybrid goalie, will undoubtedly look to lock down the crease as the team’s goalie of the future. It is unknown how much playing time the rookie will earn during his rookie campaign, but I would not be surprised to see Olli see plenty of game action as he develops into the next Emiko Spector (@"mantorune") caliber goalie.

With only a single pick in the first three rounds, Halifax had to wait an interminably long amount of time to make their second selection. With the first pick of the fourth round and the 31st pick overall, Halifax selected Simon Moreau (@treant). Moreau, a strong two-way defenseman from Quebec, will look to follow in the footsteps of Raiders defensive legends in the making Adam Barron (@charlieconway) and up and comer Abel Skinner (@KC15). With both Barron and Skinner mentoring the young Moreau, the potential is there for the rookie blue liner to earn significant minutes on the second line and on the penalty kill. Moreau comes at a critical time as the Raiders blue liners look to gel into a more cohesive unit following the late season trade of former alternate captain FR Finn-Rhys to Colorado.

To assist in building a strong defensive core, the Raiders used their next pick, the 40th overall, to select another defenseman: Matthew Brundt (@FOXDIE17). This rangy Canadian defensive-minded defenseman is not known for his offensive prowess and will add a tougher, grittier style of play to the back line. The type of player that loves working in the trenches and making the tough but unsung plays, Brundt will look to earn second or third line minutes while anchoring a previously moribund penalty kill that only killed 75.84% of penalties last season.

With a heavy emphasis on defense early on in the draft, the Raiders GMs sent a clear message that having a strong defense will win championships as Halifax looks to lower its goals against average from last season.

With the next pick, the 41st overall and the first in the 5th round, Halifax selected their first player from the offensive side of the ice, American winger Jeffrey Santiago (@Someguy9500). Santiago, a spark plug kind of a player that is relatively short by SHL standards, will look to transfer his aggressive two-way forward style of play to the SMJHL and provide a critical spark to the second or third line. This fiery talent has all the makings of a future playmaker that could earn significant playing time as he improves his play and spends more time at the training facility bulking up his frame.

It was in the late rounds of the draft that Halifax found some potential hidden treasures, as many teams had filled out their rosters. It is here that the Raiders scouting staff showed their prowess as they scoured the world looking for hidden and unheralded talent. The Raiders management, scouts and fan base hope that these latter four picks will pan out and prove to be fruitful since they will add some much needed depth and new talent to the franchise.

With the first pick in the 6th round and the 51st pick overall, Halifax picked up Stefan Alfonso (@leanboidilly). This burly Latvian two-way defenseman is known for his mean streak and will add a measure of toughness to the Raiders blue liners. A physical specimen at 6’2” and weighing 220 pounds, Alfonso will look to lock down the checking line and play on the penalty kill while teaming up with other physical players like Karl Krashwagen (@CementHands) to throw their bodies around and lay down some pain and suffering on unaware skill players with their heads down.

In the 7th round, the Raiders picked up another defenseman, their fourth of the draft to that point, with the selection of Izzy Dudemiester (@NKren257). Another big two-way defenseman, Izzy is arguably the best named recent draftee and this Dutchman will look to earn third line and penalty kill minutes while learning his trade. A physically gifted player, Dudemiester is one of the few players in the league to hail from the Netherlands, a country known more for its distance speed skating than its hockey players. The young Dudemiester will look to show the SMJHL that there is plenty of talent in the Netherlands and should “tot ziens” while speeding away from the forecheck and pushing the puck into the Raiders’ offensive zone. The Raiders hope that his continued development will allow him to sing “Hup Holland” as the Raiders earn more wins due to his tough style of play.

With the 71st overall pick during the 8th round, Halifax picked up a young center in Braedon Crowe (@Braedon.crowe). An unheralded power forward from the United States, Crowe will look to make waves as he develops under the tutelage of Julien Villeneuve (@adamantium) and former Raider Atlas Rush (@Rublic) who is spending the offseason in Halifax preparing for his jump to the SHL ranks full time. This stocky center may have been a late round flyer but he will look to progress weekly and hopefully garner increased minutes as he improves his skill set.

The final pick for the Raiders was also the final player taken during the draft, with Halifax selecting Dank Jelly-Oüuh (@KeepingItChill) with the 81st overall pick in the 9th and final round. Another fantastically named player, Dank Jelly-Oüuh will look to move away from the “Mr. Irrelevant” moniker traditionally given to the last player taken in the draft, and instead become a household name in his own right. A towering defenseman from Norway, Jelly-Oüuh will look to improve his skills while utilizing his physical prowess and big frame to block out players on the boards and clear the crease of potential shooters while earning third or fourth line minutes. A rough around the edges talent, Jelly-Oüuh will be pushing for second line minutes if his progression continues.

As evident by the selection of 5 defensemen and 1 goalie with their 8 overall picks, the Raiders management will be looking for the offensive starpower from the S50 draft class to pair with the defensive might of this draft class to build a well rounded, albeit very young team. While a full rebound to consistent winning ways may still be a season away, the S51 Halifax Raiders have plenty of upside and will keep an eye to the future as they continue to cultivate young talent into premier players in the SMJHL and SHL.

FINN RHYS

[Image: hockey__27674.1518661372.1000.1200.jpg?c=2]

prettyburn · 11-23-2019, 09:55 AM

Emiko · 11-23-2019, 01:10 PM

I'm flattered, I didn't really think I was a great netminder. I was just lucky for the teams in front of me.

Someguy9500 · 11-23-2019, 07:50 PM

Yeah about my character, I wanted to make him seem like an underdog with crazy potential

charlieconway · 11-23-2019, 08:34 PM

Good reviews, nice work FR
raiders

Rublic · 11-24-2019, 10:30 AM

The raid continues!!! raiders

BENX5 · 12-10-2019, 01:41 PM

11-24-2019, 10:30 AMRublic Wrote: The raid continues!!!

how did you do that

Rublic · 12-10-2019, 09:51 PM

12-10-2019, 01:41 PMBENX5 Wrote:
11-24-2019, 10:30 AMRublic Wrote: The raid continues!!!

how did you do that

Code:
[quote='Rublic' pid='2736474' dateline='1574605815']

:raiders: The raid continues!!! :raiders:

[/quote]

This what you are looking for?

BENX5 · 12-11-2019, 08:43 AM

12-10-2019, 09:51 PMRublic Wrote:
12-10-2019, 01:41 PMBENX5 Wrote: how did you do that

Code:
[quote='Rublic' pid='2736474' dateline='1574605815'] :raiders: The raid continues!!! :raiders: [/quote]

This what you are looking for?

that you create it

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