It was a difficult season last year for Seattle, mainly due to the fact that they had to deal superstar winger Jack Kanoff in-season after he requested a trade to Buffalo so he could go to a team that was ready to compete now. This also called for management to look inward and adjust their plan to compete in a couple seasons, so they also moved center Michael Scarn to Hamilton. After that, they went from leading the division to finishing fourth in the Pacific Division, sixth in the Western Conference and 11th in the overall league standings. This led them into a difficult first-round matchup with the Calgary Dragons, which saw them fall in seven games. Another big storyline for Seattle was their play at home and on the road. While they were one of the best teams playing at home in Seattle, they were one of the worst teams in the league on the road. This is something that they will need to balance this coming season if they hope to compete. The biggest thing they wanted to address coming into this draft was the back end, and they definitely did that. One of the biggest benefits of dealing Kanoff and Scarn were the assets they brought back. The gains from the Scarn trade will be clearer in a couple seasons when those picks come up, but the Kanoff trade has already netted them two players that will be major players for the Argonauts in the future. Below is a break down of the Argonauts picks this year, what they will bring to Seattle, and the General Manager’s thoughts on where they will fit.
Fischermann was the first player selected with Seattle’s own first round pick in franchise history. However, that comes with a caveat because remember that Kanoff trade I mentioned that would net Seattle some major players in the future. This is the first one from that trade. Selected 10th overall, and sliding farther down than most mock drafts had him was the 6-4, 205 pound defenseman Landon Fischermann. A native of Los Angeles, California he played in all 66 games during his rookie season in the SMJHL with the Vancouver Whalers posting 21 points and a plus - 7 rating. He scored eight goals and 13 assists and had an average time on ice of 18:04. Fischermann’s numbers were solid all season, and he led all Whalers rookie in blocked shots with 77 (third overall on the team). During the postseason he tallied one goal and three assists along with a plus - 1 rating in 13 games. He once again led team-defensemen in blocked shots with 14 and averaged 16:52 time on ice.
General Manager Tig’s Thoughts: "In Landon Fischermann, we see a lot of former Argonaut and recent Hall of Famer Tig Murphy when he was breaking into the league. There's obviously the high-end skill and skating that carries the potential for big-time production, but also a projectable frame and great stick that should allow him to be a two-way force. As he improves at reading the play, he's going to become almost impossible for attackers to beat one on one, and his skating and puck skills will allow him to quickly transition the puck up the ice. We project him as a future top pair guy, not really a lot of doubt in our minds that a player with this much talent and size paired with a great attitude has a great career ahead of him."
Willie Miller was the top goalie in the class and it wasn’t all that close. He was not only one of the top goalies though, he was also one of the top earners all together. He was at the top of the class rankings nearly the entire season. He was leaned on heavily during his rookie season in Nevada, and definitely got the work in, as Nevada was a very young team that struggled most of the season. The 6-2, 205 pound netminder from Sweden played in 59 games for Nevada, posting a 9-47-2 record, .895 save percentage, 4.96 goals-against average and three shutouts during the regular season. He also started all four postseason games for Nevada, with a record of 0-3-1, a .918 save percentage and a 4.38 goals-against average. During the regular season he led the league in saves with 2,196 and games played with 59, while ranking tied for eighth in shutouts with three. Things should be better next year for Miller and the Nevada Battle Born, as they have a young team that should be coming more and more into its own.
General Manager Tig’s Thoughts: "Willie Miller's performance for the Nevada Battle Born as a rookie netminder this season was one of the more understated stories of the year. On the surface, the stats don't paint a pretty picture, but when you consider the barrage of shots and high quality chances he faced on an extremely young team, he kept many a game from being a total blowout. One of the most impressive things was his ability to continue battling despite the circumstances. For a goalie, mental fortitude is one of the most important things they can have, and he's got it in spades. On top of that he's incredibly athletic and reads the play extremely well, which lets him utilize his rock solid fundamentals to great effect. This is a future franchise goalie."
This selection was the other one that Seattle got in that Kanoff deal (along with more future first round picks). Manning is a 6-3, 195 pound center out of Vancouver, Canada appeared in 66 games during his rookie season in Colorado. He totaled 18 points, with three goals and 15 assists while played 11:22 average time on ice. He finished the season with 73 blocked shots, which ranked third on the team among forwards. He and the Raptors had a very good season, finishing fifth in the league with 76 points (37-27-2 record). This was good enough to win the South West division. They got a first round bye because of that, but fell in 7 games to the Anchorage Armada. Manning went scoreless in those seven games, but he also maintained an even rating with 12:20 average time on ice per game. Manning brings speed and a strong defensive ability early on in his career, but he has a lot of potential up front as he develops his offensive skills. This was a massive steal for Seattle getting him at the end of the first round. This pick combined with the selection of Fischermann make that Kanoff deal hopefully easier for Seattle fans to swallow as it appears the first two picks the Argonauts got in that trade were used on future franchise cornerstones.
General Manager Tig’s Thoughts: "Max Manning is the prototypical playmaking centreman. Our scouts raved about his hockey IQ from the moment they first saw him playing with the Colorado Raptors this season. One of his best assets is his creativity, he'll frequently use an angled pass off the boards or make a no look play against the grain to an open teammate that drags defenders out of position. Despite his goal total on the year, we believe he has an above average shot, and one that we hope will be used more frequently as he continues adjusting to the pace of play in the SMJHL to add another threat to his arsenal. With that said, playmaking is his game and he excels at it. He's the type of player who can run a powerplay with their eyes closed, and being able to inject that much talent into our organization with the 20th overall pick was a very pleasant surprise."
Focusing on the back end again, the Argonauts chose left defenseman Jamal Nightingale with the 43rd overall pick. The 6-2, 200 pound native of Spanish Town, Jamaica, Nightingale had a very solid rookie season with the Colorado Raptors. Joining his teammate Max Manning and Magnus Galtisson (we will get to him shortly) as future Argonauts should definitely help these guys assimilate into the locker room more seamlessly. Nightingale played in all 66 games with Colorado, posting 18 points with one goal and 16 assists while playing 19:00 average time on ice per game. He ranked second on the team in blocked shots with 102 and tied for fourth in hits with 103. He also averaged 2:07 time one ice per game while shorthanded, which ranked third on the team. In seven postseason games with the Raptors, Nightingale posted on point (an assist) and a plus-2 rating in an incredible 20:56 average time on ice per game. He led the team in blocked shots with 15 and ranked second in hits with 18. Nightingale is a defensive defenseman if there ever was one. He is focused completely on being shutdown in his own zone. A big hitting defensive d-man to play on the left side is exactly the type of player Seattle was looking at adding to their prospect pool.
General Manager Tig’s Thoughts: "Nightingale is a classic throwback of a defender. He arrives to every puck battle in a bad mood and never passes up an opportunity to lay the hammer down on the other team's forwards. While he's quite raw as a prospect, he shows great fundamentals in his skating and positioning, showing that he can read the play defensively at a high level even as a rookie. He has all the hallmarks of an elite shutdown defender and ace penalty killer if he can continue progressing. We'd like to see him put in some hard work on his puck skills with our development coaches over the next several seasons, not to turn him into something he's not, but just to ensure he's able to handle the puck with authority on the breakout and at the offensive line."
Seattle decided to trade back into the draft in order to select right defenseman Magnus Galtisson in the middle of the third round. The Argonauts sent New England their 3rd round pick in the S64 SHL draft in order to get this pick. Galtisson is a 6-2, 215 pound defenseman out of Calgary, Canada. He is a strong, big hitting defenseman that excels in his own end, but has the ability to contribute offensively if he puts in the time training. The third of three Colorado Raptors selected in this years draft by the Seattle Argonauts, Galtisson posted 12 points with six goals and six assists with a plus - 9 rating in 44 games after joining the Raptors in season. He averaged nearly two hits per game, which would have put him at or near the top of the team lead had he been able to play all 66 games at that pace. He was also consistently depended on shorthanded, appearing in 1:11 average time on ice on the penalty kill. He had an average time on ice of 17:24 during the entirety of the regular season. Galtisson tallied one points (an assist) in Colorado’s seven postseason games. He was heavily depended on in the playoffs, similar to Nightingale, recording 19:26 time on ice per game. He also led the team in hits with 18.
General Manager Tig’s Thoughts: "Magnus Galtisson is probably the most raw player in the draft, and that's what made him an intriguing target for us late in the draft. He's the youngest player in the draft and didn't get a full season to adjust to the SMJHL, so in some sense it's likely that limited exposure hurt his stock with the scouts. However, we see a player that has the potential to grow in a number of areas in his game. He does a little bit of everything on the ice and as he continues to adjust to the rigours of the SMJHL schedule we're hopeful that his natural talent will start to shine through more, whereas you see bursts of it now. Consistency will be key for Magnus moving forward but right now, the sky is the limit for this kid."
Current TPE – 257
The Argonauts came into the draft with one thing in mind, defense. It is safe to say they addressed that need and then some. Selecting Fischermann in the first round, followed by the Colorado Raptors duo of Nightingale and Galtisson in the third round will help round out their defensive prospect pool. On top of these additions, adding a near sure-fire starting goalie in Willie Miller and an extremely talented forward prospect in Max Manning, Seattle leaves this draft doing everything they wanted to do. There is no way any draft pundits could look at this draft class and give Seattle anything but an A+ for what they came out with. Hopefully the disappointment of losing a couple superstars last season is quashed a little bit for the fans, as they are seeing some of the benefits of making the moves they made. These new additions won’t be in Seattle next season or likely even the year after, but before you know it, these guys will be contributing in a major way to try and get Seattle into the next tier of SHL teams and on their way to going deep into the playoffs and finally winning a championship and bringing it hope to Seattle.
General Managers @notorioustig and @reid have done an excellent job accelerating this rebuild, and there is hope for the Argonauts’ future after having such an excellent off-season. Good things are coming soon for the Argonauts and their fans.
So everyone else can Argo-F***-themselves ?
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S61 Four Star Cup - Game-Winning Goal in the clinching Game 4
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