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wizard_literal · 07-15-2023, 04:20 PM

The S72 Entry Draft has just concluded and you know what that means, double media week! Hello one and all this is your local Wizard speaking with my very first media post in the SHL. Some few of you may know me from that stinky football sim league the ISFL where I'm well known for vomiting out media on a weekly basis(don't fact check me on that I haven't actually been writing media over there since I've been too busy being a GM and beating @Gumbaman in sim football). So anyway welcome to the inaugural Wizard's Orb Media Series: SHL Edition! What better way to celebrate double media with a first round recap of the S72 Entry Draft. I'm not entirely well versed in all the names we'll be going over, but I'll try to provide what insight I can muster, and for those I know nothing about I'll at least try to reason why they were drafted to their team solely on the merit of their player's name. Enough said let's get into it.

1. Manhattan Rage [Image: Rage-Emote.png]

- Jaromír Jágrbomb
Leading up to the draft this is the name that was nearly consensus across all the mock draft for first overall. What's not to love here with a double "J" name and a few accent letters I'm sure Manhattan was two busy trying to correctly pronounce mister Jágrbomb's name they almost missed this recreate has something in the range of $240 million sim bux in their SHL bank. Great pick should prove to be a max earner for this club for season to come.

2. Hamilton Steelhawks [Image: steelhawks.png]

(via

) - Zedward Zilliams
Okay well we had a double "J" name to start off the draft so why not follow it up with a double "Z". If you've been in the S72 Draft Class discord you may have noticed a certain trend of discord nicknames like "Zedward Happens", "Zedwarduser", or even "Zedwarddoug11". A few mischievous rookies attempted identity theft in the hopes Hamilton would accidentally pick the wrong player at 2nd overall. Alas it was all for not as the Steelhawks got the first of three players in the first round that will help build the core of their future.

3. Minnesota Monarchs [Image: monarchs.png]

- Lazer Gato
Okay I tried to wait longer before gloating about myself, but we're doing these picks in order and I can help that Minnesota drafted the Literal Wizard and Lazer Gato himself at 3rd overall. A not so shameless self insert here all I can do is speak for my own dedication to fake sim sports as to why the Monarch's opted to take me at this spot. I'm quite sure @Gumbaman had a lot to do with Minnesota seriously considering me here, and I'm honored to have gone this high in the draft(although I think our next pick coming up here at 4th far deserved to be ahead of me Kraken

). Welp I suppose I'll have to live up to my draft spot now and I can't go being a non max-earning bum.

4. Toronto North Stars [Image: toronto2.png]

(via

) - Westley Kirkpatrick
Kirkpatrick the Kraken!! Westley is a teammate of mine who was selected at 19th in the Juniors draft but since has gone on to prove all the GMs who passed on him wrong(including his own juniors team the kraken who passed on him at 7 for a draft bust). I can't say enough good things about Kirkpatrick as a teammate and user the dude has taken the league by storm getting involved all over the place. Even at 4th Toronto got an incredible steal here who should be their lead defenseman of the future.

5. Tampa Bay Barracuda [Image: barracuda-new.png]

- The Murray
Back in the juniors draft "The Murray" was fully expected to go undrafted. Unfortunately for this Pink Hippopotamus they've now been drafted twice and really I can't blame teams for not wanting to pass on a player who has a Sly Cooper render. Aside from the fantastic render, the merits of this pick at the spot make complete sense. The Murray is one of the top recreates in this class and my brief interactions with them on discord have been nothing but pleasant. Tampa Bay had the luxury of BPA here and they got a good one.

6. Toronto North Stars [Image: toronto2.png]

(via

) - Billy Hill
Whoa whoa Billy Hilly was truly the surprise of the draft slotting in here at 6th to Toronto while most mocks had him going a bit later in the 13-16 range. Nevertheless Billy came into the league as a later newcreate and similarly to Kirkpatrick his draft stock has done nothing but gone up. Originally drafted at 38 to the Grizzles in his junior draft this all star has been killing it in earnings as he was sitting 10th in TPE for the S72 draft class!!

7. Manhattan Rage [Image: Rage-Emote.png]

(via

) - Austin Morley
Okay a name I actually know. Morely like myself is a ISFL user who has the track record to show they'll be an active and integral part of any team they join for the long haul. Stranding alone at the very top of the class in TPE Austin should pair nicely at Center with Manhattan's first overall pick Jágrbomb providing the Rage a boost on both sides of the ice.

8. Hamilton Steelhawks [Image: steelhawks.png]

(via

) - Trevor Lahey
A Lahey boy to the Steelhawks at 8! I'm a Sith Happens stan which by nature makes me a Trevor Lahey hater, but I can't help but love this pick for Hamilton (if you're not familiar with their rivalry just ask either one of them their opinion on the other). Hamilton is going to be a scary team here adding Lahey with Zedward and maybe another 1st round Center who I'll be talking about right below this sentence you're reading, so maybe if you want to hear about that you could avert your gaze slightly downward to our 9th overall pick.

9. Hamilton Steelhawks [Image: steelhawks.png]

- Activity Check
Well if nothing else the Steelhawks can rely on this player to stay Active I guess. The player deemed Activity Check is a fellow ISFL draft mate of mine who was highly coveted even as a Goalie... wait he swapped to Center? An absolute class traitor I can't believe he would position swap what a monster! Well I guess when you're in the same draft class as future Hall of Famer Bernard Lodge it's not too surprising that you'd turn to the dark side. Jokes aside Weaves is an awesome dude who has been more and more involved in the SHL since joining. The Steelhawks third pick here to round out their trio of first rounders is a home run in my opinion.

10. Calgary Dragons [Image: dragonsnew.png]

(via

) - Arthur Kaliyev
Okay we're getting into some names here of players I don't know too much about so apologies ahead of time this article is about to get a little weird. Let's rely on Ye Ole Google Search Engine to find out more about this player.

"Arthur Kaliyev is an Uzbekistani-born American professional ice hockey forward for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. He was drafted 33rd overall by the Kings in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2021."

Okay that's exciting Calgary was able to snag an actual NHL player for their first of three picks in this round. Nobodies more dedicated to Hockey than an actual Hockey player but there might be concerns that the Los Angeles Kings own this players draft rights.

11. New Orleans Specters [Image: specters.png]

- Bernard Lodge
A goalie going in the first round tell you everything you need to know about the user behind this player. UptownCord is an outstanding sim sports fanatic and NOLA is crazy lucky to get them at this spot. Sure he does play for Orange County in the ISFL which is a mark against him, and there are allegations that Goalie TPE doesn't matter(it does), but based on user alone this is a great pick. Not to mention NOLA was in need of a future goalie.

12. Calgary Dragons [Image: dragonsnew.png]

(via

) - Jaden Tanner
Going to stay on theme with the Calgary picks and just search their name on the internet. So at first glance Jaden Tanner looks like they might be an actual college football player so that's cool. Cross sports players are always studs. Okay I'll stop being lazy Jaden Tanner is actually Possum Queen's player who I believe is the current co-gm for Calgary so all around everything about this pick makes sense. Calgary, currently in a rebuild, get's their co-gm and Right Defense of the future that's going to progress along side Arthur Kaliyev & Sven Holmberg!

13. Toronto North Stars [Image: toronto2.png]

(via

) - Remington Richardson III
Well well well another ISFL user in the SHL. Might as well merge the leagues and allow cross league transactions at this rate that's five entire ISFL players who have gone in the first round here. Remington/electrictree is a fellow ISFL Tijuana Luchadore who I'm absolutely stoked to see go at this spot to Toronto. A true treasure of a pick 10/10.

14. Chicago Syndicate [Image: syndicate2.png]

- Alexandros Mograine
SLICER!! Steal of the draft! I know I've said that a few times but truly I think Chicago got away with one here picking up Alexandros who was a mid season waiver pickup for the Kraken. Nobody was more dedicated to mock draft season than my Carolina teammate, and by the metrics he hasn't missed a single TPE opportunity yet. So while he's around 30th in TPE in this class that statistic doesn't accurately reflect how he's been progressing.

15. Atlanta Inferno [Image: inferno.png]

- Dan Johnston
Another super solid newcreate here for Atlanta at pick 15. Like our previous pick Sliver Johnston was a little late to the game so the TPE totals don't quite reflect the value here. Johnston(user Figgy) has been out and about in discord during mock season just like my formerly mentioned teammate slicer. And of course playing Right Defense the positional value here should be really good for Atlanta.

16. New England Wolfpack [Image: wolfpack4.png]

- Rocky Orwell
Phew running out of steam here towards the end of the article. Searching for "Rocky Orwell" just gets me George Orwell results so let's just stick with the Rocky part.
[Image: il_570xN.1426875233_aj7z.jpg]

17. Tampa Bay Varracuda [Image: barracuda-new.png]

(via

, via

) - Dan Craig
My networking skills have revealed to me that Dan Craig is in multiple affiliate sim leagues, and I believe primarily focuses on the PBE. Solid pickup here for Tampa Bay as they get somebody who has a high floor and potential for an even higher ceiling sitting at 291 TPE already.

18. Tampa Bay Barracuda [Image: barracuda-new.png]

(via

) - RIP THUNDERDOME 2013-2023
Indeed rest in peace Thunderdome, you will not be missed(I guess we'll sort of miss you but it was probably for the better).

19. Calgary Dragons [Image: dragonsnew.png]

(via

) - Sven Holmberg
Right Defense, $64m+ in the bank and at pick 19 in the draft? Fantastic pickup for Calgary here let's see what google has to say about the name.

"Sven Holmberg was born on December 9, 1969 in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. He is an actor, known for Without Remorse (2021), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and The O.C. (2003)."

Interesting.

20. Buffalo Stampede [Image: stampede.png]

- Joseph Reed
And to close out the first round we have yet ANOTHER sim football league user who is branching out. Joseph Reed is better known in the ISFL for achieving Defensive Player of the Year as a Defensive Tackle(an incredibly difficult feat if you don't know). I'm not sure how the skills of a Defensive Tackle will translate to Hockey, but it's hard to bet against Reed's resume.