Björn Leppänen might as well be part bear for the type of game he plays. Hard hitting and great on the backend Björn “The Bear” Leppänen is a great addition to a team’s top 4 on the blueline. Coming from the Winter Warriors in the Fins, he’s looking to make his mark on the SMJL and I believe he’ll be leaving plenty of marks on players this upcoming season.


Karl Krashwagen may not be someone you want driving your car with you in it, but he is someone a SMJHL will want on their roster. Decent at all aspects of the game, Krashwagen is coming over from Germany to improve his game and play the Junior level hoping to make it to the pros one day. With constant training and the right locker room I think he has a very good shot.




A late addition to the prospect list, Capp Hatter hopes to show teams what he can do as a strong right winger that plays with a very IQ in his defensive zone. Always on the right place along the boards to get the puck out and block shots from his D man, Hatter is a goaltender’s favourite forward. Hopefully he doesn’t turn into the Mad Hatter however.



The only player from Bosnia in this year’s draft, Alex Ranch is looking to try his luck in the SMJHL. Most likely a later pick this one could have big sleeper potential. After all, who doesn’t love Ranch? He can play defense as a defenseman, and he can consistently break the puck out. With good wheels on the back end as well he could be a key piece for a blueline this upcoming season. Ranch could be an easy fan favourite and a marketing directors wet dream as well. Say hello to “Ranch Night” coming to your local SMJHL team.


Congratulations, the SHL is now banned in Russia thanks to this article. Our very last prospect on the list we’ll take a bit more time with him than some of the others. Despite what the picture implies Ivan Maximus is actually a decent skater, although his balance could use some work. More of a passer than scorer Maximus relies on his puck handling skills to find passing lanes and get to the open ice. More of an all-around player he’ll be given the chance to find his identity in the SMJHL and with the right club and management could turn out to be a very good prospect. As we end into the draft, he’s one of our Top 3 sleepers as he’s been underrated in our opinion.

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Thank you for taking the time to read our preview and overview of the upcoming S49 SMJHL Draft Class. There was way more prospects than we could have imagined so we had to leave a few off the list sadly although we did get to see roughly 90% of the players who will be drafted!