WHY I DRAFTED THEM: S53 EDITION

Double draft media eligible

Every season I try and work on an article that looks at the draft picks I've just made and gives some contexts to the decisions that have gone on behind the scenes, and in order to capitalise on the last couple days of double draft media S53 will be no different. I think this one was definitely one of the more interesting drafts for us, as not only did we make a pretty big trade a few days before, but the nature of it being a Reddit class and us coming in with a good amount of fairly early picks (3 in the top 21) meant that there really were some choices that needed to be made about which guy we'd be picking on the day of the draft. There were definitely some long conversations in the war room about the right moves to make, and before I really get into this article I want to give a big thank you to the scouting team in Texas; @thiefofcheese, @RedCapeDiver, @puolivalmiste and my co-GM @Jearim. All of these people spent a lot of time and effort looking at prospects, assembling invaluable draft documentation for us to use on the day and being there to give their opinions and bounce questions off, and it would have been impossible to have as smooth a process as we did if they weren't there.

The series that Luke recently wrote ranking the league's prospect pools, in which we were lucky enough to top the list, was proof that heading forward we had a great amount of depth in our young team which includes some of the biggest star names in recent draft classes. It did mean however that certain positions were more of a need for us than others. The recent trade we made to send former Texas prospect Henrik Lundqvist Jr. to the West Kendall Platoon left us with a hole at centre in our prospect pool which meant we had identified it as a need for us to address in this draft. In the S52 draft that took place a season ago, we had gone in and selected three defensemen prospects, which meant we currently stand a little tight on potential roster spots for young defensemen going forward, which was a consideration that certainly had an effect on the picks that the team made yesterday. The weird nature of drafting in the SHL means that drafting based off team need is fairly tough as even the best prospects are probably at least 2 seasons away from entering the SHL as any sort of impactful player; as such, you're faced with a need to identify what piece you're missing from the team in three seasons time, and I think we were able to do that fairly well this time around.

So, with all that said, let's now take a look at what exactly transpired yesterday afternoon. I'll try and give some backing and reasoning for each pick and how I see it working out for us down the line based on the assessment I've made of these prospects. After a cold streak that feels like it lasted forever, we finally went into this draft with the first overall pick - and traded it a few days later. This might have been a weird move for me to make for outside observers based on my constant frustration at losing the lottery, but when the deal that we took was put to us by Winnipeg I simply couldn't turn it down. While the guy taken first overall was a clear cut candidate, the positional need we have meant we could afford to drop back a few spaces and pick up the best prospect at the particular position of interest. I was shocked that we were able to come away with a potentially high future first round pick in order to move down three spots and come away with a prospect who I would've happily taken first overall (and someone that I believe in many classes recently would have been the first overall pick).

EDWARD WILLIAMS - 4TH OVERALL


Edward Williams was someone I was very familiar with from my time in the Detroit LR. I knew how good a guy he was, how involved with the league he had been since joining and how active he planned on being in the future. His draft day TPE was something like 315 TPE which is crazy for any prospect, let alone for someone who isn't even in the top 3, and I think in the days following I've become really confident that we couldn't have made a better decision in that spot. Not only does Williams meet our need of having the clear potential to be an elite centre at the SHL level, he has been a fantastic add to our locker room, and will be someone that has a huge part to play for Texas in many years to come. It's not often that you can hold a pick outside the top spot and find a prospect who you think ticks every box; I think we've been lucky enough to be able to draft two in the last couple of seasons, as I believe he follows on from Adam Scianna last season in being our highest rated player in the class but not going with the first overall pick. I was super happy that we were able to make the move that we did, trading away the pick that won the lottery, getting back a very valuable asset to use in the future and still getting a player who I believe has the potential to be franchise changing. This is a pick I'm extremely happy with already and I really can't wait to see what Williams will bring to the Renegades in the seasons to come.

BURLOK SULFURGOLD - 19TH OVERALL


Another player who I was very familiar with already due to our shared SMJHL team in Detroit, leviadan was someone I was very high on pre-draft and had my eyes on in a big way before the draft. I was very doubtful however that I'd see him fall down to our second pick in the draft at number 19, so it made for a very nice surprise to see him available with that pick early on in the second round. Burlok as a player looks like a physically dominating winger, and it's going to be exciting to see the way he'll line up alongside the young talent we've been lucky enough to add in the last few drafts. As well as building a great player on the ice, leviadan is a member I've been a fan of ever since he was drafted to Detroit. It was also nice for me to bring in not just one but two guys from the Falcons rookie class this season - they've made up possibly the best class of rookies I've ever seen on a team, and to have the ability to make the environment a little more familiar for them joining the Renegades is a great result for all involved. I've liked everything that Sulfurgold has brought to the team since we drafted him, and I can see him being a very valuable player for us looking ahead.

ERIC HUDSON - 21ST OVERALL


This one was another pick I was very surprised to be able to make, and honestly we hadn't even seen Hudson as a potential pick we could make at 21. He's been up there with the best earners in his class and has produced good media in the time since he joined, giving him a solid bank account to go along with his high TPE count. I really did see him as a player going in the first round, so to be able to snag him where we did was a very good feeling for us. Hudson looks like a prospect with a seriously high ceiling, and based off the conversations we've had already and the way he's progressed since joining the SHL, I see him as another huge player for the Renegades in the not too distant future. I believe in any other draft class Hudson would've been a top 5 pick with no doubt, and for us to be able to come away with yet another player of the same high level of talent that he has is a huge win for us.

Although we only made 3 picks in the draft, I am very confident in the level of all three of them and what they'll bring to the team down the line. We've already got a stacked prospect pool, and to bolster it in the way that we did over the weekend has been really exciting for me. I can't wait to see what these guys are able to bring in the seasons to come, and the chance to add them has been great for us. Welcome to the Renegades guys, hope you're all looking forward to some serious dubs.