S55 SMJHL DRAFT: MY FAVORITE PICKS

Now that the S55 SHL Entry Draft seems like an almost distant memory and things have moved ahead in the offseason, our collective attention as a league turned to the SMJHL this last weekend as they hosted their league's latest draft. In order to make the most of the double media payout that comes with writing around the SMJHL Draft, and also to familiarise myself a little bit with some of the names in the draft who might have slipped by me without some closer inspection, I'm going to be looking today at the picks in the draft that on initial inspection, I like the most. This will likely be caused by the players being picked being created by users that I'm familiar with, but I'll also hopefully be able to identify some impressive first generation players taken too, based on what we've seen from them so far during their short time in the league. With two new expansion teams picking in the draft, there's certainly a lot that's gone on for the junior league this offseason, and with the league finally able to take stock of what's occurred and look back on proceedings, it'll be interesting to evaluate some of the picks made by these new teams and give my opinion on whether or not they were able to obtain the type of franchise player who can become a leader on their young teams. So without further ado, let's get into it and take a look at what was the S55 SMHL Entry Draft.


1. - ZDENKO BERANEK
USER: @ztevans
DRAFT POSITION: 1st OVERALL

The first overall pick brings with it a lot of expectation, but for a young franchise like the Quebec City Citadelles, I think they could have done a lot worse than making the selection that they did on the night. Beranek is the latest player from Evans, a member who has contributed a lot to the league in the 4 years that he's been here. I can also attest to what he brings to a locker room, as I have been fortunate enough to have his previous player, Nikolai Evans, be a part of Texas for the final two seasons of his career. During this time, he has brought a lot to the squad on the ice as well as being a great presence in the locker room. He ticks the boxes of being a recreate who has the experience to really help out his team, but is still engaged enough in the league to keep a locker room active and fun, which for a new franchise like this is very important. I'm sure that Beranek will be a great player in the sim to go along with it, but this pick was bigger than that and Quebec City were able to secure someone who will be a huge part of the team's culture for a very long time to come.


4. - VILI AFALAVA
USER: @Wasty
DRAFT POSITION: 4th OVERALL

I loved this pick for a few reasons, but the main one is the same as above. Getting someone like Wasty, the most experienced SHL GM in the league here will really help the newly founded Battleborn to hit the ground running. The knowledge he'll be able to bring to the locker room will certainly help the young team's general managers, and the ability he'll have to lend a hand with things like player builds and strategies will certainly not go unnoticed. Add in the ability he'll bring to the team to produce some sweet graphics that everyone loves, and you've got a match made in heaven. I think that based on what a young team like Nevada needed here, this is really the kind of pick they should have made in order to set themselves up for success down the road.


7. - ROCK STRONGO
USER: @Leafs4ever
DRAFT POSITION: 7th OVERALL

I thought this was potentially the steal of the first round, as the Raptors were able to pick up Leafs with the 7th overall pick. Given the success that he's had in the league, the different jobs that he's held and his incredibly successful tenure as a GM in the past, he's the definition of an invaluable add to a locker room. He's been consistently active in this league and others for a long time, which makes him about as safe of a pick to develop into a star player as the SMJHL as you can get, and I'm sure that the GMs in Colorado will be excited to pick his brain and learn something from one of the best GMs in SHL history. Hopefully he can develop so that his play itself matches up to the off ice intangibles that he brings to the table.


16. - SLAVA PETROV
USER: @ckroyal
DRAFT POSITION: 16th OVERALL

This pick made by the list here because I believe it to be incredible value for a recreate like this. Taken with the 16th overall pick, so somewhere in the middle of the second round, ckroyal had a great player in the SHL previously and has been a big presence in both the NSFL and PBE for a long time. I think he is about a safe a pick as you can get at the SMJHL level, and should inject a nice bit of extra activity into an already strong Anchorage LR. Definitely the kind of addition who'll really help the team for a lo tof different reasons, I was a big fan of this pick and I'm looking forward to following Petrov's progression during the SMJHL season.


28. - MICHAEL WITHTHECHECK
USER: @sakrosankt
DRAFT POSITION: 28th OVERALL

The first first generation player we've looked at so far, Michael Withthecheck was taken in the draft's third round by the Anchorage Armada. The reason that Withthecheck makes it into the list here is because of my familiarity with his user from the NSFL. We both share a team over there, and I've seen first hand how big a presence he has become for the team's locker room and coaching group. While it's probably unlikely that he becomes as involved in this league as he has in that one, if he's able to bring any type of similar enthusiasm and engagement there then he'll make for a great addition to the Armada's group. I love the value here for a third round pick, and I'm hopeful that we're able to see a great rookie season from Withthecheck.


33. - VALITTERI KAUPPINEN
USER: @Pythonic
DRAFT POSITION: 33rd OVERALL

Knowing Kauppinen from the Team Finland locker room, I think this was a really nice pick up for the Vancouver Whalers toward the end of the third round. He's been a really nice add to our team, showing a lot of enthusiasm for the league and the development of his player, which I think at this stage of his career is all you can really ask for. He's earned a nice amount of TPE for this point of the season, and I think that he has the potential to develop into a really solid player for the Whalers as  the season goes on. Definitely someone to keep an eye on going forward!

I've worked a way to the bottom of the list, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the team's who I thought had a great draft on the whole.


DETROIT FALCONS

Detroit had a really good draft (as always), taking two very good recreates in JSS and JP in the first round of the draft, who will complement the team that they have already nicely. They made two more good picks at the bottom of the third round, taking Daedalus James and Oliver Setzinger who both look like good active players at this stage immediately following the draft, and were even able to snag an active goalie at the 57th overall pick in Valtteri Aalto. Considering the picks that they had and the way in which they were able to use them, there's a lot to like here for the Falcons, and I think that it'll be clear to see on the ice how good they can be. I'm expecting them to easily be back in the mix for the playoffs, and with the talent they've added today who knows, a run at the Four Star might not be impossible.


ST. LOUIS SCARECROWS

I really liked this draft from the Scarecrows. It wasn't the biggest class out of any team, but they managed to get their team's figurehead leader in JKortesi's recreate, Xavier Doom at 2nd overall, added Zbynek Dobrovsky in the second round, the first gen player made by a big name in the NSFL in iStegosauruz, and added Jimmy Dekens and Matty David in the later rounds, both very solid picks. I think the Scarecrows were another team that did very well with the picks that they had, and I expect this to translate to some good results in the seasons to come.


CAROLINA KRAKEN

Lastly, I liked the picks that the Kraken were able to make. Flappy's recreate at 5th overall was very nice, and then taking gordieboom's recreate at 27th overall was also a good value pick too. Being cup champions and making strong moves like this will give their opponents cause for concern this coming season, and I expect them to be a threat to go back out there and repeat what they did last season again. Definitely not a team that was able to totally revitalise their team, but they certainly were able to complement what they already had and help shore things up a little.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this, it was a little bit all over the place but I enjoyed being able to take a look at the SMJHL Draft Class. I'm sure I'll be writing about some of them again next season when they become eligible for the S56 SHL Entry Draft and the double media cycle rolls around again. For now, good luck to everyone involved in this class in your rookie season, and I hope you enjoy what the league has to offer!