In my second deep dive, I will be taking a deeper look into the top 4 drafted players of the most recent draft class, and where they landed and how they performed.


#1. Zdenko Beranek - Quebec City Citadelles 

The first player taken in the draft, and the first player drafted by the expansion Citadelles, Zdenko Beranek is a short and shifty right wing. Currently at a total of 268TPE, he is lagging behind most of the top prospects in that aspect. Being drafted to an expansion franchise he was allotted an average of fourteen minutes, and twenty eight seconds each game on the ice. In terms of production, he left a lot to be desired. With 6 goals and 15 assists, much more was expected of the first overall draft pick, especially in the most important aspect of the game, hits. With only a measly 22 hits, he averaged under half a hit a game! Do not take all the negatives I said about him though, for he is one of the best people in the locker room, and will surely keep developing into a fantastic player.


 #2. Xavier Doom - St. Louis Scarecrows 

Hey, its somebody I recognize from the ISFL! I'm gonna be honest, I don't really know a lot of the users on this site, I am very new to sim leagues, but I do know Xavier from the ISFL. He is an average sized well rounded Center, and he currently has 300TPE, which is a very solid amount and is in the top 20 of the S56 draft class so far. He was drafted to a mediocre St. Louis team, but being a rookie to an existing team, was only allotted ten minutes and fifty-five seconds on the ice each game. In terms of production he did an alright job with the time he was permitted, scoring 5 goals, and dishing 9 assists, but he really steps it up when it comes to the hits stat. He was able to get 61 hits over the season, good for over a hit a game! Knowing who he is, and the fact that he is a GM, he is definitely a top prospect. Expect the Specters to pick him up.

 #3. Lucas Johansson - Maine Timber 

And its right back to people I have never heard of before! Lucas is an average sized left wing, who is particularly good at being a defensive forward. He is also currently at 283TPE. Being drafted to a Timber team that would end up making the finals, they would end up just short of glory, but being drafted to a championship caliber team left Lucas with a measly ten minutes and nine seconds of ice time per game. Production wise he was very lackluster, with only 2 goals and 9 assists over the year, he also had a ridiculously low hit total of 10. Thats right! Just ten hits over the season, only getting one every five games! Since this is his first season on the ice though, it is okay that the production is not there, he will have plenty of time to keep developing into a fine player. Don't be surprised when Baltimore ends up swooping up their GM though.

 #4. Vili Afalava - Nevada Battleborn 

While you cannot really call someone a disappointment this early, Vili left a lot to be desired at the end of his first season in the league. A smaller right defender, he is built mainly on defense..... real shocker. Currently at a pretty measly 243TPE, he was taken by an expansion franchise, he averaged the sixth most amount of time on the ice per game, clocking in at twenty-two minutes and eighteen seconds of skating. Being a defender, he only scored a paltry 3 goals, and an even more paltry 6 assists. With that much time on the ice, there is no reason for him to be that lackluster in scoring situations. However, where he truly makes his mark, is the fact that he got 101 hits over the course of the season. He averaged two hits per game! Finally someone who speaks my language, and while he wont be getting close to someone like Boris Petrov in terms of hits, he is a very good young defender, with plenty of time to develop. Expect the Panthers to eventually pick him up.



Approved +5 TPE @LimJahey