It was the Sunday of draft day, and the young Vadim Askerov was a long side his friends and family as he ate breakfast talking about his potential landing spots in the draft. He knows that coming over from Russian he was highly touted in the post SMJHL draft free agent market and coming off a strong rookie season he knows that he is poised to be drafted into a good organization.

Coming into the draft Askerov is open to playing for any teams he has said, he is just looking forward to getting picked to a good organization that he can grow with and turn in to a top defenseman just like his dreams from when he was a little boy growing up in Russia.

After having a breakout rookie season and performing better than many expected, Askerov is ready to really make a statement in his second season and they potentially be able to break in to the SHL after that, but he does not want to rush into anything and make sure he is ready for any new challenge that might come from being a young player in the SHL.

Taking a quick look at some of the SHL teams that might need a defenseman like Askerov…

The Atlanta Inferno have a very strong group of defenders but outside of Michael Withecheck Puddles O’Duck, and Angus McFife XVII, the Inferno do not have much in terms of youth for the future so they may take a flyer on Askerov if he falls in to the later rounds as some draft experts have been saying. The Inferno have the 49th and the 69th picks in the draft so it is very possible that Askerov is still on the board there.

Next up is the Baltimore Platoon. The Platoon have a stout defensive core but no one in the pipeline developing. This may be a perfect scenario for a player like Askerov that can take as much time as he needs to develop and then join the Platoon a little later than some other teams might need him in the SHL. The Platoon have the 60th and 78th pick so much like the Atlanta Inferno, they be eyeing in on Askerov for either of those picks if he’s still on the board.

When it comes to teams with a stacked defensive group and two top defensive prospects, Buffalo has both. With the likes of Nicholas Owens, Emilia Bergman, Augustus Wang, and Aumy Jr; Buffalo might have the best group of defenders in the SHL. Along with top prospects Bean Beanman and Billy Brooks who are SHL ready and might not have spots on the roster. Buffalo has the 76th and 96th picks in the draft; could they take a flyer on Askerov? Sure, it would just the rich getting richer if they could get him at this pick, but I would look for them to try and get some forward depth in the pipeline.

The Dragons of Calgary are amid a rebuild and have two great young defenders with #A-Rye Izzy and Richard LaFleur but they are lacking any defensive prospects in their pipeline. I expect the Dragons to take some flyers on some of the defensemen in this upcoming draft and with picks 53rd and 73rd they are right in the range of where Askerov is expected to go.

Chicago comes up next and like Buffalo, they have a great group of defenders that include an aging but still strong Corey Kennedy, Akira Ren, Disisde Dayundie, and Jukka Timonen; along with young prospects such as Shion Okamoto, Valdis Vejonis, and Kappa Kappa. I do not see the Syndicate selecting any defensemen in this upcoming draft.

The Blizzard have a very strong veteran team and with that they have some lacing holes such as goaltending; they have a very strong defensive pipeline with the likes of Sven Svechnikov and Pasta the Turtle, both of whom are ready to get in to the SHL action, but the Blizzard will have some choices to make on their aging defensive core this off season. I do not expect the Blizzard to be in on Askerov.

Another team that is stacked on every line, that is the Hamilton Steelhawks. With the likes of players, Samuel Michaud and Guy O’Shea and prospect NeverBrokeAgain YoungBoy; I can see the Steelhawks at least thinking about their blueline in this draft. They have picks 80th and 100th so getting some kind of value from those picks would be ideal.

Next up we have the Los Angeles Panthers. The Panthers have a great offensive core, but they are lacking some offensive defensive prospects, and this could be a sneaky spot for Askerov. Unfortunately, they only have the 88th pick in the draft but this could be an opportunity for a late round trade up.

The Manhattan Rage are in the middle a very strong rebuild with a great prospect pool. They will be drafting young talent to add to this pool, and I think they will be selecting the best value at every pick. This should in turn allow the Rage to get some really good steals in this draft.

Minnesota is a middle of the road team that is a few pieces away from being really good and this draft can set them up for a bright future. They have an aging defensive core with top prosepct Sekai Wollker, they could use another high octane defender; Askerov might be on their radar towards the end of the draft.

The Patriotes are a very young team with a bright future ahead of them and like the other rebuilders in this draft, look for them to just draft the best possible player no matter what position they are at.

Speaking of another team that is a couple pieces away from contending and that is the New England Wolfpack. The Wolfpack has defensemen like Bjorn Jakobsen and Sven Yxskaft and young prospects Matej Winters and Kayden Pale but they late a real elite prospect in their pipeline so look for them to make a splash this upcoming draft.

The New Orleans Specters seem to always be a team on paper that is capable to winning the championship every single season. With the great top paring of Slip McScruff and Lyle Odelein III who are aging but are two all time greats; this team is still in a win now mode, but they have a great prospect pool as well. Look for the Specters to draft players who they think can contribute very quickly while they are still in their win now mode.

Philly is a place where hockey runs deep and the Forge are quietly trying to put together a solid team. A fairly new franchise to the SHL they are slowly building through the draft and looking to put together a team to compete in a few seasons. A player like Askerov perfectly fits into their future and they might have him high on their list too.

Another fairly new team to the SHL is the Seattle Argonauts; the Argonauts have been trying to build through the draft and they have missed on some picks that they needed to hit on to rush their rebuild. So, they are still hoping to hit on some picks this draft and turn their luck around.

The San Francisco Pride have been up and down the past few seasons and are trying to figure out what they want to do next and that starts with the upcoming SHL draft to try and get some active players for their team. I think the Pride is an outside team a making a big splash with a draft day trade up.

The Tampa Bay Barracudas have been shadowed for many seasons since the former GM was removed from his position by the league, but Trella has done a great job since taking over the team and has really set them up for the future. It will be interesting how the draft and the next few seasons go as they are starting to enter their prime.

Look for the Renegades this draft to try and pick up some players that will help their refill their prospect pool. Texas has a good playerssuch as Adam Scianna, Mikkel Asmus Sondergard, and Joseph Fantobeans. These three defensemen are great pieces and look for them to try and add another one for the future in this draft.

The North Stars, one of the longest active franchises in the history of the SHL have some work that needs to be get done in the next few seasons. They have one of the best forward cores in the league, but the back end is lacking at times and look for them to address those issues in the upcoming draft. Askerov should be on their radar, and he is an interesting fit for the North Stars.

The last team in this list is the Winnipeg Aurora. The Aurora is also fairly new and are in a full on rebuild. This team has a great amount of youth and the best farm system in the league. Look for the management to keep stashing draft picks whether it be for trading assets down the road of for their own team.


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