2X DRAFT MEDIA, 1,000 WORDS

This season heralded in an exciting, talent filled new class of young players to the SHL. The offseason is an exciting time for all, but there is no more excitement than to be had than the draft. Just last night, the Central Division's five teams added a total of sixteen prospects into their talent pools. Let's take a deeper dive into just what additions each teams, ranked, made to their rosters last nights.

5th - New Orleans Specters - 0 Draftees
While, this list starts off in a fairly boring way, so I'll keep it concise. New Orleans DID have a selection where there were still players available in the 3rd Round at 50th Overall, but by that point the board had pretty much run dry of quality active players. Their first round pick (10OA) ended up with the Edmonton Blizzard following it originally being traded to the Buffalo Stampede, while their second round pick (30OA) became the Tampa Bay Barracudas first selection of the night in Don Juan. All in all, pretty boring performance by NOLA.
Grade: F


4th - Chicago Syndicate - 3 Draftees
The Syndicate were in a unique position in this draft, with their fifth rounder quietly reserved for GM Player and draft superstar Matsmith Soderberg-Tremblay, a class leader in progression and a well known member around the league. If it weren't for their only other two picks landing in 3rd Round (60OV) and 4th Round (80OV) as Dimitris Chrysanthos and Slava Ukrani respectively, Chicago likely would have finished higher on this list. The competition in this class was steep, but with MST in the mix for the team moving forward, I'm sure they'll always look back up this draft fondly regardless.
Grade: C+


3rd - Texas Renegades - 3 Draftees
Texas showed up, and big time given the limited options they had with each of their picks. Coming into the draft, Texas selected David-Arturri Donskoi in the 1st Round (16OV), immediately grabbing a top round quality player to add to their roster for years to come. They didn't waste too much time though, picking again in the 2nd Round (39OV) and choosing Sash Sharnaz. Their third and final choice came in the 3rd Round (56OV) in Olivia Kunai, a great final acquisition for the team. The Renegades will be looking to use their roster as a rotating door over the next few seasons to ease some players out into retirement but continue to stay a top tier threat in the league. The Renegades were second in the division last season, and will hope to remain there this year.
Grade: B


2nd - Winnipeg Aurora - 5 Draftees
While it may come as a surprise to see I ranked the team who drafted me second in the division, I think it makes sense given where the picks all panned out. We made our first selection late in the draft, trading up to acquire our 1st Round (19OV) pick of Sebastian Dubois. Dubois will undoubtedly be a massive player for the team moving forward, and I believe it was a great move by the management team to ensure we scooped them up. We didn't pick again until the second half of the 2nd Round (32OV) where we selected yours truly, Ashton King, which I believe was an absolute steal. Only two picks at later in the 2nd Round (34OV), Manon Graves joined the team. Manon is already a great addition to the locker room, and a fun fellow new teammate. The draft wasn't over for us yet though, as we added a 3rd Round pick (45OV) in Shiny Shuckle and a 4th Rounder (67OV) of Lord Faarquads. While these players are late round selections, they may pan out just yet.
Grade: A


1st - Minnesota Monarchs - 5 Draftees
To round off the list, we have the Minnesota Monarchs, who put up an extremely strong draft class after finishing last in the division with a record of 22-43-1. The team clearly has some changes that need to be made, and they started that journey off strong last night by selecting in the 1st Round (4OV) a future superstar in Dan Baltisberger. Obviously any selection in the Top 5 will be substantial, but Baltisberger looks to be a foundational player moving forward. In the 2nd Round (23OV) Billy Blazes was quick off the board, and Luka Magic (28OV) was right behind him. Maybe even more so than Baltisberger, Blazes and Magic will be extremely important to the team's development. Their presence from being second round picks could make them big gamechangers. In the 3rd Round (43OV) Jeffery Johnson joined the team, a solid late round pick, while the Monarchs closed off draft night in the 4th Round (63OV) with Ed Balls.
Grade: A

All in all, I think this season hosted a very strong draft class, especially for teams in this conference (NOLA aside of course). I really think S65 will make a fairly large impact moving forward as we have some incredible guys dotted along the way, and now spread across the league. Hopefully I get the opportunity to play with, and against, some of y'all in the future!