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Mika_Kandinsky · 06-05-2019, 01:46 PM

Siberia Sports: Teams Needs Ahead of the Draft

Today is the day of the SHL entry draft and the excitement is palpable. The media is in a fury trying to pump out articles ahead of the draft. We at Siberia Sports wanted to take an in depth look at what teams are needing heading into the draft today and seeing who they might go for with their first round picks. So, grab that cup of coffee and a pastry of your choosing, and let's take a look at all of the SHL teams and what their needs might be going into the S48 SHL draft.

Buffalo Stampede

The Stampede had a pretty good regular season coming in 4th place in just about every metric for team stats. Lead by a veteran group, they saw four players score about 40 points for the season. They are a group that is getting older and they are going to see 8 of their main roster players in regression this coming season. They need to start thinking about the future and grooming young talent to come in to replace their aging stars in a couple years. What better time to solidify a great piece for the future than with the deep pool from this year's draft. The Stampede are sitting with pick #14 in the first round. The stampede are a little weak on goalies and they don't have one in the pipeline so if Alexander Thorstorm falls to them, I could see them picking him up in the first. They have a good stock of centers coming up in their prospect pipeline so I wouldn't say that is a need. Their biggest need very well might be right wing as they only have two on the roster currently. They could use a star right winger for the future and if they could grab Barrett Blackwood, they could have a real steal on their hands.

Best pick option: Barret Blackwood

syndicate

Chicago Syndicate

The Syndicate found themselves in the middle of the SHL pack this season. They had a lot of depth scoring during the regular season, but only one player that scored about 40 points in Luke Atmey, who scored 58 points. The Syndicate need some more star power and that could possibly come from the draft. The Syndicate are picking #9 in the first round. They are only seeing four of their players regressing this upcoming season, so the team is young and a lot of their players have yet to reach their ceiling. If that depth scoring committee keeps improving, they could have a lot of points scored in upcoming seasons. The drafting from the Syndicate has been very balanced and their prospect pipeline looks healthy. They could use some more center depth, though, and therefore if it was possible the Syndicate should be looking to pick up Siberia's very own Mika Kandinsky as their pick in the draft. It is unclear if that is a possibility for them, but it could be a good fit for them in the future. They do already have two young centers in the system, however and their defense is starting to show it's age. Perhaps it would be better to build from the back first and invest in some young defenseman seeing as it might be uncertain whether Kandinsky would fall to #9. At #9 they could look to pick up Padriag Sarantez or Lyle Odelein III.

Best pick option: Lyle Odelein III

Steelhawks

Hamilton Steelhawks

The Hamilton Steelhawks are another team in the SHL that are beginning to show a little age. They have 8 players in regression for S48. On the flip side of that, they have half of a roster who are quite young. They are also a team that found itself at the bottom of the standings in the league this past season. So, what can Hamilton do to try and turn their fortunes around? Well, they hold the #2 pick in the draft this season and that is something that will surely help them going forward and can help rebuild the team further. They have a pretty good prospect pipeline at the moment so expect them to draft for best pick available at #2. Mocks have them taking Oliver Cleary at #2 which undoubtedly would be a great pickup for them. However, they already have a good amount of young defenseman on the team and their forward corp is older. This means they might want to restock for the future with a solid forward pickup. I would suggest Travis Bitties as a solid pickup here at #2, but Travis is looking to be a bit of a bust after being picked first overall in the S47 SMJHL draft. Another good choice for the Steelhawks would be Mika Kandinsky, Calogero Crudelli or Atlas Rush. Some might think these could be reach picks, but if the team wants to build up their forwards for the future, they wouldn't be going wrong with these players.

Best pick option: Mika Kandinsky

Rage

Manhattan Rage Rage

The rage are only having three players in regression for S48. They are young to middle aged team as far as their roster players go. They don't have much in the cupboards as far as prospects go with only four players in the pipeline that are not with the big club yet. The four are made up of a goalie, two defenseman and a center. On the main roster, it appears the Rage have a center problem, as their two best centers have been inactive for a while. The Rage do not hold a draft pick in the first or second rounds of the draft this year. They are going to hope their trades pay off and the current roster can carry the team. The Rage found themselves in the middle of the pack this past season and so they will hope that the team that they have assembled can improve and play better to give them a better shot at taking home a Challenge Cup.

Best pick option: No options

Wolfpack

New England Wolfpack

The Wolfpack are a team made up of half younger players and half an aging veteran core. They also have one of the biggest stars in the SHL, Tigole Bitties. Six of their players are in regression for the S48 season, one of them being Bitties. The Wolfpack are in a precarious situation only having one prospect in the pipeline that is not already with the big club after making their call-ups. They have a decent amount of scoring out of their veteran score with four players scoring over 40 points. They could use more depth, and it looks like they are hoping their rookies are going to be able to step up and provide it for them next season. The Wolfpack were in the middle-bottom of the league this past season and are hoping to see a rebound in their play. Some mock drafts have the Wolfpack taking Mika Kandinsky with their 6th pick in the draft, but I see a need for the Wolfpack to add a start defenseman. If one of Lyle Odelein III, Gabriel Johnson, or Piotr Horvat is available to them, I think they take that pick and don't look back.

Best pick option: Lyle Odelein III

Barracuda

Tampa Bay Barracuda

The Barracuda are one of the youngest teams in the league. They only have player, Shoyu Kikkoman, in regression for S48. They were also dead last in the SHL this past season. The team needs help from a future start player and the fact that they hold the first overall pick in this draft is huge for a team that desperately needs it. The one thing going for the Barracuda is their youth. Whether or not that youth movement will go into full swing in the next couple seasons remains to be seen. But things have to be looking up for the Barracuda as they look to add top talent to their lineup through this draft. The Barracuda can have whatever player they want in this draft and a lot of mocks have them taking Kaspars Claude at #1 overall. That seems to be the consensus pick, but I don't think the #1 pick in this draft is so obvious. We had previously wrote an article about Mika Kandinsky's possibility of going 1st overall. However, the Barracuda do have three young centers already in the lineup and they might believe enough in them to pass on Kandinsky and pick a defenseman. It would make sense for the team going forward.

Best pick option: Kaspars Claude

Stars

Toronto North Stars Stars

The Toronto North Stars are a team at the top-middle of the pack in the SHL. They have a lot of players in regression for S48 with eight players hitting their 10 year season or more. The aging core carrying the team has allowed the North Stars to focus on drafting and acquiring talent. They have one the larger young talent pools in the league and are looking to add to that pool even more with the 10th overall pick in the draft. The North Stars are in a bit of a predicament with their current roster as a good amount of them have gone inactive. They are hoping the crop of new talent will be able to start replacing their core in the upcoming seasons. They are going to look for best pick available at the #10 spot and I think that they should be targeting Atlas Rush if he is available. A talented winger, he can help add some depth and become a star in the future. They can't expect Loktionov to carry the team forever.

Best pick option: Atlas Rush

Platoon

West Kendall Platoon Platoon

The current champs of the Challenge Cup, the West Kendall platoon are a talented and aging core of players. They have 13 players in regression for the S48 season! They hit their window and they succeeded in grabbing a championship for themselves. They also had the best record in the regular season. They were a power house all season long. They had five players score over 50 points! They also had eight players score over 40 points! They had scoring out the ying-yang on this squad. The downside is that the core is starting to show its age. To combat that, they will need to keep the pipeline full of talent. Having the last pick in the first round means they are going to hope for an absolute steal to fall to them in the first. Look for them to target a forward at their position. They already have some younger defensman on the roster that they are going to hope takes them into the future. If Barrett Blackwood or Jon Forty-One fall to the last pick, expect them to grab one of them. These picks would be absolute steals for the Platoon from their position. Grabbing one of these players could help keep the Platoon a dominant team for years to come.

Best pick option: Jon Forty-One

Dragons

Calgary Dragons Dragons

The Dragons had a strong regular season finishing near the top of the league and making a deep run to the finals. The Dragons find themselves with the 15th pick in the draft this year after such a successful season. They see six of their players in regression for the S48 season and are also going to need to find a steal late in the draft to help keep their franchise success going. They already have a lot of good defense prospects in their system so look out for them taking a forward in their position. Luckily for them, they pick one ahead of the Platoon and can steal Barrett Blackwood or Jon Forty-One. I would think they are going to aim to take Barrett Blackwood at #15 if he falls to them and then Jon Forty-One would fall to the Platoon.

Best pick option: Barrett Blackwood

Blizzard

Edmonton Blizzard

The Blizzard are another great team with a core that is aging as they find success. They have 10 players in regression for S48 and they finished third in the regular season. The Blizzard have great depth and a great spread of scoring throughout the entire team. Their scoring through the lineup looks like a perfect bell curve from top to the bottom of the lineup. They are built correctly and it is no surprise that they contended so well for the Challenge Cup. That being said, their core is aging and management is going to need to draft well to keep the fire hot. The Blizzard have the #11 pick in the first round of the draft this year and could use that pick to find a left winger, a position of need for them in the prospect lineup. It's good for the Blizzard that they have drafted a lot of prospects and have people waiting in the wings to come up, but they don't have a single left winger in the pipeline. At the #11 spot, I could see them targeting Nick Connoly or reaching for Travis Bitties if they can convince him to play.

Best pick option: Nick Connoly

Panthers

Los Angeles Panthers

The Panthers had a bit of a rough year finishing the season in the bottom-middle of the SHL standings. The good news for them is that their core is not too old as they only have four players going into regression for S48. They hold the fourth pick in the draft, which is really the third pick of the draft since the third from Minnesota is forfeited. I would say that Mika Kandinsky would be an excellent value pick for them if he's on the board at their pick, but they do have some young centers on the roster already and might not want another one if they feel they already have their guys. They already have their young goaltender of the future on the Panthers, so I would expect them to target a stud defenseman at the top of this draft. This pick could help push them over the edge into being a solid contender. Their team is young and built well, they just need a few more pieces to come along and improve the team. A top defender could be just what they need. If Oliver Cleary is available at their position, I expect them to take him and laugh all the way to the bank.

Best pick option: Oliver Cleary

Chiefs

Minnesota Chiefs Chiefs

The Chiefs are facing disaster. They finished at the bottom of the standings of the SHL this past season, they have 10 players in regression for S48, and they just forfeited their 3rd overall pick in this years draft due to #tampering. This is not an enviable position to be in for current Chiefs management. It's going to take a lot to dig themselves out of this hole. Their team is aging and not performing, the worst possible position to be in. They do have some prospects in the pipeline, but they also have a bit of an activity problem on the team. A top pick in this draft could have been a huge piece for them going forward, but that opportuntiy was squandered with #tampergate. The Chiefs are going to hope that their current roster can carry the team forward. Realistically, they should consider trading all of their assets for picks in future drafts and start rebuilding the team as soon as possible. Best of luck to the Chiefs going forward.

Best pick option: No options and may god have mercy on their souls.

Specters

New Orleans Specters

The Specters had a fantastic regular season and then were eliminated from the playoffs much earlier than the team would have liked to see. The team has eight players in regression for S48 and they have an incredible prospect pool to draw from mostly made up of players from the St. Louis Scarecrows. So you can bet their prospects will pan out and turn into super stars for the team. The Specters hold the #12 pick in the draft this year. There is rumor that they really want Mika Kandinsky who is a center on the Scarecrows, but they are most likely going to have to trade up if they wanted that to happen. It would make sense since there is a history of the team drafting Scarecrows. GM Joe Kortesi is an alumni of the Scarecrows afterall, and has kept a close watch on Kandinsky. Unfortunately for them they don't have a great shot at him from their draft position. If they choose to not trade to move up to try an attempt at grabbing Kandinsky, we could see the Specters going after Lyle Odelein III if he's still on the board. Odelein is a current Scarecrow so it could be the obvious guess as to who they would take in this coming draft. They could also go ahead an nab Barrett Blackwood earlier in the draft to secure a solid forward that they also have familiarity with.

Best pick option: Lyle Odelein III

pride

San Francisco Pride pride

The Pride finished in the middle of the pack of the SHL last season and they have nine players in regression for S48. They want to continue to build and improve and they are positioned really well in this draft to do so. They hold the #7 and #8 picks in this draft which is a GM's dream to hold consecutive good picks in the first round. They are going to be able to pick up two great players back to back and in a deep draft like this one, it can be invaluable to them. They already have a solid pipeline of young prospects in the SMJHL waiting to take over the team as their core begins to age out. I expect them to take the two best picks available here. I could also see them taking another goalie if Alexander Thorstorm is still on the board at #7 or #8. They do need some defense in the pipeline, however, so I do see them targeting Piotr Horvat and Lyle Odelein III. We at Siberia Sports don't believe Kandinsky will be an option to them at their position. If they wanted to trade one of their consecutive firsts to move up, he could be a possibility for them.

Best pick option: Piotr Horvat & Lyle Odelein III

Renegades

Texas Renegades

The Texas Renegades found themselves finishing in the middle of the SHL pack this season. They hold the #13 pick in this year's draft. The Renegades only have five players in regression for S48, but they'll be happy to be able to pick up another solid young player at #13 to add to their prospect pool. The pool currently is only three players deep for the Renegades. They are holding onto a goalie and two right wingers in the SMJHL currently. The Renegades are in desperate need of a star center. I could see them trying to package picks and wingers/goalies for a move to the top of the draft to try and grab Kandinsky. This would be a smart move to balance out the team for the future. If they don't decide to make that move, they are going to be hoping to pick up a talented winger who could slot into the center position. I expect that pick to be Ravyn Tedisko.

Best pick option: Ravyn Tedisko

Jets

Winnipeg Jets Jets

The Winnipeg Jets did not have a good season this year. They ended near the bottom of the standings in a disappointing year for the team. On the bright side, the Jets have the 5th pick in this year's draft and can use that pick to help build toward a better future. The Jets have six players in regression for S48 which isn't a dire situation at all. They only have four prospects in the pipeline at the moment, though, so this pick is of upmost importance for the franchise. Their top centers are starting to show their age and they have one young rostered centerman. You know what we're thinking already, don't you? That's right, Mika Kandinsky would be an amazing pick for the Jets at #5. It's right around where most have Kandinsky going in the draft and also it fills a need for the Jets. Come two to three seasons from now, if they pick Kandinsky they will be over the moon and on their way to being contenders. He would be a great piece for them to build around for years to come. Will they do it, or will they trade their pick to say, the Specters, and try to fill up their prospect pool with more volume. Only a few more hours will tell the story here. But Siberia Sports thinks the Jets should try and take Kandisnky for themselves and enjoy a franchise player of the future.

Best pick option: Mika Kandisnky

So there you have it folks. Siberia Sports in depth analysis of each team in the SHL and their situation and needs going into today's draft. Good luck to all for the players and franchises hoping to find that next superstar or diamond in the rough! To everyone, else we hope that this article satiates you and your need for all of that juicy draft media. Stay tuned to Siberia Sports for post draft coverage!

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3755 words, 2x draft media

~~PenKnight~~ · 06-05-2019, 01:48 PM

I don't think I can keep up with your Media Output!!
Nicely Done Once Again!!

Best pick option: No options and may god have mercy on their souls. LOL LOL LOL