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*Zoone16* · 09-26-2019, 11:40 AM

(1063 words, Double Media Week)

The Battle of B.C just got an Italian goaltending twist to it last night. With Luca Del Vecchio and White Goodman selected 9th to Kelowna and 10th to Vancouver respectively, the rivalry between the Knights and the Whalers will have yet another chapter written to it.
“I look forward to beating White [Goodman] on a regular basis. He’s too cocky and needs to be taken down several pegs. Me being taken before him is the first of many” stated Del Vecchio during the post-draft press conferences. “I’m very happy to be drafted to Kelowna. Many of the SHL’s legends played here. And I wanted to play in a team with a lot of history. I have not been to Kelowna yet and I look forward to seeing the city. Canada is the best place to develop for hockey.”

In retrospect, it was a bit of a strange first round this past draft. With teams losing plenty of young players to the SHL and with the introduction of the updated salary cap, there was a heavy focus on replenishing at key positions early on.
Abel Skinner unsurprisingly went 1st overall to Halifax raiders

. The young offensive defenseman had time to showcase himself at the end of S49 and impressed right from the get go. Most analysts had him going in the top 2 and with his frame (6ft, 195lbs) he has the physique and skillset to success from game 1 of the regular season.

Second overall was Nicholas Owens, going to Anaheim Outlaws

. The Outlaws were familiar with Owens through management relations and were dead set on him as soon as he declared for the draft. A two-way defenseman coming in at 6ft 200lbs, he is poised to be an expert shotblocker and passer as he develops. Owens does not have the same offensive flair as Skinner but if you are looking for a cornerstone to build around, he is the ideal candidate for that.

Third overall was John Forfeit, also going to the Outlaws Outlaws

after a trade sent the pick from Colorado to Anaheim. A 6ft3 202lbs winger is quite the presence on the ice. With that frame, one would think that his play is more defensive and physical. But to everyone’s surprise, Forfeit has incredible offensive flair and is not physical at all. Hard shot and speedy, expect him to man the power play from the point in a 4-1 formation.

The Armada Armada

took everyone by surprise by selecting Berry Blue at fourth overall. Another two-way defenseman, the British national, sits at 6ft1 and 210lbs. Extremely tough to beat on the ice and a smooth passer. He looks like the ideal player you want in his own zone and send that first pass out of the defensive zone. Currently has more of a defensive build and in need to improve his skating, this pick will pay off on a team that was looking exactly for this type of player.

Our first goalie of the first round, Elizabeth Doyle, was taken by the Scarecrows

at fifth Overall. Doyle is small compared to the average of this class, sitting at 5ft9. The Irish goaltender impressed during the combine with her cat like reflexes and hand speed. She does tend to give up too many rebounds and her skating needs work. Her going at 5th overall fills a positional need for the present and the future for St. Louis.

Back to defense at sixth overall, with Vancouver Whalers

selecting Zlatan Ibrahimovic Jr. The two-way Swedish defenseman’s strengths lie in his ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone and into the offensive zone without much trouble. More of a passer than a scorer, don’t expect a ton of goals from him but assists will come aplenty. Expect him to set his teammates up with nifty passes and juicy one-timers.

Seventh overall was back to the Halifax Raiders raiders

after acquiring the pick from Lethbridge a few days prior to the draft. They wasted to time to select the only center of this round, Julien Villeneuve. An offensive forward with a flair for scoring goals, Villeneuve plays an overall well-balanced game. He can score, skate and pass and be a general nuisance for the opposition. His major weakness is his size and physicality. At 5ft9, the larger guys on the ice will push him aside with crushing blows. However, Villeneuve has succeeded at every level so far despite his disadvantage. Expect no less from him in the SMJHL.

With the eighth overall selection, the Detroit Falcons Falcons

went with Kaarlo Kekkonen. The tallest and 2nd biggest player in the first round, coming in at a massive 6ft4 220lbs, the two-way forward from Finland is a scary person to see skating at full speed towards you. More of a shooter and skater rather than a passer, he can be unpredictable on the ice. As such, he is extremely difficult to stop once he gets going.

The Kelowna Knights Knights

filled a critical need by selecting goaltender Luca Del Vecchio at ninth overall. At 6ft 200lbs, the Italian fills the net quite well. With solid reaction times, his play is based around preventing rebounds as much as possible. As a result, his puck handling needs work as well as his post-to-post lateral movements.

The tenth and final selection of the first round belonged to the Vancouver Whalers Whalers

, who immediately snatched up goaltender White Goodman. There’s big, and then there’s Goodman big. At 6ft3 and a stunning 230lbs, the Italian titan deflects pucks like it was nothing. In many ways, Goodman has the same skillset as Del Vecchio, with more upside in agility and athleticism. However, he loses out to him in reactions and hand speed. It will be interesting to see how he develops his game from here on out. Look to him staying down for longer than most.

All in all, the first round saw 4 defensemen, 3 goaltenders, 2 wingers and 1 center selected. Surprisingly, centers were the least selected position and goaltenders, whom we usually see selected later in drafts, were a major need for teams. Once the first goalie was selected, it was a snowball effect for the rest.

With the draft all done and dusted, we look forward to seeing this class develop as the season goes. Who will move up and who will drop down the order come the SHL draft a year from now.
Only time will tell.

*Zoone16* · 09-26-2019, 11:53 AM

Mentionned in the article:

@"KC Philip"
@Grum
@Shmurph
@UnderSpider
@adamantium
@Evok
@soulja
@dankoa
@Jearim

***Evok*** · 09-26-2019, 01:32 PM

No rivalery with me nice, i can just focus on winning more without stigma

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