Login

*roastpuff* · 03-14-2020, 02:45 PM

Note to graders: 8510 words, 2x Draft Media Bonus. This is a collaborative project between @Nhamlet, @MarlinManiac4, and @roastpuff. Please split the media money evenly between the 3 of us. Thanks!

Hello readers, hockey players and boys and girls everywhere! Welcome to this roundtable discussion for the upcoming S53 SHL Draft where we will take a look at the enormous incoming class, and slot them in where we think they would fit best! This is a list that we compiled using our own wits and resources, so there may be inaccuracies and the draft list that we provide will definitely be wrong compared to what happens during the actual draft. Take whatever we say with a grain of salt and squint heavily. We compiled the TPE from the current update pages of the players as of 3/09/20, and the current bank accounts as of 3/13/2020. Any changes since then might not be reflected on this roundtable. A lot of these comments were also made on their performance in S52 SMJHL, so the switch to FHM might affect their future production since everyone’s build is changing in the switch.

The following research, data and discussion mock for each pick has been done by our trio of researchers: @roastpuff, @MarlinManiac4 and @Nhamlet.

First, let us take a look at the teams that will be drafting on Sunday. For our purposes, and our own sanity, we will only be taking a look at the teams that are drafting in the first round. Otherwise, this article would have taken twice as long to draft as we had a really hard time deciding between the prospects in this draft class as there is a very large contingent of active, excellent players all looking to be picked. Therefore, our apologies to the Hamilton Steelhawks, Minnesota Chiefs, and New England Wolfpack as we will not be covering your possible draft choices at this time.

Western Conference

Calgary Dragons Dragons

Calgary finished 11th in the standings, and qualified for the postseason. They defeated the Los Angeles Panthers in the wild card round, and were unfortunately defeated in the next round by the San Francisco Pride. Their roster looks to be fairly set at defense and in goal, but their forward corps are starting to age out and they could use a few more prospects to start getting ready to replace players that are regressing. Kata Vilde has started regression, and a center to follow behind Trey Nets would be a good choice to make. Their main needs seem to be: Center, Wing, Defense.

Edmonton Blizzard

Edmonton clinched the division title in S52 due to a balanced, above-average team with particular strength in defense. They fell to the New Orleans Specters in the 2nd round 4-2, and were unable to continue their journey further. Though the defense averages above 1000 TPE, their top pair of Brady McIntyre and Tor Tuck are regressing and a look to the future to replace these two superstars should be a top priority. Most likely Edmonton will try to draft the best player available at their pick. Their main needs seem to be: Wing, Defense

Los Angeles Panthers

The Panthers fell in the wildcard round against the Calgary Dragons and look to rectify that this year. Their forward corps is top-notch, and they have a strong back end as well, with both groups over 1000 TPE. Looking to the future however (as SMJHL players usually spend 2-4 seasons marinating in the juniors before being called up) they need to shore up their position in net as their weakest point, but they have some time to do so before it becomes critical. Their main draft needs are: Goal.

Minnesota Chiefs Chiefs

Minnesota? Uff-da. How about another Pronto Pup?

New Orleans Specters

New Orleans is very strong up front, but have a bit of position mismatch in that they have no natural centers and instead have several wingers who have good face-off skills play the role of center. They’re set in net, okay in defense, so they don’t have any pressing needs beyond that centerman role. However, it will take some time for these guys to mature, so maybe shooting for the stars isn’t a bad idea, especially in the later rounds of the draft. Their main draft needs: Centers

San Francisco Pride pride

San Francisco made it all the way to the finals for the Challenge Cup, but fell to Manhattan in 6 games. Part of the reason why they made it so far is because of their defensive corps - boasting an average of nearly 1400 TPE, their defensive strength is unmatched. Their forwards are nothing to sneeze at either, and their recent prospects look to continue that trend. Goaltending is the only question mark, and it is a small one, with Ian Venables looking to come up in a season or two to back up Patrice Nadeau. Their main draft needs are: Goaltending, Wing.

Texas Renegades

They always say the best offense is a good defense right? If so, Texas has that covered. Their defense pipeline is filled with sweet, sweet prospects that will keep the puck out of their net for the foreseeable future. Where they need work are in the positions of goaltender and center, but even then it’s not all bad as White Goodman and his insane performance is coming up, and Ivan Maximus will start to make a difference down the middle. They could use more centers, and a backup to White Goodman sooner or later, so that’s what they should be looking for. Their draft needs: Centers, Goaltending.

Winnipeg Jets Jets

And the best defense is a good offense! Winnipeg has an enviable forward corps, but not much depth behind them. There are some upcoming prospects that can change that, as well as Strom Chamberlain in goal to back them up. Their defense needs some work, but some call-ups like Zlatan Ibrahimovic Jr. from the Vancouver Whalers and Adam Barron, who got called up last year, look ready to carry the load. Where Winnipeg will need to improve is in finding a backup to White Goodman, and to find D-pairings and forwards to round out the depth of the group. Their draft needs: Defense, Wings

Eastern Conference

Buffalo Stampede

Very, very strong forward corps, with an abundance of elite centers. Also very strong in defense, with 8 roster(!) players, and some more coming up in their prospect pool. Right now the current need for Buffalo would be to boost their winger depth, and to have a back-up waiting in the wings for Elizabeth Doyle once she makes the jump to the major leagues. Their draft needs are: Wingers, Goaltending

Chicago Syndicate

Chicago is a team on the other side of the hill, with several regressing major pieces, and should look to find successors to them. Otherwise, there is a decent balance in Chicago, and they can build on that to become cup contenders. They have center depth coming up the pipeline, and defensive prospects that are poised to make a splash. Where they should look to strengthen themselves is at wing, and in the future, in goal. Their draft needs are: Wingers, Goaltending.

Hamilton Steelhawks

Where is Hamilton? Isn’t it Toronto?

Manhattan Rage Rage

The cup winners this year! Manhattan has a team that is strong in almost all areas, just falling slightly behind in terms of an elite goalie. With a few players close to the fabled 2000 TPE mark, this is not a team to be taken lightly. The forward corps will probably regress in the next few seasons, making it important to find replacements for the players who have led Manhattan to the cup. Their current draft needs are: Centers, Wingers.

New England Wolfpack

Aroooooooooooo? Arooo, arooo, aroooo roooo roooo?

Tampa Bay Barracuda

Coming off a fairly rough season, Tampa bay seems to be in a rebuilding phase. The main forward core will be starting to reach their apex in the next 3 seasons, while defensively the team appears to have little depth on the current roster. Luckily, Tampa has several promising forwards waiting to be called up to fill holes in their lines, but the same can not be said for defense. Tampa also has one of the most glaring goalie needs in the league, with just 1 on the roster already on the decline with no prospects down in the SMJHL. Their current draft needs are: Goaltending, Defense

Toronto North Stars Stars

It’s no secret that Toronto is in the middle of a serious rebuild. The good news for Toronto is they have several high level prospects that span all the skater positions that they can look forward to calling up sooner rather than later. More good news is that Toronto has 4 picks in the first 2 rounds of this years draft, however only 1 of those picks is in the first round. Despite the solid prospects in the pipeline, it is still pretty clear that Toronto needs pretty much every position. Their current draft needs are: Center, Winger, Defense

West Kendall Platoon Platoon

The Platoon has a fairly balanced roster that includes several strong defenders and a couple talented young prospects in the wings waiting to be called up. They also appear to already have their goaltender of the future in Del Vecchio. On the forward side, we see that the Platoon seem to have several good wing pieces already on the roster in addition to a few strong prospects in the SMJHL. The center position looks to be the weakest, with only 1 solid prospect and several aging players on the current roster. Their current needs: Center

Class overview

Before we get to predicting the picks, let us take a brief look at some of the top future stars at each position. While we could spend pages and pages gushing about each individual player in what looks to be the deepest draft in many seasons, we are going to analyze the top 5 prospects at each position with the highly scientific, most accurate ranking statistic ever made: Points Utilized, Bank Earned Statistic. P.U.B.E.S successfully factors in both skill and cash earning potential to provide GM’s with an easy method to identify potential superstars. Note: Players who are also SHL GM’s and are therefore auto-drafted by their teams are not listed in this overview. (sorry ML and Ace)

Centers (Ranked by P.U.B.E.S)

Rocco Berni - 610.3
Edward Williams - 575.61
Ethan Duncan - 550.06
Reid Sutherland - 549.80
Taylor Johansson - 531.32

Rocco Berni, a re-create from the Anchorage Armada, leads the way at the center position with a sky high rating of 610.3 P.U.B.E.S. This is followed by 4 rookies who also have impressive P.U.B.E.S. Williams has managed to pull away from the other 3 rookies to establish himself as one of the premiere prospects in the draft. After Williams, we see Ethan Duncan and Reid Sutherland are ranked extremely closely, making it effectively a toss-up as to which prospect a GM might prefer. Rounding out the list, we have Taylor Johansson, an impressive rookie who started out as an UDFA and was picked up by the Anaheim Outlaws. In a shorter time period then most prospects have, he managed to accumulate an extremely impressive 531.32 P.U.B.E.S.

Left Wings (Ranked by P.U.B.E.S)

Jaska Seppala - 606.32
Steve Harrington - 571.91
Eric Hudson - 552.60
Frederick Wanesly - 547.77
Sven Svenson - 544.20

Similar to the Center position, we see one re-create tower above the rest. Seppala’s P.U.B.E.S make us quite confident in his future, and we expect him to be a future star. Coming in a commanding 2nd place is Steve Harrington, who has managed to outgrow his rookie contemporaries by a fair margin. This also suggests a high pick may be needed to grab Harrington. The next 3 on the list are only separated by a little over 8 P.U.B.E.S, suggesting that the difference between these prospects is relatively small, almost splitting hairs.

Right Wing (Ranked by P.U.B.E.S)

Jimmy Wagner - 561.87
William Hartmann - 550.49
Burlok Sulfurgold - 546.4
Ryuuji Mimamino - 538.84
Hiroshi Ohira - 517.94

Right wing is a pretty tight group. Wagner has established himself as the leader with a strong P.U.B.E.S rating. Hartmann and Sulfurgold battle for 2nd rated right wing, while Minamino trails a little further behind. At the bottom and a decent distance from the pack is Hiroshi Ohira, who likely ranks out as a 2nd round pick.

Defense (Ranked by P.U.B.E.S)

Ambacas Cuddles - 611.98
Erben Kasius - 582.64
Magnus Liljestrom - 580.60
Jukka Timonen - 567.01
Bradley Barkov - 558.28

According to our statistics, defense has the highest quality P. U. B. E. S. when looking only at the top 5. We see that Cuddles, who rated out with the highest P.U.B.E.S rating of the entire class(thanks in large part to his 68.5M in the bank), is ranked #1. He is sure to be a high pick, if not the 1st overall pick. After Cuddles, we see Kasius and Liljestrom battling it out for 2nd place, which is quite impressive when you consider the head start Kasius had since he was a re-create. Two Finnish defenders round out the top 5 with resident stat guru Timonen at a solid 567.01 P.U.B.E.S and Barkov sitting at 558.28 P.U.B.E.S.

Goalies (Ranked by P.U.B.E.S)

Jerry Huuveri - 522.02
Separa Borro - 506.24
A Jobin - 496.11

Unlike the other positions in this draft class, goaltending is rather thin in terms of P. U. B. E. S. but still remains quite high. There are only 3 legitimate prospects who have stayed active. Leading the group is Finnish goalie Jerry Huuveri of the Colorado Raptors. Huuveri rates out as a strong prospect, as he has demonstrated consistency in his growth. Borro comes in at 2nd place with a lot of his P. U. B. E. S. development seeming to have come recently. A Jobin is the only prospect on this list not to crack 500 P.U.B.E.S. While not the fastest developer, he has been steady and likely will prove valuable in the future as he matures further.

Mock Draft Roundtable

Here it is. The main event. In this section we will have a roundtable discussion on each 1st round pick where we will give our thoughts as to who will be picked, why we chose it, and offer possible alternatives to our own selection.

Pick 1 - Winnipeg Jets Jets

Marlin: The Jets have been on the receiving end of some rather loud criticism in this past week after they made several trades that had them go from the #4 and #5 overall picks to the #1 and #14 picks. The criticism just adds on the pressure to make this pick a good one. While the team has several needs, I think the best strategy for them is to get the best player available. In my opinion the best player available is Magnus Liljestrom, D. Liljestrom has a huge bank account, active every day, plays a premium position, and ranks among the top S53 TPE leaders. This is a no-brainer in my opinion. Some alternatives I could see: Ambacas Cuddles, Steve Harrington

Nhamlet: Winnipeg will have only made a pick if they found a particular player they felt was a perfect fit for not only now but also for the future as a mainstay centre piece in the team. I think that only makes sense for a Defender to revolve your team around. I would also throw this up between Cuddles and Liljestrom as they’re tied for first in my opinion with a variety of factors going for each of them. As a player that would become a foundational core, I would lean towards Magnus Liljestrom as well due to his role as intern in the SMJHL HO which is only growing on top of other responsibilities. Hard to see an end in sight for what this guy will be capable of.

Roastpuff: I mean, it’s really hard to talk about your own player like this, but I have to say that Winnipeg has been talking with me extensively. They are looking for more defensemen, for someone that is going to be with them for a long time to help them form a new core during this rebuild. The thinking is that this player would be the part of a new core formed in the next several seasons, along with current top-tier prospects Adam Barron, Zlatan Ibrahimovic Jr., Bale, Ricky Bobby, and backed up by Strom Chamberlain in net. Defense wins championships, and defense is built from the net out. I think it’s a toss up between me, Magnus Liljestrom, and Ambacas Cuddles.

Pick 2 - Tampa Bay Barracuda

Roastpuff: Tampa’s two needs for this draft is goaltending and defense, but we are looking a little sparse in this class for goaltenders. Therefore I think Tampa will use this pick to shore up their defensive prospect pipeline with one of the top-tier defensemen in this draft of which there are quite a few. No matter who they take, I think they will get a stalwart stud manning the blue line. I can see myself, Magnus Liljestrom, going here if Winnipeg does not select me with their first pick, Bradley Barkov as a dark horse pick, or Ambacas Cuddles. Barkov has been raising his draft profile with a recent series of articles, and increased activity, so some GMs might decide to snap him up before another team does later in the draft. However, as a recreate, Ambacas Cuddles is a more known quantity and is my choice for the pick at this position.

Marlin: I definitely agree with Roastpuff here. It's pretty clear that Tampa should be looking to upgrade at defense and this is a perfect opportunity to do so. If Liljestrom isn't picked #1 for some reason, he needs to be picked here, otherwise Ambacas Cuddles is my pick.

Nhamlet: In any other draft, Ambacas Cuddles would have gone first overall and in some ways Tampa Bay getting him 2nd overall is getting additional value if that does happen. Hard to argue with a long time user and somebody who looks set for another long and fruitful career. I would argue that if there is some sort of dark horse, Jukka Timonen is my next best defender but as good as he is, Cuddles is too attractive to look away from.

Pick 3 - Buffalo Stampede

Nhamlet: This is a no-brainer on my part and in some ways I would probably have this particular prospect as the first overall on the board if I was an SHL GM. Money sounds like it’s going to be a non-factor between the combination of jobs, production of variety of media from written pieces, graphics and even video. This is a prospect who has delved through the annals of SHL history and I have no doubt that he will leave a significant mark by the time his career is over. None other than the already legendary Steve Harrington, LW.

Roastpuff: I concur with the sentiment above, and have Steve Harrington, LW as the first forward taken off the board with Buffalo’s 3rd overall pick. With the amount of jobs that he has on the site, excellent graphics productions, media output and sheer swagger, this guy is someone poised to inject a ton of life to any locker room and perform on the ice. The fact that he even made up two different versions of the SHL for media only shows how creative he is off the ice, never mind on the ice.

Marlin: We are pretty in sync to start this draft. I think Harrington in most drafts would be getting a lot more #1 overall buzz. He is an elite prospect with all the intangibles and I think Buffalo will draft a future franchise player in Steve Harrington, LW.

Pick 4 - Texas Renegades

Marlin: The Renegades roster looks pretty solid on defense, so i can see why they wanted to trade down from the #1 spot that seemed destined to be a defender. I think Texas will be looking to add a future star Center, which is something the team lacks as of now. While I think Texas could choose from a couple, my pick here is Edward Williams, C. Williams may not be a re-create, but he has shown the ability to earn cash at a good rate, sitting at a bank account of 31 Million. If that doesn’t scream high potential, what does? I could also see Texas going for Rocco Berni as well as another good center option.

Roastpuff: Texas needs center depth in the pipeline, but they are pretty much set everywhere else. I think that they have a great series of choices here at the 4th overall pick, including SMJHL All-Rookie Team center Edward Williams, C. Super active on the forums, in the S53 general discord, and in the team Discord, he is going to be a TPE-earning machine. If there’s a knock on him, is that he disappeared during the Detroit Falcons post-season run, and didn’t contribute a whole lot. I think that this issue is fixable with more training, and that he will be a certified all-star pick in the future.

Nhamlet: I think anybody can agree that Texas is putting together a nice little team for the next while here with the mass of prospects that they’ve gathered. Already more and more of those guys like Ivan Maximus, Alexander Wachter and White Goodman are making the jump while they’ve already got a bunch of other defenders who could be ready in a few years. Didn’t make sense for them to grab another defender which is where this draft leans heavily at the top but getting that long term centre in Edward Williams, C is probably exactly what they’re looking for. Lots of other choices but Williams is in that upper tier. Rocco Berni like @”roastpuff” mentioned could be considered in that same level but the question is whether he’s here to stay again. Previous history has been a little on and off though this particular player’s career has started off with a bang in terms of TPE earned so that much is attractive. Really not much of a difference in our predictions so far eh?

Pick 5 - Buffalo Stampede

Roastpuff: This pick by Buffalo I think will be used on a winger to complement their forward strength further after taking Steve Harrington at 3. I see Jaska Seppala, LW as the matching piece for Harrington on the opposite wing, given that wingers can slot in both sides for FHM, and provides another threat on that line. Seppala has announced a preference to Buffalo as a recreate, and also has a large bank account to ensure that training isn’t interrupted during the season. With a known quantity behind the face, Buffalo has an easy choice here.

Nhamlet: In some ways I wonder why we have 3 of us making mocks if we’re all going to guess the same guy. I think it’s foregone conclusion that Jaska Seppala, LW is the selection made here. The only thing you can question is whether he gets taken at 3rd rather than 5th but with that media announcement of preferred landing spots, the only other danger is Chicago down at 11. I wonder if because Buffalo knows they have that cushion, a team between 5 and 11 might want to make a move to go up in order to snag a guy they like. No way Buffalo goes down any further and risks losing a top 5 talent in Seppala.

Marlin: Buffalo is a wildcard because at any moment they could have made yet another trade that messes with our calculations. As you guys mentioned, we already know that Jaska Seppala, LW wants to go to Buffalo or Chicago. I have a hard time believing that Buffalo thinks Chicago will wait on Seppala for another round, so they should just get him here. This is the pick with the highest potential to not only go bust for all of us, but really end up messing up the rest of our mock.

Pick 6 - West Kendall Platoon Platoon

Nhamlet: The current roster screams needing almost everything but defense but they've got guys on the way in this rebuild. Defensive prospects Jack Wilson and Sabo Tage have been called up to step in given the lack of bottom pairing depth and getting extra ice time early in their careers. This is a team that could use a centre like Reid Sutherland, C, Ethan Duncan, C, or Rocco Berni, C. The question is trying to decide between which kind of guy you would want. Sutherland and Duncan both similar two-way guys who will want to pass first. Not too different than another West Kendall Platoon Centre prospect Henrik Lundqvist Jr. I think I give the edge to Reid Sutherland, C, based on overall site activity.

I wanted to say Jimmy Wagner, RW, goddammit. IT’S ILLOGICAL. I’m trying to find a justification that he’ll go there. On one hand they have a trio of wingers like Barbashev, Krashwagen, and Trevino are all high end guys while going up soon and the likes of Brock Nuck, Peter Mikulak and Yoshimitsu McCloud to hold the fort for depth. Doesn’t seem like they necessarily they will want or need another guy especially considering that Nickolas Klaus is their #1 C at 1246 TPE and due for regression in a couple seasons plus no additional replacement….Yeah all of this points to a Center…(also I’m keeping what I’ve written here)

Marlin: Well I think the Platoon would do well to draft a good center, as I think its their biggest need. I certainly could see them take the best player available route and be looking at Wagner, but I think Ethan Duncan, C would be my selection at this pick. I think Berni or Sutherland would also be a good choice, but I think Duncan just edges them out for me.

Roastpuff: The Platoon definitely need a center prospect at this juncture, and I think that they would grab one of the best remaining centers in this draft class. I think that this selection would go to Reid Sutherland, C who has been rising steadily in this class to emerge at the top. Taken in the 3rd round of the SMJHL Draft, Reid has continued to show that he has 1st round potential as a centerman anchoring his team’s third line composed of all rookies with a solid season performance of 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists).

Pick 7 - LA Panthers

Marlin: Los Angeles has a reputation of drafting re-created players. Luckily for them, there is a good one still on my board in Rocco Berni, C. I don’t believe either Cuddles or Seppala falls this far, leaving either Kasius or Berni. I think LA will opt to take another forward prospect as their defensive core seems sound. Another option for LA may be picking the top goalie option in Jerry Huuveri, G, but i think that pick might be premature at #7 in the draft and they may look to address that need later.

Roastpuff: Given the Los Angeles Panthers’ predilection for recreates, Rocco Berni, C is also my choice for them at this pick. He is a highly touted prospect with some pedigree, but has fallen behind his classmates in terms of TPE production and site activity. With an excellent cushion of a bank account behind him, I see him going to the Panthers and thriving.

Nhamlet: In our original mocks, there wasn’t much disagreement about the construction of the Los Angeles organization’s depth chart or their ability to select whichever prospect without needing to worry too much about positional need, but I don’t think I had Rocco Berni, C, as high as I did. It might just be me but the flight factor was something that scares me away a bit as a fake SHL GM. Still, it’s hard to give up on a prospect as good as him and only Kasius is the other one that would be considered in the same tier. If the Panthers have done their research and feel that Rocco isn’t a flight risk, then they’ll probably take their chances and risk feeling the Bern.

Pick 8 - Toronto North Stars Stars

Roastpuff: Toronto kind of needs everything so… it’s hard to decide who they are going to pick at 8th overall. However, I’m going to go off the board here and say that it’s going to be William Hartmann, RW, given that the GM of Toronto and him seem to be developing a personal connection. With a draft this deep, sometimes it’s that intimate knowledge of another person that gives the edge to the selection.

Marlin: I think Toronto is definitely a special case in the fact that their GM is an active part of the rookie discord and has had a chance to interact with the class for weeks. I think there are several people ML could decide to pull the trigger on like Timonen, Sutherland, and Hartmann. I ultimately agree that ML will be more likely to pick someone he seems to interact well with and that guy is William Hartmann, RW.

Nhamlet: Can you really say we’re going off the board if all of us end up jumping off of it? I think they want long term fresh blood. At this point some of the most attractive first generation prospects remaining include winger Jimmy Wagner, RW, defensemen Jukka Timonen, D and Bradley Barkov, D. I’ll even throw a light on a dark horse pick in winger Eric Hudson, LW who has connections to the Toronto GM in the St. Louis locker room. In the end it comes down to the same reasoning the other two have brought up. I think the connection factor is big enough that Toronto makes the decision here. Arguably they could look at dropping further and gain some assets in the process but it does sound like William Hartmann, RW, is a valued prospect with several teams rating his overall value. Persevering in a quiet room in Vancouver means this is a seed that’s ready to blossom when put in the right place.

Pick 9 - Calgary Dragons Dragons

Nhamlet: Calgary holds a lot of high end talent in their forwards and are mostly balanced minus not really having a true #1 Centre or Centre replacement down the road. However they’re good in their prime so that there isn’t a true need to find somebody right now. Alternatively they don’t have any Defensive prospects at all but the same holds that they’ve got guys who will be there for the next 5+ years. Do they like either A Jobin, G or Jerry Huuveri, G enough to use their 1st round pick on them or risk losing one to TB who’s also in need of a future starting goaltender? I think there’s enough talent, as limited as it is, in Huuveri, Jobin or Seppara that going from one to the other isn’t worth missing out on the variety of top end skaters in the first two rounds. Plus Kata Vilde is one of the best SHL goalies TPE wise and the Dragons won’t be in a rush to find a replacement just yet. At this point it’s whichever forward has mysteriously dropped and that has to be the top 5 talent in Jimmy Wagner, RW. There’s a wealth of others picks like Burlok Sulfurgold, RW, Eric Hudson, LW, Frederick Wanesly, LW and Sven Svenson, LW but I think Jimmy’s just a cut above the rest.

Roastpuff: Taking a goalie at this point of the draft, with so much forward and defensive talent left on the table, would be a crime. No offense to the goalies. Calgary’s Kata Vilde can hold the fort down in goal for a few more seasons, so upgrading their forward corps is definitely the move that the Dragons should make here. At this point in the draft, Jimmy Wagner, RW definitely merits the pick. He’s a force of nature on the ice, and also off the ice. If the other teams didn’t need defensive or center prospects as much, he could have gone higher in the draft.

Marlin: I couldn’t agree more about the goalie situation. It's just too early for Calgary to start worrying about it. The roster is solid, but aging. I think they go best player available, which may be Jimmy Wagner, RW. If not Wagner, I think Reid Sutherland, C would be another great choice, or maybe even a defenseman like Jukka Timonen, D.

Pick 10 - Edmonton Blizzard

Marlin: Edmonton looks like a pretty solid team, with several very good veterans like Pepperoni, McIntyre, and Tuck.However while their defense is solid, it is also aging. As of now, Edmonton doesn’t have the quantity of good defensive prospects to eventually fully replace their aging defense, so I think it would be a home run for Edmonton to select Jukka Timonen, D. Timonen is a rising star who excels in all areas of importance. He gets his TPE, writes a fantastic series on SMJHL advanced stats and probabilities that absolutely rakes in the dough, and is one of the more active rookies on discord and the site. That checks all the boxes.

Nhamlet: In some ways this almost feels like a crime that an elite prospect like Jukka Timonen, D has fallen as far as he has. Usually you look for the various boxes to check off from TPE earned, general activity and maybe personality. This guy has it all in spades on top of the little zest of flavor that is the advanced stats angle. With FHM actually providing some even more additional data, I can only imagine the kind of material this guy will pump out. With only a few pieces here and there during the playoffs, Timonen is already one of the highest earning first generation players so it’s a slam dunk to be snapping him up here.

Roastpuff: Edmonton needs to shore up their defensive unit in a couple of seasons, so one of the remaining top tier defensemen (how is this class so defense-heavy?!) would fit the bill. Either Bradley Barkov, D or Jukka Timonen, D fit the description, and it’s kind of funny how two similar Finnish guys are fighting for the same draft spot. Both are playing tough minutes for their current team, both produce excellent media - Timonen with more of a stats flavor - and both have potential to be a 1st-pairing defenseman. I would give the tip to Timonen here simply for the sheer quantity of media he’s produced recently, but either are a great pick.

Pick 11 - Chicago Syndicate

Roastpuff: Chicago needs wingers to complement their center and defensive prospects, and this is where it starts to get interesting as there is a glut of excellent wingers at this tier. Any of Sven Svenson, LW, Eric Hudson, LW, Frederick Wanesly, LW, are excellent choices to play on the wing for your team, and they each bring a different flavor to the contest. Svenson is your hard-hitting, checking winger that can also contribute on the scoresheet. Hudson is the defensively responsible, smooth-skating winger with a scoring touch. Wanesly is the offensively talented winger that can dangle and dance through defensemen and find the back of the net. I would give the pick to Eric Hudson, LW here as he would be a coach’s dream prospect.

Marlin: Well we seem to agree on some of the main guys to consider, but my pick is Sven Svenson, LW. Sven has exceeded expectations over and over again after being picked in the 4th round in the SMJHL draft. He may be slightly behind in TPE, but he should check all the GM’s boxes. He writes media, dabbles in graphics, has an updater job, and a great locker room presence. I expect Sven to be one of the league's next big stars, and I think Chicago should take him here.

Nhamlet: For Chicago this is their only pick in the first two rounds so it will be someone they’ll hope to make a difference with. At this point there’s only a couple 1st round defensemen left but they already have several prospects who are close to making the jump or just have been called up, like Akira Ren. They’ll probably want to fill out on their forward end so now you’re down to looking at wingers when they’ve got a few young centermen this year. Between some of the guys that have been brought up, I would have to go with Eric Hudson, LW as well. You probably couldn’t go wrong with any of the prospects mentioned. Hudson in particular has a calming presence in the room that would fit right in as the Syndicate continues building up further and further into contender status.

Pick 12 - Tampa Bay Barracuda

Nhamlet: Tampa Bay is the only team who not only has a second pick in the first round but also 2 more in the 2nd round with the latest one falling at 23 overall. Honestly, they’re going to be racking it and they’ll feel free to address any and all needs at their leisure. They could even go off the board a little bit and try to find a diamond in the pool of gems like former SMJHL first-overall pick Chris Cerullo, C who has continued chugging along but quieted down overall. I do think that it’s still early enough that they don't need to take any risks and will continue to just pick great prospects. It does seem wrong in some ways that Erben Kasius, D is only being picked now despite being one of if not the top defenseman earner in TPE and having an existing pile of money, but Tampa benefits from it by adding onto their #2 guy in Cuddles and having a young pairing to count on in the future.

Roastpuff: Tampa Bay has the ultimate luxury of just letting the other teams make their decision in this draft; no matter what, they’re still getting a good prospect. This draft is so deep, it makes the Marianas Trench look like a puddle. I think with this pick, having addressed defensive needs earlier in the draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be looking to add forward depth. They will pick up whichever one of the three I mentioned for the 11th pick that is left, and I am going to say that it will be Sven Svenson, LW.

Marlin: I agree that Tampa has enough draft capital to pick their spots, but I think now is the time to address the goalie situation and pick Jerry Huuveri, G. In my mind, they will already have used the 2nd overall pick to shore up their defense. Why risk another team trading up to nab the top goalie when you have the opportunity to grab him here? There will still be high quality players at Tampa’s next pick. Huuveri presents himself to be a high quality prospect. He is a consistent updater who does all the PT’s and participates in the locker room.

Pick 13 - New Orleans Specters

Marlin: New Orleans seems to be fairly set on the main roster. The forward core is good. The defense is solid. No issues in net anytime soon. I think when you look at the prospects New Orleans has however, the picture gets clearer. They have a couple good center prospects in Van Der Heijden, McTavish, and Dream, but only 1 defensive prospect to help replace what will be an aging defensive core in 3 years or so when the player who is picked here will likely be called up. Therefore, this pick screams defense to me. At this point in the draft we will likely have seen many good defensemen be picked. Luckily this draft is deep and leaves New Orleans with several good options on my board such as Kasius, Barkov, and Kanoff. While Barkov and Kanoff are promising prospects, I think the pick here will be Erben Kasius, D. Kasius is a re-create with a high TPE, lots of cash, and solid promise to deliver in the long term, which is just what New Orleans needs.

Roastpuff: I agree with Marlin above - defensive depth is something that New Orleans will need in 3-4 seasons, and they’re lucky that this draft is very deep. There are quite a few good defensemen left on the board, and I think that NOLA will also pick Erben Kasius, D. As a re-create, NOLA would have some history on his previous player, and that gives him the advantage over those other defensemen left on the board.

Nhamlet: Given that my mock has Kasius going just a pick earlier, New Orleans might hope that I’m wrong and my fellow writers here are more accurate. However, for me it means that the Specters will have to settle for another attractive defenseman who isn’t Kasius. Jack Kanoff, D made an appearance moving from Halifax to Detroit and found himself in a top team. He may have hopes to do the same and continue to enjoy being in a winning culture.

Pick 14 - Winnipeg Jets Jets

Roastpuff: Having picked a top defensive prospect at 1st overall, Winnipeg will also look to add forward depth in this draft, and they still have many excellent prospects to choose from. With the luxury of two picks in the first round, I think Winnipeg will prioritize picking two people from the same team to keep the chemistry that they had from the juniors. Therefore, I nominate either Frederick Wanesly, LW, or Zoltan Topalo, RW who are both from the Detroit Falcons as the pick that Winnipeg would make to keep their 1st pick happy.

Nhamlet: With having the flexibility to pick early in the first round and now late in the first, they will look to want to tap as much into that Detroit locker room. I do agree in seeing whether Frederick Wanesly, LW, or Zoltan Topalo, RW might be the choices given that Sutherland and Williams will be expected to go much earlier based on positional need. I think they’ll lean towards Frederick Wanesly, LW with the higher amount of P.U.B.E.S.

Marlin: While I think that getting another Detroit prospect isn't a bad idea and should be considered, I really think there is another guy that Winnipeg should be taking a look at. That player is Eric Hudson, LW. Hudson is very active on a daily basis and possesses a solid bank account over 8 million. He is high in the ranks in TPE for his position and is pretty much guaranteed to be a positive force in the locker room. Who wouldn’t want that? If not Hudson, I think Burlok Sulfurgold, RW or Frederick Wanesly, LW is the pick here.

Pick 15 - San Francisco Pride pride

Nhamlet: The Pride have long suffered at the mercy of Simon but with that changing, they’ll want to continue the same success they’ve had building out their roster which has long been predicted to make long term noise in the playoffs. Unfortunately that has been met with early round exits and a game 7 curse. In order to continue that long term success, they will want to continue adding the best player available. There’s some more longevity in the defense right now compared to their forwards. With a new forward in Sven Svenson, LW, they’ll feel confident in getting a player who is rolling in that updater money yet still produces media on top of that. This quick dangling winger will bring them loads of points in the future.

Roastpuff: Well I think Svenson gets taken earlier, so they’ll have to find another prospect to pick. But I do agree on the premise that the San Francisco Pride need to find the best player available at this juncture, and use it to add to their already considerable talent pool. I see Frederick Wanesly, LW as the choice here, if he is still available, or if not, then adding to defense in the form of Bradley Barkov, D. This strong team just keeps adding to their strength, and is poised for another run at the cup.

Marlin: I also have Svenson off the board already, so I'm primarily looking at Frederick Wanesly, LW, Bradley Barkov, D, and Reid Sutherland, C. I think Sutherland is the clear choice between these 3. In fact, it's pretty shocking to me even as i'm writing this down that I have him falling this far. Sutherland is a top 10 talent and the Pride should absolutely snap him up at this spot if he is somehow still here.

Pick 16 - Manhattan Rage Rage

Marlin: The Rage have a strong roster with not a whole lot of obvious weak points. While they certainly could use a forward like Burlok Sulfurgold, RW or Frederick Wanesly, LW, I think the lack of defensive prospects currently in the system has them thinking defense. If they do go defense, I still have Jack Kanoff, D and my own player Bradley Barkov, D on the board. As mentioned by Roastpuff before, it’s pretty difficult to evaluate your own player, but I’m going to go ahead and give myself the edge here. Bradley Barkov, D is my pick.

Roastpuff: The current cup winners still have a strong roster, with not a lot of movement in the next season. However, their centers will regress sooner rather than later, so getting prospects in that pipeline should be a priority. I think that Manhattan will draft the undrafted prospect of the year here in Taylor Johansson, C, who came in and shocked everyone by performing as well as he did having been picked up after the draft. He should continue to develop and become a great asset down the road for his future team.

Nhamlet: Both Barkov and Duncan are excellent picks for the recent Challenge Cup winners. On one hand, there will be a slight drop off in picking defensemen both looking at TPE and bank earned. In terms of centres, Ethan Duncan, C should and probably might go much earlier. The only other winger prospect who could make a similar claim is Burlok Sulfurgold, RW from Detroit. Manhattan might have the last pick but it won’t be any easier. I think in the end their forward group that does need reinforcements can stave off regression for longer compared to their defensemen who will see retirements sooner. They’ll want to get the last few great defensive prospects remaining and parse through the wealth of forwards left over at their next pick in at 27th overall. Bradley Barkov, D beats out the rest of his draft classmates in being the last 1st round pick selection of the SHL S53 Draft.

Honorable Mentions:

Roastpuff: This draft is so deep, and I feel like crap trying to pick out the top sixteen players to be picked when there’s so many people left on the board that are also deserving to be picked in the first round. The GMs who have second round picks will be cheering with glee seeing how many tasty choices are left on the board, and gorge their prospect pipelines full of top-tier talent for the future. For the defensemen, Valentin Kalashnikov, Jack Kanoff, and Toki Wartooth are both just on the cusp of breaking into the first round, and in other drafts, would have been taken in the first round. For forwards, Burlok Sulfurgold, RW, Ethan Duncan, C, Ryuuji Minamino, RW, are all deserving of that honor as well. It is unfortunate that these guys fell in the draft this far down but the different team needs of each franchise meant that not everyone got to be chosen high. Nevertheless, these guys are still going to be absolute studs for their future team, no matter where they get picked in the draft. Something else to consider is that teams might see things differently than us, and these guys may well go in the first round of the draft, and some of our predictions will be completely mistaken due to faulty reasoning. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Nhamlet: I definitely have some mixed feelings about seeing how deep this draft is and this will probably get repeated for a long time until the next Reddit one, which even then we may still surpass. The players who should be and may still end up being first round picks will likely need to remind themselves that if they aren’t picked in the first 16, it doesn’t change the value of them as a prospect. For me some of those guys include Valentin Kalashnikov, D who could be argued that with a little difference, could have snuck into the upper category but is most likely the leader of the next pack of defensemen. Burlok Sulfurgold, RW is a little different in that he’s right in there with the pack of other players in terms of TPE and money and I may have my own personal bias in not getting to interact with them, hence less exposure on some of the positive points that a team could be getting in drafting him. The last shout out I have is saved for none other than the great undrafted success story, Taylor Johansson, C. Despite missing out on the draft and his development by only a week, Johansson showed a lot of prudence in picking the right team to sign with, rewarding them with 1st round pick development speed and in return gaining a Four Star Cup Championship in his rookie season. I’m sure that teams will have already locked their sights onto him. There is no question that this time around, he will not get missed and will likely be picked relatively early on.

Marlin: This draft really is incredibly deep. I look at some of the names I left out of the 1st round like Burlok Sulfurgold, RW, Frederick Wanesly, LW, Jack Kanoff, D, and Ryuuji Minamino, RW, and I think “How?”. These guys are all 1st round talents, yet there are simply only 16 picks to fit people in, let alone try to consider every team's needs and preferences. I must have considered the eternal Sulfurgold at least 5 times for different picks in the draft, yet never was able to actually pull the trigger. Kanoff has a sky high TPE, yet for some reason didn't make the cut. Wanesly was even on my original mock and as trades were made and adjustments were made to my mock, somehow he just fell off. Minamino, otherwise known as @Nhamlet was a late round gem in the SMJHL draft and probably deserves to be in the first round as well. All this just makes me feel like I will probably be incredibly wrong despite the amount of time and research that was put into this. I think we may look back a few seasons from now and see that there were truly 25 first round picks. Thanks for reading!

[Image: XhN07e9.png]

MarlinManiac4 · 03-14-2020, 02:46 PM

Its done!

***Nhamlet*** · 03-14-2020, 02:48 PM

[Image: O9u2MAxlPUS4mYdhLDNtkkO2VM_97ZQUTLj_GWEZ...OwmwFtRbSc]

Seriously, major props to both @roastpuff and @MarlinManiac4. It was a random idea on my part to bring some people together but I would do this again (maybe not right away) since it was a blast to get to work together with you guys.

mastersheep · 03-14-2020, 03:08 PM

This is awesome! Great job!

**Lime** · 03-14-2020, 03:26 PM

An absolute unit of an article. Well whoever copies this list is definitely getting some TPE.

It's me.

I'm copying the list.

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us