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CD12 · 06-14-2021, 02:56 PM

One year after a huge draft class in which some of their picks were home runs, and some of their picks didn't quite work out, the St. Louis Scarecrows took a much more targeted, surgical approach to their draft class ahead of S60. With strong draft classes in each of the past two years that produced some solid roster players, St. Louis' approach coming into this draft was more about filling a few holes in key areas than trying to remake their roster.

The biggest draft news for St. Louis arguably came before the draft even took place, when they completed a trade with the Maine Timber to acquire center Miguel Hefeweizen in exchange for draft picks, including a fourth rounder in this most recent draft. Hefeweizen filled a big need for St. Louis in the middle of the ice, and came at a relatively cheap price. The acquisition was a sign from team management that after some tough rebuilding years, the Scarecrows are finally starting to transition into 'Win Now' mode as a franchise.

As for the draft itself, he Scarecrows ended up with three picks in this draft after a pre-draft trade with Quebec City saw St. Louis trade down from the top overall spot to ninth overall and picking up an extra third round draft pick. Here is the breakdown of the newest members of the Crows Nest.

Round 1 Pick 9 RW Sam Stone (@TML99)

There was some speculation heading into the draft that St. Louis may keep the top overall pick and look to address team needs at either defense or center. But ultimately, they seem to have made a shrewd move in trading down and still getting a strong player, while also picking up an additional asset later in the draft. St. Louis had a vacancy that needed to be filled at right wing after veteran Crow Zybnek Dobrovsky aged out at the end of last season, and they got a really solid replacement in Sam Stone. It's not reasonable to expect a rookie to step right in and replace the production of an experienced player, but Stone is an experienced player that is very likely to turn into a solid contributor for St. Louis down the line.

Stone is a grinder that likes to take care of his own end of the ice first, so he should fit in well with the more defense-oriented style of play St. Louis has began to adopt over the past few seasons. But he also has the ability to put the puck in the net, which should make him a valuable all-around player.

Round 3 Pick 26 RD Spicy McHaggis (@LairdButler)

St. Louis returns a fairly strong blue line next season with five very good returners, but still had one spot left to fill with the departure of Major Chip Hazard. McHaggis is going to bring some grit and toughness to the St. Louis defensive group. He is a more defensive-minded defenseman that isn't likely to produce much offense, but should be a punishing physical presence that protects his teammates and is willing to drop the gloves when called upon. St. Louis management felt like they were one piece away from having one of the best defensive groups in the SMJHL and there is a lot of excited that McHaggis could be that last piece in a dominating group.

Round 3 Pick 31 LW Steve Collins (@SilverCannon)

St. Louis' rebuild has been keyed by being able to find gems in the later rounds of the SMJHL draft, and there is a lot of excitement among the Scarecrows that they may have unearthed another in left wing Steve Collins. Collins shows high potential has an offensive scoring threat, which could be a really valuable role on a team that plays shut down defense. Forward depth can be really difficult to find in the SMJHL so if Collins can come in and perform like some of St. Louis' other rookies have in past seasons--and Collins has already started to show some of that promise--he could develop into a great player for them.

Overall

This was a solid draft for St. Louis. It was a little smaller in terms of number of players picked, but the early returns on what they ended up with have been extremely positive, and it looks like they picked some good players in areas of need. If St. Louis is going to begin to compete over the next two seasons in the way in which they hope to do, these players will be crucial to the team's success.

Word count: 763

SlashACM · 06-14-2021, 03:36 PM

Tmlllllll

*ZootTX* · 06-14-2021, 03:46 PM

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