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***efischermann*** · 08-14-2021, 03:54 PM

Another season in the books for the Vancouver Whalers, and as we did before the season started, we are going to look at how the Whalers rookies fared this year and how they look heading into tonight’s draft. For the second consecutive season, the Whalers were knocked out by the eventual champion. Last year it was the Kelowna Knights, this year the Newfoundland Berserkers. While this is a disappointing end, next season was always the year that Vancouver was supposed to make the jump, so winning the division and finishing second in the league was a bonus this year. As for the rookies, we have four to look at. The two defensemen that were selected were Conner Tanner and Landon Fischermann, while the two forwards were Darwin Koff and Giannis Kroustis. Considering the Whalers didn’t have a first-round pick, it is incredible the results they got from these four youngsters. Let’s break down their season’s. After the breakdown, we will look at what can be expected in the draft.

Round 2 Pick 15 – Conner Tanner ( @Keygan )

Tanner was the Whalers’ top pick in last season’s draft and had a very solid season on the back end. He appeared in all 66 games and recorded a rookie-leading 30 points. He scored 10 goals while adding 20 assists and an incredible plus - 32 rating. The massive 6-6 blueliner also registered a team-leading 255 hits and averaged 18:25 time on ice during the regular season. He followed that up by posting three points (all goals) during 13 postseason games. His ice time was a little limited in the playoffs as he was being protected as a rookie in the playoffs, averaging 16:45 time on ice. The limited ice time didn’t affect his hitting though, as he still led the team with 33 hits.

TPE Banked– Total TPE (Class Ranking): 311 (T-13)
Bank Account - $64,625,000

Round 3 Pick 35 – Landon Fischermann ( @efischermann )

Fischermann was another defenseman taken by the Whalers and yet another extremely active user. He played in all 66 games posting 21 points and a plus - 7 rating. He scored eight goals and 13 assists and had an average time on ice of 18:04. Fischermann’s numbers were solid all season, and he led all Whalers rookie in blocked shots with 77 (third overall on the team). Much like Tanner, he was protected a bit during the postseason, but he still managed to record four points, with one goal and three assists along with a plus - 1 rating. He once again led team-defensemen in blocked shots with 14 and averaged 16:52 time on ice.

TPE Banked– Total TPE (Extra Earned): 314 (T-6)
Bank Account - $36,288,000

Round 4 Pick 39 – Darwin Koff ( @Lobbanet )

The first forward selected by the Whalers was the tough Darwin Koff. The Swede primarily played on the fourth line this season, but still managed 23 points with 10 goals and 13 assists and finished with an even rating. These numbers are incredible considering he averaged just under 10 minutes (9:58) time on ice per game as he played in all 66 games. He also played in all 13 postseason games, totaling three points with one goal and two assists while averaging 6:32 time on ice. Koff has a ton of upside though, and will likely be relied on more heavily next season as he improved greatly over the course of the season.

TPE Banked – Total TPE (Extra Earned): 314 (T-6)
Bank Account - $15,241,000

Round 5 Pick 49 – Giannis Kroustis ( @Air Crou )

The Whalers finished off their draft selecting Center Giannis Kroustis. Giannis has proven to be another very active player and had a great rookie season. He appeared in all 66 games and recorded 27 points with 11 goals and 16 assists. He had a plus - 26 rating while averaging 14:09 time on ice per game. Kroustis played very well during the postseason as well, posting four points with one goal and three assists in 13 playoff games. He also ranked second on the team and first among forwards in hits with 28. A massive jump as he had just 42 hits in 66 regular season games.

TPE Banked – Total TPE (Extra Earned): 311 (T-13)
Bank Account - $9,525,000

So, in summary the Whalers used their four picks and hit a home run with each of them. Incredibly they were 100% with getting active players, and not only active, but all four are in the top 13 for TPE for the class. There is something to be said about how well the Whalers drafted last season. Next year with these four rookies likely all capped out by the beginning of the season, it will be great to see how much they can contribute in their Sophomore season. Especially with the majority of the core for the Whalers returning. They are going to be a force to be reconned with for sure, and could be the early favorite to finally break through this year and with the championship after two disappointing finishes the last two seasons.

Now, let’s look at these four players in particular ahead of tonight’s draft and where they should project to go. It would appear that there are at least two clear first round picks in Graff and Fischermann. Both will likely be off the board in the top 10. Multiple teams have expressed interest in them, and I would be surprised if they lasted long. Conner Tanner and Giannis Kroustis are harder to predict. After good seasons and high in the TPE rankings, it will be interesting to see what happens. They are likely to be off the board toward the end of the first round, possibly the beginning of the second round. Pretty incredible that four guys (all four Vancouver eligible rookies) will be off the board likely in the top 35 picks in this draft. Again, it’s a testament to just how amazing the Vancouver front office did in last season’s draft. They should be very proud of themselves as they look towards this years’ draft in the SMJHL.

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S61 Four Star Cup - Game-Winning Goal in the clinching Game 4

DeletedAtUserRequest · 08-15-2021, 02:37 PM

Very nice read

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