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High Stick King · 10-25-2021, 09:45 AM

Winnipeg's Draft: The Tremendous Ten
The Winnipeg Aurora's draft in review.

The season 62 SHL draft has been completed and the draft picks are now settling into their respective locker rooms. It was a very exciting and deep draft with top earning players dropping several rounds. It will be a draft class to watch for future seasons to see how it turns out with so many strong players.

The hype behind the draft class was stirred by the holder of the 1st overall pick, the Manhattan Rage general manager who terrorized the draft class with fake news.

There was a lot to like in this class and Winnipeg made no apologies for pigging out and grabbing as many as they could. The Aurora were active up to and through the draft, including trading up to the #5 spot to ensure they got the player they wanted. This gave them 3 of the top 5 picks and 7 picks total in the first round. When everything was said and done, Winnipeg walked away from the draft with 10 players and a big part of their future core.

Now let's meet the ten new players that Winnipeg has added to their roster and how they compare to one another.

Round 1, Pick #2 - Mikko Rashford

Position: Right Defence
TPE: 335 (100% earner)
Bank: $40,000,000
Stats: 66gp - 17g - 17a - 34pts
Analysis: Winnipeg was in need of a variety of positions but Rashford was an easy pick for them. He was the consensus 2nd overall pick and a no brainer. A gifted offensive defender who can also hold his own on the defensive end. He adds another RD to go along with Winnipeg's highly touted prospect Marcel Beck who was drafted 2 seasons ago. Rashford was/is the leading (tied) TPE earner for his draft class and has a large bank account.

Round 1, Pick #4 - Spack Jarrow

Position: Left Wing
TPE: 324 (97% earner)
Bank: $62,000,000
Stats: 66gp - 13g - 19a - 32pts
Analysis: There was a lot of speculation leading up to the draft as to which player would be selected by Seattle who had the 3rd overall pick. It wasn't until right before the draft when word got out that Jarrow would still be available in the 4th spot for Winnipeg. Jarrow was consistently amongst the top 10 TPE earners of his draft class and had the most money earned as a new create. Jarrow becomes the 3rd left wing prospect on Winnipeg joining season 60 Gonzo Gobbledygook and Daniel Merica Jr..

Round 1, Pick #5 - Jay O'Neil

Position: Right Defence
TPE: 327 (98% earner)
Bank: $26,000,000
Stats: 66gp - 1g - 20a - 21pts
Analysis: Winnipeg traded up to make sure that they could get O'Neil with their 5th pick breaking a lot of peoples mock drafts as they weren't aware that San Francisco wasn't going to be picking. Amongst the discussion as top pick, Winnipeg was fortunate to be able to find a way to get Jay O'Neil at the 5th spot. He is a defensive beast who hits like a truck. He finished his rookie SMJHL campaign as a 98% TPE earner with a large bank roll. He slots at 2/3 on the depth chart of Winnipeg right defending prospects along with teammate Mikko Rashford.

Round 1, Pick #11 - Jaegr Jones

Position: Center
TPE: 324 (97% earner)
Bank: $49,000,000
Stats: 66gp - 14a - 25g - 39pts
Analysis: After drafting a couple of wingers in the top 5 and a defender 2nd overall, Winnipeg was looking to find a center to fill out the prospect pool. It is astounding that a player like Jones can be found outside of the top 10 but this deep draft really provided Winnipeg with a huge opportunity. Jones was a 97% earner and had nearly $50 million in his account. His player will bring a feistiness to the team to help protect his fellow prospects while also having the ability to score. He sits behind season 61 drafted Sean Stevenson III as the 2nd center prospect for Winnipeg.

Round 1, Pick #12 - Tommy Tightpants

Position: Right Wing
TPE: 319 (95% earner)
Bank: $15,000,000
Stats: 66gp - 11g - 23a - 34pts
Analysis: Tightpants is the first right winger drafted by Winnipeg in the draft and was another huge earner getting 95% of the TPE that the leader (his new teammate) did. He is a great offensive threat who is a fantastic passer and should fit in nicely with his fellow rookies. Tommy finds himself 3rd on the right wing for Winnipeg prospects behind season 60 Elvis Alexander and season 61 (team GM) Björn Viggosson.

Round 1, Pick #14 - Christian Kinsinger

Position: Left Defence
TPE: 335 (100% earner)
Bank: $21,000,000
Stats: 64gp - 12g - 24a - 36pts
Analysis: There was a lot of talk about the higher 1st round picks by Winnipeg but this might be one of their most important. Kinsinger matched new teammate Rashford as the top TPE earner for the season 62 draft class. He had a great season finishing with 36 points and made over $20 million. How he fell this far in the draft is amazing and Winnipeg made out like bandits adding him in the 14th slot. He brings a strong two-way game and checks all the boxes. He is Winnipeg's only left defensive prospect and immediately plugs the gaping hole on the left side.

Round 1, Pick #16 - Rebecca Montagne

Position: Goaltender
TPE: 328 (98% earner)
Bank: $135,000,000
Stats: 43gp - 3.96 - .904%
Analysis: Montagne became the first goaltender to be selected in the draft. As we all know, the goaltending position can be a difficult one when finding a new team and so goalies will often drop lower than they should so getting a future #1 starter at the 16th spot should secure that position for a long time for the team. As a 98% earner and with a whopping $135 million in the bank, Montagne was a perfect choice. She slots as the 2nd prospect at the goalie position in Winnipeg behind season 61 Jonas Johansson.

Round 3, Pick #1 - Frederico Von Schnicktenburg

Position: Left Wing
TPE: 327 (98% earner)
Bank: $13,000,000
Stats: 66gp - 14g - 22a - 36pts
Analysis: A third round pick got Winnipeg a 98% earner. Schnicktenburg becomes Winnipeg's 8th player in a row drafted who has a 97% or greater earning rate. He is a sniper who can also make passing plays. His numbers across the board look like a top 5 pick and is already the favourite as the steal of the draft. He'll join a now talent filled stable of left wingers on Winnipeg's depth as a 3/4 with Jarrow with each winger bringing their own style to the team. The variety of the depth is outstanding and Winnipeg should be set on the left side for a long long time.

Round 3, Pick #11 - Trevor Malone

Position: Right Wing
TPE: 234 (70% earner)
Bank: $8,000,000
Stats: 63gp - 2g - 13a - 15pts
Analysis: Although Malone is listed as a 70% earner, he was a September signup and missed the first portion of the season and would have a higher number had he started at the same time as the rest of his class. He is listed as a RD on the index so I'm not sure if he was played out of position or that is just a bug but he is a defensive minded forward who will slot in as 4th right winger prospect on the team behind Tommy Tightpants.

Round 3, Pick #14 - Jacques Lilcoque

Position: Right Wing
TPE: 233 (70% earner)
Bank: $8,000,000
Stats: 66gp - 10g - 14a - 24pts
Analysis: Lilcoque is as IA who still has an outside shot of becoming a valuable asset to the Winnipeg team. He is a well rounded player who excels at both ends of the ice. As the last Winnipeg pick, he finds himself in the 4/5 spot for right winger depth amongst Winnipeg prospects. There is hope that he will return but we will have to see how it plays out in the end.

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These ten players could help turn Winnipeg Aurora from a struggling franchise trying to rebuild to a potential powerhouse in 5 to 6 seasons if the majority of these picks continue their projectory. Although next seasons class will not be as deep as the season 62 class, Winnipeg also holds 3 first rounders for that draft as well. So expect more prospects being added to an already growing depth of talent.

The future is starting to look really bright for the Aurora after such an incredible draft haul in one season. We will have to keep an eye on this draft and do a re-ranking once this class hits SHL levels.

Thanks for your time and sorry to the media graders who have to deal with all my articles.

[ 1,814 words ]

tweedledunn · 10-25-2021, 09:49 AM

***Ace*** · 10-25-2021, 09:51 AM

By-Tor · 10-25-2021, 10:04 AM

Credit to enigmatic, Merica, tweedledunn, and jaypc8237 for sigs

*RashfordU* · 10-25-2021, 10:11 AM

***Sburbine*** · 10-25-2021, 10:27 AM

**OrbitingDeath** · 10-26-2021, 02:38 AM

Love being part of this group <3

Thunder39 · 10-26-2021, 07:36 AM

Light them up! Aurora

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