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Boomerange · 07-09-2024, 07:50 PM

Word Count - 1,180

Writing that headline was a nightmare, I need to start picking things more poetic. Anyways, here's an article about the top five scorers who were drafted in S77... during S77.

Raptors

1st - Baron Samedi - C - 428 TPE Aurora

@Baron
SMJHL Draft: 2nd Round, 34th Overall by Colorado Raptors
SHL Draft: 1st Round, 18th Overall by Winnipeg Aurora
S76 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 16 || A: 23 || P: 39 || +3
S77 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 29 || A: 50 || P: 79 || -4
Baron Samedi isn't a player anyone expected to see topping the list in scoring in this draft class, but he's shone through as unlikely star in the class. After being drafted later in the second round by Colorado last season, Samedi had a strong rookie showing with just shy of 40 points for the Raptors as they clammored their way to a 5th place finish before ultimately being defeated in Game 7 of the second round by Carolina. Following this, Samedi's draft stock jumped and he was snagged to end off the first round by Winnipeg. Since then, Samedi's seen a huge shift in his confidence on the ice and exploded offensively, nearly doubling all his offensive totals including an astounding 50 assists and 79 points. Colorado unfortunately saw a surprise first round exit at the hands of Ottawa this season meaning we'll be waiting until pre-season to see Samedi on the ice again, but when he's back you can be sure he'll be looking to add on to his personal best set this season.

Highlanders

2nd - Hockey Player - LW - 462 TPE Aurora

@Ruggsy
SMJHL Draft: 1st Round, 9th Overall by Ottawa Highlanders
SHL Draft: 1st Round, 6th Overall by Winnipeg Aurora
S76 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 16 || A: 24 || P: 40 || -2
S77 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 32 || A: 47 || P: 79 || +0
In one of the more interesting stories the S77 class has to offer, Hockey Player remains neck in neck this season with his fellow Aurora draftee, the aforementioned Baron Samedi. With a nearly identical stat-line to his counterpart in his rookie season, Player's draft stock rose slightly heading into the draft as he jumped to 6th Overall. The Highlanders were a fresh faced squad in S76, playing their inaugural season in the league, and many assumed Player would be playing a bigger role in his sophomore campaign, to which he more than lived up to expectations. Doubling both his goals and assists, Player finished tied with Samedi at 79 points on the season, including 32 goals which nearly topped his class. The Highlanders just eliminated Samedi's Raptors in the first round in an embarrassing sweep of a series, so we'll get to see how the rest of the playoffs go for this young scorer as he currently sits at 1 goal and 1 assists in four games post-season.

Kraken

3rd - Swedish Chef - RW - 469 TPE Patriotes

@DrunkenTeddy
SMJHL Draft: 1st Round, 5th Overall by Carolina Kraken
SHL Draft: 1st Round, 2nd Overall by Montreal Patriotes
S76 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 20 || A: 37 || P: 57 || +29
S77 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 35 || A: 42 || P: 77 || +0
The least surprising player to see on this list, Swedish Chef was probably the top scorer heading into S76 and remained in the same conversation for S77. Drafted 5th Overall by the Kraken, Chef immediately got to work putting up 20+ goals and almost 60 points in his rookie season, making the SMJHL Rookie All-Star Team and winning Gold at the WJC with Team Norden in the summer. All of these accomplishments led to his selection at 2nd Overall by Montreal. In S77, Chef kept up his momentous pace, scoring 35 goals and nearly passing 80 points while keeping up his positive rating despite Carolina's hard drop in the standing YTY from 4th to 11th. The Kraken are in a tough, deadlocked series with the Falcons this week, tied 2-2 going into Game 5 tomorrow night, and Chef is going to be a big player in the final games as he currently sits at 1 goal and 2 assists in the series. He scored 17 points as Carolina drove all the way to Game 7 of the Semi-Finals last year, and the team will need him to do it again.

Timber

4th - Doug Weight - C - 414 TPE Barracuda

@oilmandan
SMJHL Draft: 1st Round, 21st Overall by Maine Timber
SHL Draft: 1st Round, 20th Overall by Tampa Bay Barracudas
S76 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 14 || A: 33 || P: 47 || +10
S77 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 26 || A: 49 || P: 75 || +40
The second Center to make our Top 5, Weight is a talented two-way playmaking center with a great goal scoring upside that's begun to shine through this season. Drafted 21st Overall by Maine in S76, Weight has been considered a middle of the pack prospect by many. Putting up an impressive 47 points in his rookie season and a positive rating of +10, Weight became a massive hero during the Timber's post season push all the way to the Championship series, adding 18 assists (and 0 goals) to lift Maine and supercharge their Top 6's offense. He was drafted one pick higher in S77 by Tampa Bay at 20th, and would take it as an incentive to amplify his play even more. S77 marked a career high for the young star, putting up almost 50 assists and 75 points total, as well as a huge +40 rating. Maine currently leads San Diego 3-1 in their first round playoff match-up, and would face-off against either Carolina or Detroit in the next round if they prevail. No matter how things shake out, Weight is sure to be a huge component for Maine.

Whalers

5th - Olafur Atlason - C - 461 TPE Blizzard

@HabsFanFromOntario
SMJHL Draft: 1st Round, 15th Overall by Newfoundland Berserkers
SHL Draft: 4th Round, 69th Overall by Edmonton Blizzard
S76 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 21 || A: 32 || P: 53 || +11
S77 Stats: GP: 66 || G: 26 || A: 49 || P: 75 || -1
Our final player on the list has a story that's hard to explain, but is a top scoring talent nonetheless. Drafted 15th overall in the SMJHL by Newfoundland, Olafur Atlson came into the league as a player to be reckoned with, putting up 20+ goals and 50+ points and helping usher Newfoundland to a second place finish in the regular season, and a deep playoff run to the third round where they'd lose to the eventual champions Quebec City in a tough 5 game series. Following this, Atlason was drafted extremely late in the SHL, at 69th overall. He was then traded by Newfoundland to Vancouver along with MattyJ, for a S78 VAN 1st, and S80 VAN 2nd. We won't know the value of that trade for Newfoundland until the upcoming draft, but with Vancouver currently up 3-1 over Yukon in the 1st Round the pick may end up landing in the middle of the draft. Atlason meanwhile played a huge role in making that push possible for Vancouver, scoring 26 goals and 75 points in his sophomore stint in the league.