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Rookyi · 02-06-2025, 03:16 AM

With the S81 SHL draft now behind us, we can finally look back and analyse the different team's picks, decisions and trades! This year’s draft was truly awesome. We saw many transactions, great stories and most importantly, a class that is loaded with talent! Now, this breakdown of the draft will be showcasing my opinion of every player drafted, and this for every player who has been drafted into the first round of this draft! Let’s go now!

#1: Phoenix-Orion Soderberg-Tremblay – Minnesota Monarchs ©@SDCore

I'd say that this pick was to be expected. The 6’2 205 lbs centerman of the San-Diego Tidal has been an absolute stud at 30rd overall in last year’s SMJHL draft, talk about an upgrade! Phoenix-Orion max earned, is very active and has a very positive attitude that would light up any lockeroom across the league! This pick also means that he will be a real cornerstone in the rebuilding of the Monarchs’ franchise in the future as they are looking to have a solid base to replace Kevin Kim, the iconic centerman who just got traded to Tampa Bay for the 19th overall choice of this same S81 draft! To conclude, this pick will be a massive one for this franchise in the future. We have franchise potential material here, watch out!

#2: Océane Soderberg-Tremblay – Winnipeg Aurora (LD) @sköldpaddor

Do we have a twin duo 1-2!?!? Jokes aside, this is a great pick by Winnipeg! Especially after that blockbuster trade between Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg! Soderberg-Tremblay is a very helpful person, similarly to her twin, both are really passionate about the league and can really add a very nice touch to every lockeroom across the league! In my opinion, this pick was more of ‘social pick’ though. For now, she would be replacing Noah Smith, a 3rd pairing defenseman... But her production, contribution to the lockeroom and of course, development could really be interesting and make her reach that franchise or elite upside that Winnipeg is seeing with that pick!

#3: Hetaksh – Hamilton Steelhawks (LW)@Hetaksh03

That pick is what you should think of as a perfect pick. WOW! Hetaksh is a great user and was, in my opinion, the best rookie in the J this year despite being the 14th pick in the SMJHL draft, great proof that draft ranking doesn't mean anything if effort is put. This guy will surely help Hamilton in their rebuild, he is great in the lockeroom, very active, offensive dynamo. Awesome pick really, especially knowing that Hamilton needed that deadly left winger for the future, awesome ceiling as well, I see him as a franchise player for sure!

#4: Jordan Lafrenière - Baltimore Platoon ©@Rookyi

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED YET? This pick that first belonged to Edmonton got traded and man oh man many GMs were after that guy. Toronto, Hamilton but finally it is the Platoon that came out winners of this saga! I would say that Lafrenière really has a great all-around attitude. After falling just under Vancouver in the SMJHL draft, where he was highly regarded to end up, Lafrenière has shown everybody wrong by mastering his playmaking skills recording 39 assists in 66 games! I can say without risking myself, that this guy will be essential to Baltimore in the upcoming years becoming a true cup contender, interesting pick!

#5: Wednesy Shrinetime – Toronto North-Stars ©@JuOSu

Now, this pick is more focused on the future! Shrinetime is a very well rounded centerman that will definitely help Toronto to kick start their long rebuild! Wednesy has a great faceoff ability, she has great playmaking skills that will make her one of the most dangerous playmakers in this draft, it is also to note that she is very brave and not afraid to go in the corners. Even though Shrinetime isn't the most active user in this class, she is and will always be a respected one!

#6: Erik Johnson- Hamilton Steelhawks (RD)@Jagg102

Seems like the good picks category will continue to expand at this rhythm ha-ha! This pick is surely one of the best since the start of this draft, especially knowing that legendary player, Ricky Koivu will retire soon from rumors. Erik Johnson is an Elite defensive defenseman that is always ready to block shots, in fact, it is kind of his best ability, if we don't take being an awesome teammate into consideration. More seriously, Johnson finished in the high tier when it comes to blocked shots and is a real specialist in the matter. Great pick by Hamilton once again!

#7: Claude L’Castor - Buffalo Stampede (G) @Beavie

A GOALIE AT 7th???? Thats the reaction of everybody that doesn't know Beavie(probably) Without any doubts we can say that this pick was made specially for the lockeroom and even more for the future. Claude is one of the most active users of the league despite being a rookie, which is very very rare, of course max earning comes with that, the bank account would make any bank jealous, one this is sure, he won't need any loans to buy that house in Buffalo after his SMJHL career haha! Buffalo couldn't have gotten a better replacement for legendary tender, Rebacca Montagne!

#8: Optimus Autonomous – New Orleans Specters © @the5urreal

Now this pick is very very interesting, especially knowing that NOLA’s current centerman line isn’t really shiny right now, but Autonomous could well be the solution to this problem! The 6ft centerman is well rounded as a playmaker and will be a key asset in the faceoff circle with that ability he has shown us that he masters. He isn't the most active user out there but is very respected everywhere he goes, the bank account is also something that is encouraging as it will help him to max earn in his career and hopefully, reach the coved 2k TPE club!

#9: Captain Obvious – Montreal Patriotes (LW) @Inf1d3l

This pick is a great steal from Montreal! Captain Obvious is very liked in the different lockeroom he's in and even if he is not the more active guy, his presence is always liked! He is also a respected recreate across the league as a whole! This pick is kind of the reflection of the last as Montreal clearly needed some reinforcement on the left side of the offense and overall, in their general prospect pool, that isn’t really filled with a lot of players. Obvious will certainly help with the issues I just highlighted; we can clearly see great potential in him!

#10: Baldur-Ulysse Soderberg-Tremblay – Baltimore Platoon (LD) @JURT

ANOTHER STEAL! (Yes, the whole top 10 contains elite players, who have a problem with that to be fair, elite class for real) Mister constancy himself, 10th in the SMJHL, 10th in the SHL draft, you can't beat that to be fair haha! More seriously this pick will age like wine. Baldur-Ulysse is kind of a unicorn style of player, you don't see them often, he is strong on the puck, can lay great hits, is intelligent both defensively and offensively, when he can also bring a very interesting upside and score some clutch goals, even if it is not his principal strength! I know this comment comes back often but, he is a great user very friendly and can put a very good vibe into every room he steps in. (like all the draftees in that top 10, there is an evident reason why he went there: fun vibes)

#11 – Khalifani - Baltimore Platoon © @Z0REM

Another insane pick for Baltimore stepping in that draft. Wow. Khalifani will join his Kelowna teammate, Jordan Lafrenière, with the Platoon in a rebuild that is looking more and more like going in the good direction! I’m a big fan of that pick because when you take teammates and put them back in the big league together, you can surely except a big boost of complicity both on the ice and in the room, which is what you’re looking for in a rebuild of the wingspan of Baltimore! I can proudly say that this pick is also a steal as Khalifani is a max earner that was rather discreet this season and doesn't talk much but is an insane teammate to have, according to many of his friends in Kelowna. Will we see the former Knights line soon?!?

#12 – David Corrigan – Toronto North Stars © @Deecee98

ANNOTHER KELOWNA KNIGHT IN THE FIRST ROUND! To be fair, this high presence of players from Kelowna isn't as surprising as it may seem! Many of them have had great seasons, but over that, all of them are great guys. Which, for many teams is a priority as it helps to create a winning culture in between the lockeroom. Shoutout to Pyro and Froste39 for drafting all these guys, I lift my hat. Now, back to the main subject, Corrigan is an awesome pick up by Toronto as he is coming from an impressive 76 points season (31 goals,45 assists) that made him beat many records in his SMJHL team! DC will surely help Toronto to kickstart this long reconstruction with his innate goalscoring ability that is his trademark! Nevertheless, that will take many seasons as they almost start from scratch, but it is very promising! Great pick!

#13 – Rival Yekaterina Volkova – Chicago Syndicate (LW) @Baron

This pick is kind of surprising from Chicago as their left wing core is kind of stacked. My guess would be that this pick was made so that Rival plays on the right wing or is just straight off a lockeroom pick like I love to call them. I think that both ways are very very plausible as Volkova is a well-known and respected personality in the league, with great discipline to do tps and tasks in general and an excellent bank account to go with that! I kind of like this pick as Volkova is a physical player as well as a great playmaker, which will surely me a great combo in the future!

#14 – Apollo Seaborn- Philadelphia Forge (RD) @NJBadApple

Great steal by Philly! Picking up a high earner at 14th overall will always be a steal in my books. 161 million dollars in the bank account will surely help Seaborn to max earn and become one of the best, if not the best defensemen prospect in the future! Apollo would also be a great fit in Philly’s lineup as he could well be one of the most interesting well-rounded/offensive players on this team that is looking to be dangerous cup contenders in a very close future!

#15- Cutter Gauthier – Baltimore Platoon (RW) @TomServo

I think that Kelowna’s fans dream of seeing a whole former Knights line might happen with this pick! Gauthier will be joining his teammates Jordan Lafrenière and Khalfani off in Baltimore. This selection makes complete sense in my opinion because, like I said before, drafting players from the same junior squad will always be a great idea for a rebuilding team as it will always help to create some kind of cohesion on and off the ice! It is also important to know that Cutter was Jordan Lafrenière’s winger for the whole S81 ! Gauthier will surely be a good fit to this Platoon team as they needed that great offensive minded winger to create dangerous scoring chances, knowing that their core at that position are getting older!

#16- Tom O’Donnell – Minnesota Mornarchs (LW) @Rotti

Minnesota will take everyone that they belive will help them to start that big rebuild that they are into right now. Nevertheless, I don’t really believe that this pick will make a difference in their lineup as O’Donnell isn’t a great skater, which could definitely hurt him in the long run. Tom is a kind of player that I whould call “unicorn” as he is very very tall, not that good physically and somewhat decent defensively and shooting wise. Even though I seem harsh on him, I still belive that he could be great, it is just that his lower tier skating could make his progression more difficult, If he doesn’t work on it.

#17- Joe Primeau- New Orleans Spectres (RW) @MrPrime

Easy to target what NOLA was targeting with this pick: an offensive dynamo that will drive the offense and be a real maestro! The only downside when you aim for this type of player is well… the defensive side of things which is pretty much let down. I whould compare Primeau with Cole Eiserman, awesome offensively, a real PP specialist, but it comes to defense, it isn’t the player you ehould put on the PK. Nevertheless this is a really good pick given the rank of the player and his potential! Good job NOLA!(Great bank account too! This can help a lot!)

#18- Vashers Summers – Atlanta Inferno (RD) @lunaripcole

If I was to say that a pick in that first round is questionable, it whould possible be this one as I don’t really get the interest of reaching a bit for player who could’ve definitely have fallen to the 2nd round. Other than that, Vashers is a new user, wasn’t the more active one too, sure I know that Atlanta are contenders for a cup and probably want to give a chance to a new user but there was better options. There must be something I don’t know, so I can just be confused I guess haha

#19- Brest Mcmann – Minnesota Mornarchs © @AJW

I just like this kind of pick by Minnesota ! Low risk high reward type of pick as I whould qualify Mcmann as an unpollished diamond. It looks like his way of understanding the game is very developped(great hockey IQ) but the technique isn’t quite there for now for some important aspects of the game(passing fnd shooting are the main if not the only ones, which is why I qualify him as an unpollished diamond). The bank account is also ok, could be better but for a pick of this range, there is sure no problems with that as money can be earned quite easily if effort is given!

#20- Sazed Kholin- Minnesota Monarchs- (RD) @TheFlash

Now! The last pick of this review will be Sazed Kholin! I love this pick by Minnesota at 20th overall to be fair! Similar to their last pick, this is a low risk, high reward one as well! The potential is certainly there for Sazed as he seems like a great earner, has a lot of money to help him and is pretty active and very respected all around the league. There is also a big need for right defensemens in this Monarchs rebuild! Key pick!

Conclusion:

By making this review of the first round of the latest SHL draft, I was very very impressed by the amount of talent in there! There really wasn’t much questionable picks and I really belive gms did an awesome job there! Before I go, I really wanted to give some honorable mentions to two players that, in my opinion, should’ve been really lower in the rankings than where they got drafted !

1: John Gibson- Baltimore Platoon (G) @o1playz

Now, Gibson is a great user with an insane will to always be the best and be successful! The best exemple of that was his mock draft that he did just before the SHL draft and it was really accurate! He could’ve easily gone into the first round if any teams needed an elite goalie for their future and is a great guy to have in a lockeroom, that’s for sure!

2: Kienen McKeller – Baltimore Platoon (RD) @ryzuko

Baltimore’s great draft just went on and on and on. The biggest concern about McKeller was his bank account that was at -1.5 millions dollars. But Kienen has really sshownthat those concerns were nothing for him as he went to work immediately after the draft and directly started to do high quality graphics, which shows how dedicated he is for the league and how much he wants to succed in it as well!

WC: 2700 words

o1playz · 02-06-2025, 03:17 AM

Lots of love for this analysis, hoping to see more of these in the future <3

Rookyi · 02-06-2025, 03:21 AM

02-06-2025, 03:17 AMo1playz Wrote: Lots of love for this analysis, hoping to see more of these in the future <3

Thanks man! Much appreciated feedback !

hhh81 · 02-06-2025, 10:15 AM

BAP!

grok · 02-06-2025, 11:13 AM

snubbed (/s)

Rookyi · 02-06-2025, 11:56 AM

02-06-2025, 10:15 AMhhh81 Wrote: BAP!

***Wally*** · 02-06-2025, 12:15 PM

Let’s go!

***aleks*** · 02-06-2025, 01:14 PM

02-06-2025, 03:16 AMRookyi Wrote: #3: Hetaksh – Hamilton Steelhawks (LW)@Hetaksh03
That pick is what you should think of as a perfect pick. WOW! Hetaksh is a great user and was, in my opinion, the best rookie in the J this year despite being the 14th pick in the SMJHL draft, great proof that draft ranking doesn't mean anything if effort is put. This guy will surely help Chicago their rebuild, he is great in the lockeroom, very active, offensive dynamo. Awesome pick really, especially knowing that Hamilton needed that deadly left winger for the future, awesome ceiling as well, I see him as a franchise player for sure!

@Hetaksh03 is there something you're not telling me.

Rookyi · 03-11-2025, 04:51 PM

02-06-2025, 01:14 PMaleks Wrote: @Hetaksh03 is there something you're not telling me.

Just a small mistake on my part while writing :)

the5urreal · 03-11-2025, 06:16 PM

02-06-2025, 03:16 AMRookyi Wrote: #8: Optimus Autonomous – New Orleans Specters © @the5urreal

Now this pick is very very interesting, especially knowing that NOLA’s current centerman line isn’t really shiny right now, but Autonomous could well be the solution to this problem! The 6ft centerman is well rounded as a playmaker and will be a key asset in the faceoff circle with that ability he has shown us that he masters. He isn't the most active user out there but is very respected everywhere he goes, the bank account is also something that is encouraging as it will help him to max earn in his career and hopefully, reach the coved 2k TPE club!

A NOLA legend in the making (again)!

Curious to know how you're measuring activity though since I think I'm pretty active Hmm

Rookyi · 03-11-2025, 06:37 PM

03-11-2025, 06:16 PMthe5urreal Wrote: A NOLA legend in the making (again)!

Curious to know how you're measuring activity though since I think I'm pretty active

I based activity on rookie server activity... I guess it maybe wasnt the good way to do it :(

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