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Noble · 09-24-2019, 01:03 PM

Another season has come and gone, and each team is excited to welcome a huge amount of new prospects from the S50 Reddit Class into their rosters. With one of the drafts that I found personally deeper in recent years, we had a great host of players to select from, and being a part of the Tampa Bay war room I had a great time figuring it all out with my fellow war room members. We were super lucky to grab the players we wanted despite having no first round pick, which made this year a lot of fun. Today I'm going to be looking over each of the players selected in the Top 20 (I'm stopping at 20 because I really don't have any desire to write on every player and 20 seems like a good place to stop considering it's our pick). Anyways, let's go.

1st Overall - Adam Barron Jets

I think this was a pick that totally went over my head, because somehow I didn't recognize Adam Barron as a top prospect until he started showing up on everybody's mocks out of the blue. Obviously @charlieconway is a dedicated and valuable member of the community and deserving of the pick and maybe I missed something, but this seemed to be rather random to me. It's a rare occasion when a first-generation user gets selected at first overall in the SHL draft, but the Winnipeg Jets are a team looking to reestablish themselves with a brand new identity, and SG went out on a limb with this pick, choosing a fantastic user that will be integral towards pushing his team further into their new world. As far as the actual player goes, Barron is a steady two-way defenseman with a special talent in the defensive area and quick puck-moving ability. His strength on both sides of the ice will make him an extremely valuable piece towards the future of the Jets when Barron gets the call up to the big leagues.
Pick Grade - A

2nd Overall - Ivan Maximus

If I have ever seen a once in a lifetime occurrence in this league, it would be watching a first-generation user go not only first, but also second in the same draft. @thiefofcheese is a member who I'm sure you've heard of among this draft class with a hyper active personality and a ton of media under his name. After building up one of the most steady bank accounts of any prospect in his class, Maximus has made a name for himself permanantly by going second overall to the Texas Renegades. The Renegades were looking to add a dynamic center for the future and found their go to guy in Maximus who will likely slot into a top six role in the near future. With silky smooth hands, a great talent in the face off dot, and strong defensive abililty, Maximus is a shoe in to be one of the better players in his draft class.
Pick Grade - A

3rd Overall - Henrik Lekberg Osterman pride

Off the board at 3rd overall was one of this year's two SMJHL interns in @Thatguy91, a member who is, if you'll believe it, another first generation user. I'm not sure what was different about this class, but with a top heavy first generation userbase, it seems that GM's were scrambling to find the best young player to add, and Osterman was a decent enough choice at third overall. While nothing shined out as particularly incredible about him, he's clearly been a solid member what with his role in the SMJHL Head Office and his media and will be a big part of the Pride franchise moving forward. Playing from the left wing, Osterman specializes on unique two way play, focusing on his defensive aspects first and his offensive abilities second. Fantastic puck handling ability will let Osterman move around the ice with relative ease, preventing his opponents from knocking him off the puck and creating great offensive opportunities for San Francisco in the future.
Pick Grade - A-

4th Overall - Bobby Lane Stars

At fourth overall, the Toronto North Stars made an absolute monster selection by taking @Rich or Bobby Lane who was unquestionably the top recreate on the board. Rich is a member of the league who has been around even longer than me, and is known as a top notch quality guy. He was on our big board to be selected first overall to Kelowna back in the SMJHL draft and would have gone there if not for their elite skill from Ryan Shephard. Shephard played out the season for the Montreal Militia (prior to their rebrand into the Carolina Kraken) and was a huge part of their championship winning roster. As he moves into his sophomore season with the Kraken you can look for him to be a big member of the Carolina leadership team, as well as dominant on the ice with elite scoring ability while refusing to sacrifice from his defensive game.
Pick Grade - A+

5th Overall - Ryan Shephard

I was as surprised as anyone else to see that @Naosu was still left on the board when the Chicago Syndicate's pick rolled around, and I can say without a glimmer of doubt that the Syndicate were more than happy to have the opportunity to select such a high calibre player with the fifth overall selection. Naosu is a previous SMJHL first overall selection to my own team, the Kelowna Knights, and has been an absolutely fantastic addition to our locker room during the short period he's been here. I remember pushing super hard for us to grab either him or CP at first overall, and I'm very happy to say we made the right choice. Shephard is turning into an extremely talented center prospect, and will do great work in Chicago. He will remain with the Knights this season and can expect to a big offensive piece for us this year with some great playmaking ability.
Pick Grade - A+

6th Overall - Augustus Wang

Wang is the first Armada player off the board in this draft class and marks the fifth first generation user among the first six picks of the draft, and astounding amount for any draft class let alone a historic one such as S50. Wang has been a great member of the community during his time here, but I must say this pick surprised me. I didn't have Wang as high on my draft board as others may have, but I'm certainly welcome to seeing him prove me wrong with the Stampede in the future. As far as @Ferda goes with his player, Wang is a slick skating two way defenseman who loves to play around with the puck in the offensive end and fire off shots. High calibre defensive play will make a him an absolute monster this season for the Armada where he hopes to help them gain a spot near the top of the standings.
Pick Grade - B+

7th Overall - Disisde Dayudie

I'm going to try and tag him first and write later. @"スウェグキング" is Sweg (I think, I honestly have no idea). who is definitely not new to sim leagues. Dayudie is his most recent venture into the world of the Simulation Hockey League and so far he has definitely not disappointed. Dayudie is another two way defenseman in this class, marking a great top heavy defensive class. He spent this season with the Lethbridge Lions and is currently sitting at an excellent mark of 360 TPE, near the top of his class. The Panthers were looking to pick up a solid defensive player at 7th and got their man, locking themselves in a top calibre prospect for years to come. Dayudie is a defensive monster who doesn't shy away from shooting the puck and will make opposing teams look silly with slick stick skills and incredible skating. Look for him to make it big someday.
Pick Grade - A

8th Overall - Vorian Atreides

The Los Angeles Panthers held back to back picks moving into 8th overall and decided to grab a player on both ends of the ice by selecting @OrbitingDeath who is another long term member of the SHL, having joined the community way back in 2012. Atreides is already an elite calibre player in the SMJHL, playing this season with the Colorado Raptors where he will likely remain into next season and possibly a third. As a rare two way forward, Atriedes possesses top notch offensive attributes with great scoring, impressive passing, and skating as smooth as butter. His physical game leaves something to be desired, but his defensive capabilities all but make up for it. While he is a top notch prospect, he somehow found his way down to 8th overall where the Panthers were more than happy to select him, making him one of our first "steals" of the class.
Pick Grade - A+

9th Overall - Hariken Urawa

@uhh is a user who absolutely burst onto the scene in simulation leagues, burning his way through media articles, point tasks and destroying people's mock drafts as he rose to the top. Despite being a late joiner, Urawa has been a fantastic addition to the Colorado Raptors locker room and will continue to strengthen them moving into S50. His top notch shooting is only rivalled by his strong defensive play, and with butter hands and quick feet, Urawa is a sure fire 20 goal scorer next season. The Steelhawks managed to see him fall all the way down to him at 9th overall where he will be an excellent pick. As the first right winger off the board, Urawa has a lot to live up to but I have no concerns that he'll do just that. I'll say it now, so write it in stone, Urawa will be the best goal scorer in this class.
Pick Grade - A

10th Overall - Ricky Bobby Jets

The Jets made their second pick of the first round at 10th overall, marking them also having two picks in the top ten in a draft class that sees a significant drop-off. Ricky Bobby is another prospect of the Carolina Kraken, marking their second player among the first round of prospects off the board. @ImASurvivor is a great member who's been doing solid things around the league, and has built Ricky Bobby into a stellar offensive prospect. As a sniping forward who may be good enough to rival Urawa, he will look to be a big offensive catalyst in the future for the Jets. While I recognize Bobby as a great player, I do have to say that I think he went a little bit too early for his position. Of course, the Jets didn't have another pick in the first round and traded their second round pick to New Orleans, meaning they had to pick whoever was their top target at #10.
Pick Grade - C+

11th Overall - Joseph Weston Dragons

The Carolina Krakens continued to build a deep roster of high-end prospects this season as their third player went off the board right after their second when Joseph Weston was selected by the Calgary Dragons at #11. @ACapitalChicago was a member that I had very high on my draft board, and someone who I had really hoped would be available for us in Tampa to pick if he fell down to 20th, but alas he was gone long before then. The Dragons had themselves in a unique position, having traded to acquire back to back picks in the first round at 11th and 12th, and selected Weston, who is the third straight sniping forward in the class. With a deadly shot, awesome defensive ability, and a keen eye on the ice, Weston will be a strong point producing forward to replace the holes left by an aging Mike Izzy and rest of the Dragons core.
Pick Grade - B+

12th Overall - Alex Rykov Dragons

And so the Calgary Dragons returned with their second pick in a row, continuing the streak of Carolina Kraken players being selected and taking another left winger. This pick definitely surprised me, as when Calgary made the trade I assumed they were looking to acquire a player like Luca Veccelli, Marcus Ohlsson, or Phineas Gold, all of whom would have been excellent additions and a steal at that. Instead, the team leaned in the direction of @RaginCajun, a young first generation user who has been making a name for himself quietly around the league. I can't speak for his locker room presence, but his engagement around the league did not seem to equate to a first-round selection here, especially at the same position of his counterpart at #11. Despite this, Rykov is another sniping forward with defensive upside, and that seems to be the big deal in this draft.
Pick Grade - C

13th Overall - Ian Venables pride

I am quite sure that the only reason @"toirekari" was still available at 13th overall was due to the fact that he plays goaltender, because a member as active and vocal as him should have been gone a lot earlier. Rounding out right around the TPE cap, Venables was a great selection by the San Francisco Pride as they looked to strengthen their prospect pool for players who find their home between the pipes. As the first goaltender off the board, Venables will have big shoes to fill but shouldn't have any problems doing so as he's a fantastic prospect with a big frame. Clocking in at 6'4", Venables combines elite reaction time, big size and skating, and amazing hand speed to create one of the best hybrid styles of today.
Pick Grade - A+

14th Overall - Phineas Gold Rage

So following our brief break from the onslaught of Carolina Kraken players being selected, we return at 14th overall where the Manhattan Rage selected Phineas Gold, yet another scoring oriented left wing. Gold is another great prospect, but isn't a guy that I expected to go in the first round. In fact, I looked at him as a potential option when it came time to pick at #20. @Z0REM is definitely a solid guy and someone who I'm happy to see find a home with the Rage, and I think he'll do great things for them. With the same elite scoring ability and great defense to match, he will fall in line with many of the players picked before him and with hard work could prove to be among the top in the class. The biggest problem in Gold's game today will be his strength which lags a bit behind the competition.
Pick Grade - B+

15th Overall - Andrey Barbashev II Platoon

After an actual break from any Kelowna Knights prospects (the last having been Ryan Shephard going 5th overall to the Chicago Syndicate), we get another great prospect in Andrey Barbashev. @RaiN is an established member of the sim league community who I've had the pleasure of getting to know in the Knights Discord, and I'm happy to say he is more than certainly one of my favorite players in this class. I did briefly think that he was RainDelay, then remembered Barbashev from back in the day and realized I was wrong lol. Anyways, the Platoon made a great pick here at #15 landing a great prospect who you will notice follows the exact same path as the last few picks, being a left wing score first forward. It's odd to see us in the midst of a draft class that has nearly no playmaking representation.
Pick Grade - A

16th Overall - Marcus Ohlsson Blizzard

Alright, let me say that until I talked to my war room this absolutely bewildered me. I could not figure out how a first generation user that is a max earner, big media poster, had a large bank account and has already purchased equipment, is an SMJHL Intern, AND is the new recruitment head managed to fall all the way down to the very last pick of the first round, but upon talking to my war room learned that he is apparently not as active on Discord as many would like. It's certainly a draw back, but I don't think it's a total show of character for @CleverPin. CP is a great member that I've talked to a few times around Discord and the site, and we looked at him intensely when scouting for the first overall pick back in the SMJHL. He's crafting a great player in Ohlsson, who is a playmaking winger with solid defensive capabilities, and the Blizzard made an excellent pick here at #16.
Pick Grade - A+

17th Overall - Kalevolaripaavo Käspertommevisnapuu

There is absolutely no way in hell I am being made to type that out. I'm not even going to bother to copy and paste it. @AlwaysGettingHaxed you're great and all but why in hell did you have to make your name so damn long... Anyways, great pick here by the Panthers to open up the second round as they looked to add some more offensive depth, locking in their guy at #17 in the fast paced Finnish scorer. While he may seem to play an offensive-oriented game, HE actually excels in the defensive end, seeming to have more skill while keeping the puck out of the net than putting it in. As he moves into this season in the SMJHL he will look to take on a bigger role with the Kelowna Knights as they continue to push for a cup with an extremely talented young roster in their hands.
Pick Grade - A

18th Overall - Samuel Michaud

HOW THE FUCK does these great prospects keep falling? I thought 100% that @golden_apricot would be a member off the board in the first round, even in the Top 10, but fucking somehow he managed to make it into the second round. We almost got him damn it, we were so close. The Steelhawks continued to have an amazing draft class here, picking up an absolute monster of a defenseman who will patrol the line, throwing the body and taking name for the rest of his career as he could likely go down as one of the best defensive defenseman of his time. Michaud is an incredible skater, hitter and defender, and will be sure to make teams regret having passed up on him when it comes time to play him in the SHL. For now though, he will return to the to the Armada for at least one more season.
Pick Grade - A+

19th Overall - Luca Veccelli pride

Once again, I am very confused how this man managed to make it so far down. @Symmetrik, I'm pretty sure you dislike me, but I think you're great and I think you deserved to go a lot higher than you did. You're a quality sim league member, a down to earth guy, and someone who has been integral to both the NSFL and SHL, and I just don't get it. You're a max earning recreate who's playing a position of need for many teams with a great build, and somehow you're down here at 19. What the hell.
Pick Grade - A+

20th Overall - James Ronlain Barracuda

Yes yes yes, this is my boi right here. I was so happy when we got @Rankle I can't even lie. I did NOT think he would be there at 20, and I pushed super hard for us to grab him. I missed the opportunity to get him in the SMJHL draft by one pick, and I wasn't going to let it happen again. We managed to grab him, and he'll slot into a major position for us in the future as we look to continue to improve our youthful image in the league. As an offensive forward, Ronlain will be integral towards creating a great young prospect pool, but will likely return to St. Louis to continue to hone his skills before he gets the call up to the big leagues.