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Grapehead · 10-01-2019, 10:58 AM

This offseason we have the following announcements:

1) Offseason Acquisitions
2) S49 Rookies
3) S49 Captains

1) Offseason Acquisitions

Henrik Lekberg Osterman - Expectations were high for the Pride in S49, following consecutive trips to the playoffs in S47 and 48, but reality was unkind to them and their fans. However, when you wind up with the 3rd overall pick, and an opportunity to draft a player like Osterman, it’s easy to forget the heartbreak you endured during the season. Henrik Lekberg Osterman was heralded by the Pride scouts as the most complete player in this draft, boasting a combination of offensive and defensive talents, to go along with an outstanding character from all accounts. It certainly wasn’t easy to pass up on several other players by taking HLO, but almost every scouting meeting ended with the team back at Osterman. While the team has Jeff Brogen and Vince Reaper playing the left wing now, and prospects Nathan Explosion, Yoshimitsu McCloud, and Jonas Larsen, the promotion of Larsen this season would mean they’d not be carrying a left wing prospect in their system. Osterman put up 9 goals and 23 points as a rookie for the Colorado Raptors in S49, good for 7th among rookies in the SMJHL. He quickly caught the eye of Pride scouts, who have been known to like selecting players from the Raptors organization (Bo Kane currently playing in Colorado as well). Henrik Lekberg Osterman will return to the SMJHL again in S50, and he’ll have more than a few new fans tuning in for that.

Ian Venables - With Chris Partridge still playing well, and Patrice Nadeau ready to assume the starting role when his opportunity comes, most people wouldn’t have suspected the Pride to draft a goalie at all, let alone in the 1st round. They acquired the 13th overall pick from the Winnipeg Jets, along with Xavier Paquette in a S49 deal that sent Goku Muerto and 29th overall in return, so many expected them to try and find a future replacement for Muerto with the pick. Ian Venables was projected to be the top goalie in this draft, but the majority of predictions had him going in the early 2nd round. Venables played 44 games for the Anchorage Armada as a rookie in S49, posting a record of 19-20-4 with 1 shutout, and a GAA of 3.13 and a SV% of 0.867, but considering how much the Armada struggled as a team, it’s not something scouts put much stock in. He’s a goalie that’s been known to scouts prior to his arrival in the SMJHL, and when you watch the kid play and practice you can see why teams were high on him. He moves well for a relatively big goalie, and prides himself on his overall excellent reflexes. Scouts have him projected to be a future starting goalie in the SHL, but the Pride and Venables have mutually agreed that playing in the SMJHL as long as possible is the best development route, so it will be a few seasons before we see Venables in the SHL full-time. When he does arrive, it will be interesting to see how he and Nadeau share the duties, but a lot can change in a few seasons so who knows how this story will play out. One thing is for sure, both Nadeau and Venables look like absolute studs, so the Pride’s future in goal should be handled for a long time.

Luca Veccelli - A player with a pedigree like Luca Veccelli falling to the 2nd round is almost unheard of, but the Pride lucked out at the S50 draft when they went up to the podium for the 19th overall pick. San Francisco has recently made a habit of drafting high end center prospects, and they went back to the well once again here with the big Veccelli. GM Jeff Kirkstone has said this pick is one of those special picks that blesses a team every once in a while, and the Pride scouts were actually seen laughing with joy to and from the stage. Luca Veccelli is a 6’3” 208lbs center, hailing from Switzerland but playing his junior hockey in Lethbridge in S49. He scored 11 goals and 29 points, which was good for 3rd among rookies in the SMJHL, and played a big role in the offensive depth that propelled the Lions success. He’ll join Bo Kane in the Pride’s future group of centers, and both are expected to join Steven Moyer and Knute Knurtsson in San Francisco before too long. By all accounts this pick was an absolute slam dunk for the Pride, and there will certainly be more than a handful of GMs kicking themselves in 3 or 4 seasons when Luca is breaking out in the SHL.

Justin Womack - After selecting Veccelli 19th, the Pride weren’t up to pick again until the 67th overall pick, and there weren’t projected to be that many picks. However, thanks to a total of 15 picks being passed on by various teams, the Pride actually had the choice of making another pick when they were called on. Justin Womack was a center who showed some signs of the potential to be an SHL player one day, and so the Pride took the chance on the kid. Justin wasn’t in attendance for the draft, and has yet to respond to messages from the team, but if he reports to the team at any point then this pick is a solid gamble, because at 6’2” 240lbs Womack could be a force in the SHL.

Ty Hoover - With the departure of Muerto and retirement of Karlsson, a spot was open on the active roster for another center, so the Pride went out and signed former draft pick Ty Hoover. Hoover spent last season with the Minnesota Chiefs, but returns to San Francisco where he played 102 games previously. He put up 15 points with the Chiefs, eclipsing his career high of 8, and found himself growing as a player. When the Chiefs didn’t re-sign Hoover, Kirkstone moved quickly to get a deal done and get Ty back in the bay. It’s a great deal for Ty and the Pride, who both could benefit big time from a productive season for the young center.

2) S49 Rookies

Jonas Larsen - Jonas Larsen is the sole rookie for the Pride this season, and his arrival comes following a three season stint with the Anchorage Armada. A rough season for the Armada had disillusioned Larsen to some degree, and his offensive output dropped a bit as a result, going from 35 points in S48 to 29 in S49. Even still, he leaves a big role to fill for the Armada, and brings a lot of talent to the table for the Pride. He won’t be expected to put up many points in the SHL, but the coaching staff are more focused on getting Larsen adapted to the new tempo and building on his strong development thus far. Having decided that the best move for himself was to make the jump to the SHL, he discussed his options with GM Kirkstone as S49 wrapped up, leading to his promotion to the main roster in the offseason. It’s always a very positive sign to see your prospects push themselves to crack the SHL roster, and Jonas has worked very hard to earn his spot. Whatever S50 has in store for the young rookie, his future looks bright.

3) S49 Captains

Alternate Captains

Joseph Lombardi, Dominic Montgomery., Vince Reaper, and Leopold Lockhart will reprise their roles as the alternate captains this season, splitting duties between home and away games as they did last season. This season Leo and Vince will don the As for home games, while Dom and Joe will take up the job when the team is on the road. Vince Reaper recently signed a massive $420m deal that will keep him in San Francisco until he’s very old, and it’s no surprise that with such a huge contract he’ll carry on his duties as a leader for the Pride. Leopold Lockhart and Dominic Montgomery, formerly SFP 1st round picks in S45, are on the cusp of breaking through in the SHL. We saw a flash of brilliance from Leo down the stretch last season, and he’ll look to carry that momentum forward. Dom’s cool calm demeanor make him an easy choice to take on a leadership role, and it’s exciting to see what a bigger role on the ice might translate into for Dom this season. Joseph Lombardi is out for his swan song this season, with plans to hang up his skates at the end of S50. The team would love to see him go out with a cup, and he’ll do everything he can as a leader to make that happen. An exceptional group of players to say the least, and it’s THRILLING to have such a group with us <3

Head Captain

Jack Tanner, duh! Regression is nipping at Jack’s heels, but the old stallion still has a lot of energy to burn. S50 is likely to be a very successful one for Tanner, as he won't have to carry such an intense workload as he has in the past; allowing him to focus on his strengths. Among those strengths is scoring points hand over fist, and we’re banking on Jack to have plenty of opportunity this season to pad his career stats. Above all else though, he’d prefer to raise the Challenge Cup when it’s all said and done in S50, and he shows that in his work ethic.

@Thatguy91 @toirekari @Symmetrik @AbstractArtist3781 @bluesfan55 @bilbo @ViN @ej27 @Beaver

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