12-20-2019, 07:43 PM(This post was last modified: 12-21-2019, 02:29 AM by Gwdjohnson.)
S48, my first draft class on this site, was an interesting class that now is full of shock, history making, and especially Anchorage Armada alumni. I am going to have a look back now at the 1st and 2nd round picks of this draft, remembering how the picks were seen at the time, and judge how they look now in retrospect. Starting with the 1st overall pick:
Round One
1st Overall: Kaspars Claude ( )
Seen as a near-consensus first overall pick for this draft, few were surprised to see Tampa Bay go for the Latvian Vancouver Whalers star. However, after spending his full four-year term in the SMJHL, split between Vancouver and Montreal/Carolina, he stunned the league when he announced he would be testing free agency at the expiry of his entry-level contract with Tampa. Fielding calls from likely most, if not all teams in the league, Claude eventually signed for New Orleans, where he has enjoyed a very solid rookie season in S51. In terms of performance, Claude is very deserving of being the 1st overall pick of the class, but Tampa have lost out big time by having their first overall pick leave before playing a single league game for them.
2nd Overall: Gabriel Johnson ( )
A surprising pick on the day, Johnson was not seen as one of the better prospects in the class, but had very successful talks with Hamilton in the build-up to the draft, and made it no secret that it was where he wanted to end up. Despite the shock, Johnson has developed very well for the Steelhawks, making the S50 All-Rookie team in the SHL after putting up 25 points in 50 games from the blueline, and already topping that number this season with a few games left. Despite looking like a big reach at the time of the draft, there are few doubts that the Steelhawks made a good choice with this selection. (Yeah someone call me a bust I dare you. Go ahead, I'm waiting)
3rd Overall: FORFEIT ( )
The infamous forfeited pick of the Minnesota Chiefs brought on by their former Co-GM (RIP) publicly tampering Buffalo prospects, this pick could have turned out to be a fine player for the Chiefs, who have not made the playoffs between S48 and now, but alas it do be like that sometimes.
4th Overall: Oliver Cleary ( )
3 defencemen picked in a row at the start of the draft, and Cleary has, like the other two, not missed a beat in his development since, playing as a key figure in the Panthers squad. Having joined their team immediately after this selection in S48, going up as a 'true rookie', Cleary is the longest-tenured SHLer in the class, and has been improving a decent bit every season, currently riding a career-high 23 points in 41 games in S51.
5th Overall: Calogero Crudelli ( )
The top forward selected in this class, Crudelli spent 4 seasons in juniors with Colorado, and in his rookie season this year has proven to be a top talent, putting up 26 points in 41 games thus far, among the best for first-years. Other teams prioritizing addressing their defensive needs managed to land the Jets a quality winger in the Latvian, who should be an important player in Winnipeg for seasons to come.
6th Overall: Piotr Horvat ( )
No longer a part of the Wolfpack after being dealt to the Texas Renegades as a package deal for Noah Konn, Horvat's development has been coming along very nicely for Texas, as he enjoyed a solid rookie campaign where he just narrowly missed out on an All-Rookie team nomination in S50, and has followed up on that season very well, currently posting 28 points in 41 games for Texas and playing nearly 23 minutes per game. The Wolfpack will have some regrets about dealing Horvat, as Konn retired the season they traded for him, but the player himself has been very worth the 6th overall pick.
7th Overall: Timmo Kyllonen ( )
The first real 'bust' of this Draft, Kyllonen was seen as a youngster full of promise after signing mid-season with the Halifax Raiders as a free agent in S47, but never lived up to the hype, with his development fizzling out not too long after the draft. Now released by San Francisco, Kyllonen is playing his last season in juniors this season, and afterwards will likely be moving abroad to continue his hockey.
8th Overall: Lyle Odelein III ( )
The third of three Canadian defencemen taken in the first round of this draft, 'LO3' has also developed into a fine SHLer, point production mostly being limited by time on ice at the moment. He has a bright future for both his team and nation, developing into a key figure for both parties.
9th Overall: Nick Connolly ( )
The third forward taken in the draft, Connolly made the jump to the SHL this season in Chicago after four seasons in Anaheim and looks set to be a key piece in the present and future of the Syndicate. A nominee for best defensive forward in the SMJHL last season, Connolly has 15 points in 41 games in his debut campaign, and has seen some big penalty killing minutes as well, getting faith from management early on.
10th Overall: Mika Kandinsky ( )
The name that everyone knows from this draft, and for good reason, Kandinsky stunned the hockey world in his rookie season in S50, when he managed to put up a sensational 26 goals and 62 points for the North Stars, shattering previous rookie records by a very solid margin and catching the eyes of all. At the time, 10th pick seemed like a fall for Kandinsky, who was even touted as a potential first overall pick in the draft, but Toronto will not complain with the steal that they managed to land in the end. Although he has slowed down in his second season, being on pace for around 35 points, Kandinsky has a very bright future in a Stars jersey and will almost certainly be a player for their history books, already having written his name in the SHL ones.
11th Overall: Satoshi Zigzagooney ( )
Back again to defencemen, Zigzagooney is another one that was a hit in a first round full of quality defencemen, making the jump to Buffalo this season after four years in Detroit. He has a solid 18 points in 41 games in his first season at the moment, and the Japanese international looks to have a great future ahead in Stampede colours.
12th Overall: Bobby Bobcalf ( )
Seen as a bit of a reach of a pick for San Francisco at the time of the draft, Bobcalf has been excellent for the Whalers, where he served as captain temporarily, but his development has been progressing rather slowly in juniors, and San Francisco ended up having to trade him at a pick loss due to budgetary reasons. After clearing waivers to spend a 5th season in Vancouver, Bobcalf will likely see a call-up to Toronto following this season, and will attempt to show he was worth the first round selection in the end.
13th Overall: Padraig Sarantez ( )
Another bust from this draft, Sarantez has put in some great performances in juniors, but his development has not gone the way Texas have wanted, and as such his rights have been released and he will play his hockey outside of the SHL following the end of his juniors term this season.
14th Overall: Barrett Blackwood ( )
More of a steal from this draft, Blackwood developed very well and had several great seasons during his time with the St. Louis Scarecrows in juniors after joining the SMJHL as a free agent. Coming up as a rookie in S51, he has put up 10 goals and 7 assists in 41 games, playing just under 15 minutes a night, and is set for a very bright Edmonton future, with their top forwards starting to get on with age.
15th Overall: Atlas Rush ( )
Another steal, up there with Kandinsky for the biggest one, Rush developed very well over his time with Halifax in juniors, and even managed to get into the senior Canada squad for the S50 IIHF, scoring a few goals in the Round Robin of the tournament. His offensive production has not been the best this season, with just 13 points in his rookie campaign, but the tough forward is seen a huge piece of the future for Calgary that they will be very happy about snagging as late as they did in this draft.
16th Overall: Kasperi Braulin ( )
Seen as a great pick by West Kendall at the time, as they desperately needed a goalie who could take the reigns from aging vet Beaujeaux Biscuit, Braulin's development suddenly went south in juniors, and last summer he was released from his Platoon contract to free agency. The German-turned-Canadian will see out his 5th season in Anaheim after being dealt there by Vancouver at the deadline, then his services will be brought elsewhere, perhaps as a backup netminder.
Round Two
17th Overall: Emiko Spector ( )
A free agent pickup by Detroit, Spector developed well as the second goalie taken in this draft, winning multiple Tom Corcoran awards for best goalie in the league, before getting the call-up to Tampa to back up Benjamin Blue in the big show. Spector, who recently transferred to Austria from Japan internationally, has a bright future as a goalie in the SHL, having already had a very successful juniors career.
18th Overall: Joe Kerr ( )
Another player from the class that fizzled out, Kerr was seen a top end player in terms of talent, but teams were not very willing to take a punt on him until the Panthers took the leap of faith. He has since been released as a Panthers prospect, and is currently playing the final season of his juniors term, before he will move elsewhere to continue his hockey career.
19th Overall: Noah Tedla ( )
A solid pick for the Chiefs, who enjoyed an overall great second round in this draft, as Tedla is currently playing his second season as part of the Chiefs. Not putting up the largest amount of points quite yet, Tedla is an important part of the blueline for the Chiefs and will continue to be one down the line.
20th Overall: Zarley Zalapski ( )
Once looking like a very promising up-and-comer for the Specters, Zalapski unfortunately had his career cut short by both a verbal and literal car crash that sent him into an early retirement.
21st Overall: Josef Novotny ( )
A decent two-way forward, Novotny is also currently without an SHL home now after the Platoon released him to the wild, and he will play abroad somewhere once his term with Kelowna ends at the conclusion of this season.
22nd Overall: Ravyn Tedisko ( )
Tedisko was a fearsome and tough opponent in the SMJHL who looked like a great pickup for the Wolfpack. But not long after the draft Tedisko was dealt to Toronto, and then promptly after that was shipped to NOLA, meaning there was a lot that the Specters saw in her. However, it did not pan out that way for them, and Tedisko was released this off-season following a stall in development.
23rd Overall: Jon Forty-One ( )
One of the biggest steals of this draft undoubtedly, Forty-One himself has to this day not taken kindly to being allowed to drop this far to Minnesota, and has publicly made it his goal to exact revenge on all who passed up on him. He has enjoyed a solid second season for the Chiefs this season, putting up just over half a point per game, and playing almost 23 minutes a night. Very bright future ahead for the angry Scotsman in the SHL.
24th Overall: Jonas Larsen ( )
Larsen, likewise playing his second season in the SHL in S51, is quickly developing into a bigger role player in the Pride squad, with his minutes this season seeing an increase of around 8 minutes a game compared to his rookie campaign. He is seen as a key piece in the Pride's future exploits, and with his lethal shooting efficiency, he can develop into a fine career player in San Francisco. He is also one of three San Francisco picks in the top two rounds in this draft to actually end up making the team.
25th Overall: Simon Leblanc ( )
In a very hit and miss second round overall, Leblanc was one of the big hits of the round for Los Angeles, as after a successful four years with Kelowna in Juniors he is now a full-fledged member of the Panthers team, playing his rookie season currently in S51. A defensively sound blueliner, Leblanc has already been entrusted with penalty killing duties with the Panthers, and he is potentially on the brink of a call-up to the Canada IIHF senior squad.
26th Overall: Raphael D'Alcott ( )
Seen at the time as one of the steals of the draft because of the progress that he made in his Anchorage development after coming over as a free agent, D'Alcott never quite rose to the heights people expected, however after being traded to West Kendall along with his friend Dean Colt III, D'Alcott managed to break into the depth of the Platoon lineup, putting up some points here and there.
27th Overall: Biz Nasty ( )
Another player from this class that hasn't quite hit, taken as the second of back-to-back picks Edmonton held here, Nasty has been a solid goalie over his 5 seasons in Halifax, but is no longer contracted to Edmonton, or any SHL team, and will be thrown to the abyss after this last season as the Raiders starter.
28th Overall: Darnell Johnson ( )
Another big steal in the draft, Johnson finished his last two SMJHL seasons as captain of the Armada before getting the call to New Orleans for S51, and got a nomination for best defenceman in the SMJHL in S50. He is only playing a depth role on a stacked New Orleans backline this season, but with a large portion of NOLA's defenders aging out, the 'Sheriff' should see himself get into a bigger role in the near future with the Specters.
29th Overall: Patrick Niederreiter ( )
The fourth of five goalies featured in this article, Niederreiter is currently playing as the Renegades starter this season as a rookie, and with a giant workload to handle on a rebuilding Texas, he has still managed to post a very solid .908 save % and looks to be a good piece for Texas to push forward with once the pieces are in place to compete.
30th Overall: Jaako Jarvinen ( )
Another miss from this class, Jarvinen, a defensive defenceman, will be headed back to his home nation of Finland at the end of this last season of his term in Anaheim, having been released by the Chiefs a few off-seasons ago.
31st Overall: Alexander Thorstrom ( )
Thorstrom was very hyped in the SMJHL after having gone 2nd overall in the S47 draft to Colorado, but never quite lived up to expectations between the pipes, slipping hard in value come S48 SHL draft time. Currently without an SMJHL team despite being in his last season of juniors eligibility, it is unlikely we see Thorstrom in the SHL as anything more than a fringe backup goalie in the future.
32nd Overall: Stavros Halkias ( )
A God on the ice and undoubtedly the greatest player of this class, Halkias, a free agent picked up by Anchorage early into S48, hangs out at the chillest restaurants with the hottest dudes out west, and after four great seasons in Anchorage is currently killing the game and slaying the competition with the Panthers. Even CC2 would tremble in the presence of the mighty Stav.
The one third-rounder from this draft who has made the SHL since, 'EVO' was part of the same above trade to Texas by the Wolfpack as Horvat, and has likewise enjoyed a solid start to their career. Valentine-Okoli was a nominee for the Vyacheslav Onoprienko award in the SMJHL for most underrated player, and is expected to be an important piece of the Renegades forward core of the future.
That's it for my segment of looking back at my great draft class, full of great picks and players who are quality players and people, as well as an obvious few busts along the way as well. Let's make some noise for S48!
Thanks for the mention. The draft that at the time didnt look too promising and is starting to shock some people with the quality users and talent. Glad ti be prr of the “sleeper” draft class
12-20-2019, 07:47 PMFerda Wrote: #2 pick of the draft should've been left undrafted SMH not only is he a member of the conspiracy theorists but he's also locker room cancer
12-20-2019, 07:43 PMGwdjohnson Wrote: One of the biggest steals of this draft undoubtedly, Forty-One himself has to this day not taken kindly to being allowed to drop this far to Minnesota, and has publicly made it his goal to exact revenge on all who passed up on him. He has enjoyed a solid second season for the Chiefs this season, putting up just over half a point per game, and playing almost 23 minutes a night. Very bright future ahead for the angry Scotsman in the SHL.
Jon will remember that.
( <3 Thank you friend. All I have ever wanted is just to be known as the steal of the draft...Oh and watch the world burn but y'know babysteps.)
Proud S67 - S69 Colorado Raptors Captain S57 Forward of the Season Award winner
Gwdjohnson
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Proud S67 - S69 Colorado Raptors Captain 
S57 Forward of the Season Award winner 
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sig by @Bruins10 
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, onwards we roll 
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