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Edmonton Blizzard Draft Review
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(This post was last modified: 01-18-2020, 02:27 PM by FinnRhys.)

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words = 1,654.... 2x Draft Media

Edmonton Blizzard Draft Review: A Cautiously Optimistic View
By Logan Samson for the Blizzard Beat

With the loss of one of the greatest players to ever don a Blizzards sweater, the Edmonton Blizzard franchise went into this offseason preparing to retool and add quality depth to a team that was all but routed in the Season 51 Simulation Hockey League Finals. With the loss of Teddy Cuddles (@"cpetrella"), Edmonton loses not only a first line right winger who tallied 21 goals and 18 assists from last season, but also one of the all-time greats and most beloved players in franchise history. Cuddles, who was probably at the tail end of his prime, leaves the organization with a gaping hole that will take several players to fill, and with the inability for any one player to step in and fill the void, Edmonton looked to this season’s draft to identify players that, cumulatively, could start carrying that mantle.

The first player Edmonton acquired to add quality depth to the squad and bring an additional spark to the offense was former Minnesota Chiefs forward Jon Forty-One (@C9Van) A Right Wing by trade, Jon Forty-One played as the second line Center for the moribund Chiefs where he tallied a respectable 11 goals and 15 assists in Season 51. This point production is all the more impressive as Forty-One achieved these results for a team that admittedly decided to tank in the second half of last season. A talented young player, Edmonton clearly made a good, albeit tough decision in acquiring the skilled Brit, sending Marc Hagan (@”CampinKiller”) and a Season 53 and Season 54 second round pick in compensation. While the cost was heavy, especially with the loss of a veteran like Hagan, the acquisition of Forty-One clearly signaled the start of a youth movement for Edmonton, especially with aging stars like Hercules Rockefeller (@Leafs4ever), Tor Tuck (@ErM), Brady McIntyre (@caltroit_red_flames) and Tommy Tuck (@Muford) slowly progressing through their primes and into their twilight years.

With the youth movement fully in swing, Edmonton used this draft to restock the cupboard with young talent that should fully develop into quality players and potential super stars with a few more years of seasoning in the SMJHL.
With only four picks and a draft that was a bit lacking in depth from previous seasons, Edmonton General Managers @Keygan and @"TommySalami", along with the Blizzards scouting department, had their work cut out for them as they found some true diamonds in the rough that a few seasons from now will compete for starting roles in the Edmonton franchise. With their first pick of the draft not coming until the 15th overall selection, Edmonton management needed to make a statement, and that they did with the selection of Luke McMaster (@lukejm37). A raw but heralded recruit currently playing for the Detroit Falcons, McMaster accumulated 13 goals and 18 assists while also managing to hold a +7 +/- rating for a team that struggled mightily in SMJHL play last season. As McMaster pushes for more playing time on his current team, it looks more than likely that Edmonton will pin their hopes to his continued improvement and progression. Indeed, Edmonton clearly saw something that they liked in the young McMaster and hopefully he can progress to greater heights than current Detroit teammate and former Edmonton draft pick Khabib Nurmagomedov who seems to have hit the pinnacle of his potential, at least for now, in the SMJHL.

Edmonton then waited for what seemed like an interminable amount of time until they came up on the draft clock again late in the third round with the 47th overall pick. In a draft with only 50 players drafted, Edmonton had to find diamonds in the rough with the 47th, 49th and 50th picks, and this prognosticator thinks that they may have just pulled it off.

With the 47th pick, the Blizzard selected Wishy Woo Woo (@Frostbite) a hard hitting left winger who accrued 5 goals and 2 assists and also adding 37 hits while only averaging a paltry 14 minutes a game for the Anchorage Armada. While Woo Woo’s numbers alone do not draw any conclusions about his potential, Woo Woo still performed admirably for a rookie that had a tough time breaking into the line up consistently for a league leading team yet still managed a 14.71% shooting percentage. Indeed, Woo Woo clearly has potential and makes his shots when given the opportunity. It is just as clear, however, that Wishy Woo Woo still needs time to further develop into a player to be reckoned with and his selection will be considered a work in progress that will either succeed spectacularly for the Blizzard or will fail miserably. While this reporter is clearly wagering with house money, more likely than not Woo Woo will pan out into a quality player for many season's to come.

With all other teams passing on making selections after the third round, Edmonton’s management made the decision to use the picks they had rather than waste them in the hopes that one of the two players selected will pan out into a viable product for the franchise. In what would be the 63rd overall pick, but in all practicality the 49th player taken, Edmonton took a waiver on Austin Powers (@Champloo). Powers, not to be confused with the lovable British super agent with terrible teeth and a penchant for saying “Yeah Baby!”, tallied 4 goals and 1 assist last season while earning a terrible +/- rating of -20. While this Vancouver Whaler averaged only 11 minutes of ice time a game, his statistics are slightly deceiving, especially his atrocious +/- rating for a team that ranked dead last in the SMJHL. Indeed, Powers may just be an international man of mystery as he fell below many teams’ radar due to his poor performance during the season. The upside of Powers, the fourth line Center not the spy, however, is that he now has the ability to go prove himself while unburdened of high expectations. A “safe” pick in every sense of the word and with zero to lose by selecting him, Austin Powers has the puck in his stick in terms of improving and competing for SHL playing time or reaching the maximum of his potential in the SMJHL.

With the final selection of the draft, Edmonton used the 79th pick of the draft to bring in the unheralded “Mr. Irrelevant”, Blake Faux (@AlexF) a second line Defenseman for the Saint Louis Scarecrows. Faux, no relation to the pitcher in the Pro Baseball Experience, is a big defensive defenseman who recently retired, but Edmonton thought highly enough of him to formally secure his rights in the hopes that he unretires and is able to progress to fill a role as a depth player. While not a complete waste of a pick, Faux’s performance last season leaves something to be desired and he will have to continue to progress if he has any real chance of seeing meaningful minutes in the future. A clearly talented player, Faux only tallied 12 assists last season while averaging almost 18 minutes of ice time. Arguably the most valuable part of Faux’s game is his ability to predict impending shots and his willingness to throw his body in front of the puck to negate the shot ever reaching his goalie. Indeed, with that being one of his only major strengths, at least at this point in his career, it seems that the most Edmonton can expect from him is filling a bench role and being a practice player.

While this draft may not have offered the Edmonton Blizzard a lot of options, it seems that the talent they did secure all had a purpose behind it and hopefully will bear meaningful fruit in the next couple seasons. With the looming loss of aging stars, every draft and acquisition will become more and more crucial to the continued success of the Edmonton brand as players are groomed to take over the roles held by the Edmonton greats. While not all of these players will pan out for the franchise, it is clear that the youth movement is in full swing and there is little doubt that every player selected was done so with the Edmonton management having a clear purpose in mind.

****Late breaking news****

One of the biggest voids that will potential need to be filled for the Edmonton Blizzard has been answered! With no goalies available to them late in the draft, Edmonton took the chance and decided not to attempt to draft one and it appears they instead focused on procuring the services of a usable goalie as an interim solution. This reporter, however, has just confirmed with a second source that Edmonton’s search has come to a close as talented free agent goalie Emiko Spector (@"mantorune") will accept a contract and join the Edmonton Blizzard as the heir apparent to perennial All Star and fan favorite Tommy Tuck (@Muford). While the loss of Tuck still will not be for a few more seasons, at least I hope, this move secures the future of the Blizzard net for the foreseeable future, as replacing a consistently top rated goalie is next to impossible. In Spector the Blizzard have secured a quality goalie that pushed for playing time last season in Tampa Bay, but was unable to push past talented netminder Benjamin Blue. Even so, in limited time last season, Emiko Spector still garnered a 3-3 record and a very respectable 91% save percentage and 3.32 goals against average. Under the tutelage of Tommy Tuck, this acquisition will undoubtedly pay significant dividends for the foreseeable future and pushes the Edmonton offseason from one of marginal gains to one that can only be classified as resounding success as the franchise finds not only its goalie of the future but key puzzle pieces for future iterations of the franchise.

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#2

Great  article! It's nice to see a draft review that's not just word vomit (like mine usually are). Go Blizzard

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#3

Let’s goooo!!!!

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#4

Am I a steal? Or a bust, the answer is yes
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#5

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#6

I demand an update
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#7

01-22-2020, 01:24 AMAlexF Wrote: I demand an update

I would update but it has already been graded. This whole saga would make for a good media piece though, although that may be a bit insensitive since you're the one actually going through it.

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