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JumpierPegasus · 05-08-2020, 01:26 AM

THE GREATEST DRAFT STEAL OF ALL TIME

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"When you reach the seventh round of a draft Ron, what are you really getting?" mused the voice of Sergei Karpatsov with guest co-host Ron Mexico during the Season 5 SHL Entry Draft. "It's unprecedented. A crapshoot."

The SHL Entry Draft of Season 5 can go down as possibly one of the strongest classes of draftees ever to enter the SHL at one time. Despite how long ago this draft was, relatively ancient in today's terms, it was the most defining draft of the early years of the SHL. Without it, we may not be looking at 50+ seasons of play and a long, rich history today. The draft included some of the earliest stars of the league, and included some of the most recognizable names of the SHL today with the likes of Danielle Hogan, Erik Chisling, Brodie Witzel, Aidan Richan, John McBride, Robert Spezza, Jayson Due, Jackson Turksa, and more. A large batch of Hall of Famer's, and players who changed the game as we know it and ushered in a new, fuller, and more exciting era to the league. There were eight rounds and 81 picks in that draft, a feat never yet hit by the Simulation Hockey League. The league had to accomodate an expansion to allow for players to receive playing time on all teams, as at the time the minor league teams in the NWJHL, did not have a partnership agreement with the SHL. Once players were drafted and became professionals, they were not allowed to go back to the minors. The draft was a big deal, and players made an immediate impact.

Except for Brandon Sawyer, a goaltender drafted 66th overall in the seventh round by the Vancouver Ice Wolves. As Brandon Sawyer approached the Ice Wolves table and donned his light blue and black jersey with his name and the #5 on the back, he remembers GM Riley Raycroft leaning into his ear and saying "kid, you might never play a game". The Ice Wolves had selected Marshall MacPherson with the 19th overall selection in the 2nd round earlier that day. MacPherson was sitting with Jayson Due at the head of the table having a lengthy discussion with captain and co-gm Michael Abdalla as Sawyer was approached by Riley Raycroft. Sawyer was convinced this selection meant his career was over.

Back in the early years of the SHL, due to the relaxed schedule and lack of adequate goaltenders around the league, teams were not obligated to play backups a minimum of six games, like requirements dictate now for fairness and safety reasons. In S5, backup goaltenders were usually just utilized as practice goaltenders, never seeing ice time, and sometimes suiting up for a few games on loans to other small leagues around North America. Brandon Sawyer was drafted in the same draft, to the same team, as Marshall MacPherson, one of the highest touted goaltending prospects in the draft. Briefly, Sawyer considered retirement or making the switch to moving to Europe. But Sawyer persevered.

In Season 5 Sawyer did not play a single game, and only saw action on a limited basis as a goaltender for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Sawyer was given an opportunity to fight MacPherson for the job going into Season 5, but did not impress coaching staff enough to give him a shot at the crease. And with MacPherson leading Vancouver to a playoff berth in S5, it wasn't likely he was going to see the crease any time in the future either. Sawyer's career was over before it even got started

During Season 5, Minnesota Chiefs GM Michael O'Brien spent some time while in Vancouver sitting in on a Nightmare open practice. The Chiefs were posting up one of the worst records of all time in Season 5, as their goaltender Vitaly Latypov, along with their young inexperienced core, was not providing enough to be competitive. O'Brien became interested in Brandon Sawyer as teams entered the offseason of Season 5 and neared the Season 6 draft. If Minnesota was to be competitive in the future, they would need a goaltender, and Sawyer was a growing goalie, available for cheap. With Vancouver having no need for Sawyer moving forward, O'Brien moved in and acquired Sawyer for a 3rd round pick (which was later moved to Edmonton for Olaf Ragnarsson) and $500k cash to apply to next years cap. At the time, pundits lauded it as a decent move for Minnesota, but praised Vancouver for turning Sawyer from a seventh round pick into a third round selection.

With a team of more experienced forwards from the Season 5 draft, along with recent picks in Zach Miller, Zach Myers, and Christoph Klose, Minnesota was poised to hopefully improve on their previous year. Sawyer burst onto the scene with Minnesota, proving those wrong that doubted him for simply being a seventh round selection, by posting up a .918 SV% and a 2.43 GAA to lead the Minnesota Chiefs to their first ever playoff berth with 24 wins. What happened next was the most unexpected playoffs in SHL history.

The Minnesota Chiefs stormed through the playoffs on the back of an incredible performance from Brandon Sawyer. They knocked teams down all the way to a finals appearance against expansion team rivals the Los Angeles Panthers. Two brand new expansion teams meeting in the finals one year after the league expanded. Both teams following completely different paths to greatness, with Minnesota developing young players, while Los Angeles got there through buying players in free agency due to GM Ideen Fallah's reputation around the league. Ultimately, Sawyer would fail to win his first Cup, however he would go and win the Anton Razov for MVP of the Playoffs, becoming the first ever player to not win a championship, but hoist the MVP of the playoffs award. At the end of the season Sawyer would also be a finalist for the John McBride Trophy (at the time known as the Fernando Garcia Trophy) for top goaltender in the league, ultimately losing to its namesake, John McBride.

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Sawyer would go on to miss the playoffs only twice over his 9 years with the franchise, between S6 and S14. In subsequent seasons Sawyer would continue to put up stellar statistics, including a .920 SV% and 2.56 GAA in Season 8 as he was, again, nominated for the goaltender of the year trophy, losing to Calgary Dragons goaltender Ryan Jesster in what can be considered one of the greatest single season SHL goaltender performances of the early era.

In Season 10 Minnesota experienced its breakthrough, on the back of only a 12 loss season from Sawyer, Minnesota soared to top of the division. Minnesota would take the playoffs by storm and bring home to ultimate prize in a hard fought battle against the Damien Littleton led Winnipeg Jets. A battle of the midwest, Sawyer would backstop Minnesota in his second incredbile playoff performance of his career and this time bring home the Razov as champion. This would be his second nomination for the Razov and his second win. Between his first four seasons -- between S6 and S10 -- Sawyer would bring home 2 Razov wins and 2 McBride nominations. Fairly elite numbers, placing him at the top of goalies of his class at the time. The names of McBride, Honcho, Sawyer, and Jesster were the top of the league in the late S00s.

S11 would see Sawyer ring in a 9 loss season, resulting in a 31 win season and Minnesota etching itself as the President Trophy winners, succumbing to Hamilton in the conference finals. S12 would be Sawyer's final swan song as a stacked Minnesota team led by Skovznak, Dar, Williams, Miller, Fisher and Wagner on offense, and backended by Doran, Wastlund, Turksa, Stevenson, and Watson made its way to its final Challenge Cup victory for that era.

Retirements from the likes of Miller, Wastlund, and moving on from other players such as Dar, Skvoznak, and Williams, led Minnesota to head into a decline and a rebuild after 6 seasons of dominance. Sawyer was ultimately moved on to finish his last season in Los Angeles, meaning he spent his entire career with Season 5 expansion teams.

Sawyer would end his career 243 wins in 441 games, a career .911 save percentage and 2.31 GAA. During a time between S11 and 14 -- which is aptly named the "inflation era" -- Sawyer was able to retain his high level numbers, and his elite period between S6 and S12 definitely contributes to that. As a 66th overall selection, to a Hall of Famers as a part of the S19 class, Brandon Sawyer can be considered one of the greatest draft steals of all time. But he wasn't the only goaltender draft steal in that draft... But that's another story entirely

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RedCapeDiver · 05-08-2020, 01:41 AM

As a newer player i love seeing all these old stories
good shit JP

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