4300 words, double draft media 

Drafting good, active players is an important part of sculpting a cup-winning team. One good draft can lay the foundation for a cup run in the future, and today we will be looking at the S51, S52 and S53 SMJHL entry draft for the Detroit Falcons and see how their Four Star cup winning team was formed.
 
The S51 SMJHL Entry Draft wasn’t very big. Vancouver was the first to pass on 44OA in the fifth round, and after the sixth round it was just Halifax drafting a few more players, none of which stuck around for very long. Overall, the draft class took a big inactivity hit in the few seasons that passed since the draft, with only 31 players still present, including a stunning 15 inactives, or semi-inactives. The S52 SHL Entry Draft didn’t even make it to two full rounds of drafting, with the Calgary Dragons passing as the 26OA pick in round two. Detroit prospect James Manzi was one of the few late picks in round 3, going to the Tampa Bay Barracuda as 36OA. One of the Falcons went 2OA, right after the San Francisco Pride picked Simothy Drunkebird as 1OA. Simothy has since gone inactive, and was put on waivers by the San Francisco Pride in the S55 offseason. The S51 season was far from successful for our Falcons. They ended dead last in the regular season, and had to leave the post-season in the first round. Nevertheless this draft and the ensuing season forms the start of their cup-run, as the actives drafted in S51 and the draft position gained from ending the season in last place hade a big role in their future success. 

15OA: Oleg Igorevich Burov (G) 

Oleg Igorevich Burov was the first of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the second round, as 15OA on a pick acquired from the Lethbridge Lions. Oleg Igorevich Burov recently retired, after being inactive for most of his career. The Detroit first pick helped Detroit a lot despite his inactivity, as his inactive corpse defended the net for a large part of the S52 season, in which the Detroit Falcons secured the first of two Laurifer Trophies. Oleg Igorevich Burov was drafted 32OA to the Hamilton Steelhawks in the second round of the S52 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Oleg Igorevich Burov will not be on a team, due to his retirement. 

18OA: Jmac NCheese (RW) 

Jmac NCheese was the second of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the second round, as 18OA on a pick acquired from the Lethbridge Lions and Carolina Kraken. Jmac NCheese turned out to be a good pick for the Detroit Falcons. The first two seasons after his arrival in Detroit, I was kinda worried we were going to lose Jmac to inactivity, but we saw him coming back more active than ever in S53 and S54. He may not have the best TPE record, currently sitting at 14th in the TPE ranking for his draft class at 633 TPE, but his activity and lockerroom presence more than makes up for it, and he will get to useful SHL TPE levels slowly but steadily. Jmac NCheese was drafted 13OA to the Minnesota Chiefs in the first round of the S52 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Los Angeles Panthers. In the S55 season, Jmac NCheese will be playing for the Minnesota Chiefs in the SHL. 

21OA: Luke McMaster © 

Luke McMaster was the third of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the third round, as 20OA on a pick acquired from the Halifax Raiders. Despite his spotty activity, Luke was a decent pick for the Falcons, filling the second line center role and putting up steady points totals. In his earlier seasons he was a known fighter and took a lot of penalty minutes, but the last two seasons he seems to have outgrown these shenanigans. People forgave him for his fights anyway, as he was also keeping up in the race for rookie points leader and ROTY. Getting his TPE up to 474, he is ranked 21st in his draft class for TPE. It will be hard for him to break through in the SHL, if he is even called up. Luke McMaster was drafted 15OA to the Edmonton Blizzard in the first round of the S52 SHL Entry Draft. Luke McMaster does not have an SHL contract for the S55 season. 

25OA: Cal Labovitch (RW) 

Cal Labovitch was the fourth of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the third round, as 25OA on yet another pick acquired from the  Lethbridge Lions. Cal Labovitch turned out to be one of the top earners of his draft class, currently in second place at 868 TPE, chasing the TPE leader. Starting out on the third line in his SMJHL rookie season, he managed to put up first line points and was part of the game-breaking second power play unit. The S51 SMJHL season may have been a low for the Detroit Falcons, but it saw Cal Labovitch rise up quickly in the ranks, scoring and assisting left and right. He just missed the top rookie awards, and all star game but was honoured with the Elias Armia award by SMJHL HO. The next few seasons, Cal was a big part of the Falcons’ first line. Starring next to Kaarlo Kekkonen (S50 SMJHL Entry Draft) and Edward Williams (S52 SMJHL Entry Draft), Cal racked up a lot of points on the S52 and S53 season and was therefore a big part of their S53 four star cup win. Cal Labovitch was drafted 2OA to the Minnesota Chiefs in the first round of the S52 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Cal Labovitch will be playing for the Minnesota Chiefs in the SHL. 

46OA: James Manzi © 

James Manzi was the last of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the fifth round, as 46OA. James Manzi went inactive about a season and a half into his career, and his contributions to the team have therefore been limited.  James Manzi was drafted 36OA to the Tampa Bay Barracuda in the third round of the S52 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, James Manzi will not be on a team, due to inactivity.
Coming from a bad S51, in which the Detroit Falcons ended last in the regular season, the S52 draft saw them have an amazing number of picks. Being a deep Reddit draft, the Falcons got to pick 10 players, 6 of which were in the first three rounds. And apart from just sheer numbers, the Falcons managed to pick some quality, active players. By many, the S52 SMJHL Entry Draft is considered the foundation on which the S53 Detroit Falcons Four Star Cup winning team was built. 

2OA: Magnus Liljeström (D) 
Magnus Liljestrom was the first of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the first round, as 2OA. One of the only upsides on finishing last in the regular season is that you get to pick as one of the first in the next SMJHL Entry Draft. Detroit was looking for a quality defenseman, and found one in Magnus Liljeström. Currently in fourth place in the TPE rankings for his class, with two of the three players out-racing him being his Falcon teammates Reid Sutherland and Jack Kannoff, Magnus came in strong from the start. He was one of the star defensive defenseman on the S53 Four Star Cup winning team, leading the team in shorthanded TOI and leading defenseman in shots blocked over the regular season. Magnus Liljeström was drafted 1OA to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Texas Renegades. In the S55 season, Magnus Liljeström will be playing for the Winnipeg Jets in the SHL. 

11OA: Edward Williams © 
Edward Williams was the second of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the second round, as 11OA, on a pick acquired from the Vancouver Whalers. 30 goals, 34 assists, 194 hits and 95 penalty minutes. Edward Williams was a huge factor in the S53 SMJHL Four Star Cup success for the Detroit Falcons. He outscored the second in the points ranking, then Anchorage Armada and now New England Wolfpack center Mitchell van der Heijden, by 12 points. He barely managed half of his points total in the ensuing S54 season, but that was enough to be the team points leader. His physical game didn’t slow down though, and in the S54 he was leading the league for hits with a lot less penalty minutes than the season before. Edward Williams was drafted 4OA to the Texas Renegades in the first round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Minnesota Chiefs and the Winnipeg Jets. In the S55 season, Edward Williams will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

12OA: Frederic Wanesly (LW)
Frederic Wanesly was the third of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the second round, as 12OA. Teammates in the British national team, and competing together in the World Juniors Championship at the time fo the S52 SMJHL Entry Draft, Edward Williams and Frederic Wanesly were stoked to be picked back-to-back by the Detroit Falcons. While Wanesly wasn’t the first liner and powerhouse on the ice his British teammate turned out to be, he turned out to be one of the more consistent players on Detroit. His S53 SMJHL regular season wasn’t as spectacular as some others, but in the S54 season he really showed up and proved his value for the team by ending second in points scoring right behind Edward Williams and leading the team in blocked shots. Frederic Wanesly was drafted 17OA to the Tampa Bay Barracuda in the second round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Frederic Wanesly will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

22OA: Burlok Sulfurgold (LW) 
Burlok Sulfurgold was the fourth of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the third round, as 22OA. A physical, aggressive player, Burlok Sulfurgold isn’t on the ice to put the biscuit in the basket, but to keep the opponents from setting up their attacks and forcing them to make mistakes. His close to 300 hits over the course of the S53 and S54 season show why opponents would rather pass or dump the puck away when they see him coming than try to dangle by him. He was the lowest scoring forward on the team during their cup run, but due to his other qualities was still of great value to the team. Burlok Sulfurgold was drafted 19OA to the Texas Renegades in the second round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Burlok Sulfurgold will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

24OA: Reid Sutherland © 
Reid Sutherland was the fifth of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the third round, as 24OA, on a pick acquired from the Colorado Raptors. One of the top TPE earners on this Detroit Falcons team, center Reid Sutherland contributes massively to the team, both on and off the ice. Keeping up with the first line scoring as a second line center in the S53 season, Reid has proven his skills both on the powerplay and the penalty kill for the Falcons Reid Sutherland was drafted 14OA to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Reid Sutherland will be playing for the Winnipeg Jets in the SHL. 

30OA: Zoltan Topalo (LW) 
Zoltan Topalo was the fifth of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the third round, on 30OA, on a pick acquired from the Carolina Kraken. After the departure of Kaarlo Kekkonen to the SHL, Zoltan Topalo was seen as his replacement in the Detroit Falcons’ first line. Unfortunately, it didn’t immediately click like everyone expected it to. That wasn’t as much Zoltans’ fault, because his stats didn’t deviate from his S53 statline that much, as it was the rest of the line just not being able to adjust their play to their newest linemate. Still, Zoltan is over 0.5PPG, and an effective tool to be used on the power play and after the S55 he will definitely be of use to his SHL team. Zoltan Topalo was drafted 18OA to the Buffalo Stampede in the second round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Los Angeles Pride and the Baltimore Platoon. In the S55 season, Zoltan Topalo will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

32OA: A Jobin (G) 
A Jobin was the sixth of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the fourth round, as 32OA. Who doesn’t know the two time all-star goalie by now? Many have doubted his S53 performance, attributing his goals against average of just 1.92 to the rest of the team being nigh invincible. However, in the S54 season, Jobin stood his ground behind a disappointing Falcons’ defensive effort leading all starting goalies with a save percentage of 0.916. There’s no doubt his strong performances over the course of these two seasons have been a great influence on the Hamilton Steelhawsk calling him up to defend their net for their backup games during the S54 season and have called him up to their team as fulltime starter for the S55 season. A Jobin was drafted 35OA to the Hamilton Steelhawks in the third round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Texas Renegades. In the S55 season, A Jobin will be playing for the Hamilton Steelhawks in the SHL. 

42OA: Toki Wartooth (D) 
Toki Wartooth was the seventh of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the fifth round, as 42OA. Toki Wartooth hasn’t played a full season for the Detroit Falcons in a while. Drafted in the S52 SMJHL Entry Draft, he went inactive shortly after the draft. He proved a valuable defenseman in the S53 season, leading the team in fights won, and having one of the best +/- records. Because of other players available, Toki only played 4 games in the S54 season, picking up one assist and 12 hits. Toki Wartooth was drafted 29OA to the Toronto North Stars in the second round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the New Orleans Specters. In the S55 season, Toki Wartooth will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

62OA: Jordan Biffis (LW) 
Jordan Biffis was the eighth of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the seventh round, as 62OA. Jordan Biffis was not drafted in the S53 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Jordan Biffis will not be on a team. 

72OA: Paddy Kane-Reilly II (RW)
Paddy Kane-Reilly II was the nineth and last of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the eighth round, as 72OA. Paddy Kane-Reilly II was not drafted in the S53 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Paddy Kane-Reilly II will not be on a team.

After the very successful S52 SMJHL Entry Draft, the need to draft new players was very limited for the Detroit Falcons. Their lines were pretty much set, and barring any departures, there would not be a lot of room for new rookies on the team. As is tradition in this case, the Detroit Falcons traded away most of their picks they didn’t need. However, the 21OA pick traded by them to the Carolia Kraken will haunt them for a while, as Dwight Knight is one of the TPE leaders for the S53 SMJHL Entry Draft class and was one of the leading players on the successful S54 Carolina Krakens team. 

8OA: Joseph Fantobens (D) 
Jospeh Fantobens was the first of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the first round, as 8OA. Jospeh Fantobens was drafted 18OA to the Texas Renegades in the second round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft. Joseph Fantobens came to the team in the draft leading up to the S53 season, a season which would end with him lifting the Four Star cup as a rookie. The young defenseman is related to former Detroit legend David Fantobens and will be looking to lead the Falcons to new glory in the upcoming seasons. His stats are good, for a second year SMJHL player on a stacked team and we will all be very curious to see how he will do on the first defensive pair in the upcoming season. In the S55 season, Joseph Fantobens will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

40OA: Anders Svendsen © 
Anders Svendsen was the second of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the fourth round, as 40OA. Anders Svendsen was not drafted in the S53 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Anders Svendsen will not be on a team. 

41OA: Wang Liqin (D) 
Wang Liqin was the third and last of his draft class to be drafted to the Detroit Falcons. He was acquired in the fifth round, as 41OA. Wang was not drafted in the S53 SHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Wang Liqin will not be on a team.

Apart from these draftees, the Detroit Falcons team of S53 used a few other players in their cup run as well. Either already present before the S51 SMJHL Entry Draft, or acquired through trades, these players were: 


Kaarlo Kekkonen (LW) 
Kaarlo Kekkonen was acquired by the Detroit Falcons in the S50 SMJHL Entry Draft. Kaarlo Kekkonen was drafted 31OA to the Texas Renegades in the second round of the S51 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Tampa Bay Barracuda. Kaarlo was invaluable for the Detroit Falcons during the S52 Laurifer Trophy winning season, and the S53 Four Star Cup winning season. Winning the points scoring title in S52, and finishing third in the points race just behind Mitchell van der Heijden in S53 he was a thriving force behind the first line’s success. Just how much of an influence Kaarlo had on the team became painfully clear in the S54 season, when the first line all but collapsed following Kaarlo’s promotion to the SHL. In the S55 season, Kaarlo Kekkonen will be playing for the Texas Renegades in the SHL. 

Guy O’Shea (D) 
Guy O’Shea was acquired by the Detroit Falcons as a free agent following the S51 SMJHL Entry Draft. Guy O’Shea was drafted 19OA to the Texas Renegades in the second round of the S52 SHL Entry Draft. Guy O’Shea has been one of the Falcons’ leading defensemen since his arrival in Detroit. Second in time on the ice over the S53 and S54 season, and being played both on the power play and penalty kill, adding the defenseman to the team when he became available after the draft was a golden ticket for the Detroit Falcons’ GMs. In the S55 season, Guy O’Shea will be playing for the Texas Renegades in the SHL. 

Jack Kanoff (D) 
Jack Kanoff was acquired by the Detroit Falcons in a trade with the Halifax Raiders during the S52 season. Jack Kanoff was drafted 8OA to the Texas Renegades in the first round of the S53 SHL Entry Draft. Halifax trades: S53 3rd Jack Kanoff Detroit trades: S53 2nd S54 2nd Rights to Joakim Ohlund A trade that turned out very good for the Detroit Falcons, as Jack Kanoff didn’t just lead the team as a defenseman, consistently being out on the ice for more than 20 minutes per game and being third on the team in points scoring during the S54 season, but also leading his draft class in TPE by almost 20 TPE. In the S55 season, Jack Kanoff will be playing for the Toronto North Stars in the SHL. 

Thor Odinson (G) 
Thor Odinson was acquired by the Detroit Falcons as a free agent following the S53 SMJHL Entry Draft. Thor Odinson was drafted 27OA to the Buffalo Stampede in the second round of the S54 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Calgary Dragons. Taking the net in 17 games, second for most games as a backup goalie only to Anaheim Outlaws’ Strom Chamberlain, Thor Odinson had a hot as hell rookie season. With 15 wins and only two losses, a goal against average of only 1.47 and a save percentage of .927 this young goaltender immediately made a huge impact. And just like his co-goalie A Jobin, Thor did not slow down in the S54 season. Where the rest of the team took a big step back, Thor kept them in the game more than a few times. He ended the S54 season on a .919 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average and managed to salvage a win for the Detroit Falcons in 5 of his 17 games despite his team often letting him down. In the S55 season, Thor Odinson will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

Zbigniew Pokrywka (D) 
Zbigniew Pokrywka was acquired by the Detroit Falcons in a trade with the Halifax Raiders during the S52 season. Zbigniew Pokrywka was drafted 26OA to the New Orleans Specters in the second round of the S50 SHL Entry Draft. DET receives: S56 3rd* Zbigniew Pokrywka CAR receives: 21OV A useful trade, the inactive Zbigniew Pokrywka proved to be a very useful defenseman for the young Detroit Falcons team. In the S55 season, Zbigniew Pokrywka will be playing for the New England Wolfpack in the SHL. 

Henrik Lundqvist Jr © 
Henrik Lundqvist Jr was acquired by the Detroit Falcons in a trade with the Colorado Raptors during the S53 season. Henrik Lundqvist Jr was drafted 6OA to the Texas Renegades in the first round of the S51 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the New England Wolfpack. To Detroit: Henrik Lundqvist Jr. To COL: S54 3rd S55 4th* S55 7th** A golden trade, as the defensively minded center proved to be invaluable in the S53 playoffs, and thus in winning the Four Star Cup. In the S55 season, Henrik Lundqvist Jr will be playing for the Baltimore Platoon in the SHL. 

Taisto Jutila © 
Taisto Jutila was acquired by the Detroit Falcons as a free agent following the S53 SMJHL Entry Draft. Taisto Jutila was drafted 14OA to the Texas Renegades in the first round of the S54 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the New England Wolfpack and the Baltimore Platoon. Playing only 38 games in his rookie season, Taisto Jutila was only the second S53 SMJHL rookie to make his way into the Detroit Falcons team. His icetime being limited due to the stacked roster and his late addition, he still has the cup behind his name to prove he was there. In the S55 season, Taisto Jutila will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

Cassidy Lhotsky (LW)
Cassidy Lhotsky was acquired by the Detroit Falcons as a free agent following the S50 SMJHL Entry Draft. Cassidy Lhotsky was drafted 26OA to the Winnipeg Jets in the second round of the S51 SHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Edmonton Blizzard. Lhotsky only played a minor role in the Falcons organization the last few seasons, after being more involved during the S51 and S52 season. He played regular season games for the Falcons in their successful S53 season, being replaced by a draftable free agent for the last few games. In the S55 season, Cassidy Lhotsky will not be on a team. 

Kolja Kekkonen (D) 
Kolja Kekkonen was acquired by the Detroit Falcons as a draftable free agent before the S53 playoffs. Kolja Kekkonen was drafted 4OA to the Detroit Falcons in the first round of the S54 SMJHL Entry Draft, on a pick acquired from the Carolina Kraken. Kolja Kekkonen only played three regular season games for the Detroit Falcons, and was not expected to make an immediate impact. He did good enough for the Falcons to draft him in the S54 SMJHL Entry Draft and will be an important part of the teams defensive core in the S55 season. In the S55 season, Kolja Kekkonen will continue playing for the Detroit Falcons in the SMJHL. 

Stan Q. Next © 
Stan Q. Next was acquired by the Detroit Falcons as a draftable free agent before the S53 playoffs. Stan Q. Next was drafted 4OA to the Kelowna Knights in the fourth round of the S54 SMJHL Entry Draft. Stan Q. Next only played three regular season games for the Detroit Falcons, and was not expected to make an immediate impact. He was unfortunately not able to return to the team following the S54 SMJHL Entry Draft. In the S55 season, Stan Q. Next will be playing for the Kelowna Knights in the SMJHL.