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BasedMinkus · 11-25-2020, 05:59 PM

2x Draft Media

1. Wolfpack

Select Jonathan Granström - Detroit Falcons

Granstrom was definitely seen as the #1 pick in this draft for a little while now and a lot of that has to do with his raw potential as opposed to his output on the ice for the Falcons. In his first year in juniors, Granstrom finished with 8 goals and 15 points in limited ice time (10 mins per game). Granstrom scored on over 20% of his shots which bodes well for his future as do is 100.8 PDO. Granstrom is a top tier earner but not the best in his class which makes me question the overall value of this pick. Granstrom will be a very good player for years to come but the question of if he deserved to go first overall will come into question.

Grade: A-

2. Monarchs

Select Arsene Leclerc - Anaheim Outlaws

Leclerc is the best player out of this draft and looks to have a bright future ahead of him as he is constantly out earning the rest of the league by a decent margin. In his first year on the back-end for the Outlaws, Leclerc finished with 7 goals and 22 points, while contributing 44 hits and 35 blocked shots. Overall, Leclerc will need to improve some of his background numbers, but with the way he trains, sky is the limit for the kid.

Grade: A+

3. Panthers

Select Sean Gatez - Main Timbers

Gatez is a bit of head scratcher at this pick as his training scores and his performance on the ice don't really scream top 3 pick in this draft. Gatez currently sits outside the top 10 in TPE and is behind the eight ball right off the bat. On the ice, Gatez finished his first year with just 9 points and a putrid -18. His analytic stats leave a whole lot to be desired as well, posting a 95PDO. All of this adds up to a 2nd round pick and not a top 3 guy.

Grade: C

4.

Select Vlatislav Malik - Kelowna Knights

Malik currently ranks at the #2 forward in this years draft based on earnings and should fit in nicely with the Specters after a few more years of seasoning down in Kelowna. Malik finished with 4 goals and 12 points while playing bottom line minutes with Kelowna. On the analytic side of things, Malik posted a 99.2 PDO which means he definitely has room to improve but with a thinner than normal forward crop this draft, the Specters got a good one.

Grade: B

5. Jets

Select Dwayne Gretzky - NL Berserkers

The other Gretzky may never be the Great One, but he is on his way to being a good one. Gretzky is currently the 6th ranked forward in this draft and has a great locker room presence which the Jets are banking on as his stats in his first year leave a lot to be desired. In 50 games played, Gretzky finished with 12 points in 8 minutes played per game. Dwayne is an all around player with great puck moving ability. He lacks a bit on the defensive end which he will need to work on if he wants to contribute for the hard nosed Jets in the future.

Grade: B

6. Jets

Select Freyja Hellstrom - Carolina Kraken

The Jets grab the 2nd best forward in the draft with their second pick of the first round in Hellstrom. Hellstrom is based entirely on shooting and speed, in the vain of hockey legend Pavel Bure, which will entice and electrify Jets fans for years to come. She finished with 13 goals and 21 points in her first season as a member of the Kraken and is poised to be the go to goal scorer for seasons to come. Great pick for the Jets.

Grade: A

7. pride

Select Ruggs McOooh - Colorado Raptors

The Pride continue to grow the pipeline with the Raptors, selecting Ruggs at pick number 7. The number 3 ranked Defender in this draft is your prototypical stay at home defender, providing sound positioning, bruising hits and the penchant for putting his body in harms way to stop it. Ruggs will be the perfect compliment to a puck mover like his current line-mate Jed Mosley Jr, allowing him to roam about without much worry about the help on the other end. A fantastic pick by the Pride and one that will shape them for years to come.

Grade: A

8.

Select Jari Heikkanen - Quebec City Citadelles

Heikkanen is a player that should benefit a depleted Panthers squad for years to come. The fifth ranked defender in the draft was given plenty of ice time and opportunity to showcase his potential.....He thrived. Heikkanen put up 7 goals and 20 points in his first season and should only grow from there. Jari is a mobile puck moving defenseman with great positioning in his own end and the ability to throw his body around when required. Heikkanen is the type of player coaches love and the Panthers should love him for years to come.

Grade: A

9.

Select Brennan Huff - Kelowna Knights

The Wolfpack go for a slight reach here, opting for personality and character over pure skill on the ice. Huff scored 6 goals and finished with 12 points for the Knights this season. Huff is a playmaker at heart with fantastic defensive ability in his own end. The two-way forward will need to train more on his game (18th in earnings) but if he does, he could see a number of Dar nominations in his future.

Grade: C+

10.

Select Jon St. Ark - Vancouver Whalers

Ark is the highest earner in this draft and the first goalie selected. Ark finished his first season in Vancouver 4th in the league in wins (19), 1st in losses (4), 1st in goals against (1.62) and 1st in Save Percentage (.930) for goalies with at least 20 games played. All of this to say that Ark is trending in the right direction of a franchise goalie. While most teams are shored up in that position, having one to develop for the next 3-4 seasons will be great for the Specters moving forward.

Grade: A+

11. Inferno

Select Pablo Salvatici - Anchorage Armada

Pablo trades in the coldness of Alaska for the humid and bumpin Atlanta. Salvatici scored 9 goals and 16 points for Anchorage in just 10 minutes of ice time per game. Salvatici will provide a pure offensive game for the Falcons while leaving a lot to be desired on the defensive end. His speed and vision should make up for it though and provide the upstart Falcons a nice building block.

Grade: B

12.

Select Cian McFelter - Kelowna Knights

Look, I get it. A great personality and admiration goes a long way, but the Specters picking McFelter at 12 is a pretty huge reach. McFelter at time of draft, ranks 26th in earnings for this class, making this a pretty big reach. On the ice though, McFelter made a splash, scoring 8 goals and 25 points in around 15 minutes per game. Those are good numbers but in juniors there isn't much of a discrepancy between the top of the top and the mid tier. McFelter is a playmaking center with the promise of sound defensive skills. He is a player that projects to be a SHLer someday, just not good value at where he was picked.

Grade: D

13. Rage

Select Matty Sandeen - NL Berserkers

The Rage finally get to pick in the first round after awhile away from it and unfortunately they did not make the greatest choice from a value standpoint. Sandeen will be a great player don't get me wrong, but at the time of the draft Sandeen was 24th in earnings. Where things differ between Sandeen and McFelter is that the Rage had one pick to make and clearly this was their guy. Sandeen finished with 8 goals and 13 points to go along with 34 blocked shots. Sandeen projects as a puck moving dman with the ability to play solid D when required.

Grade: C+

14. Dragons

Select Luukas Lilja - Carolina Kraken

The string of reaches continue with Lilja although not was bad as he ranks 22nd in earnings overall. Lilja had 17 assists and 19 points for the Kraken last season while posting a 99.1 PDO. Lilja is a playmaking center with good speak and solid positioning. He will take a while to find a good spot on the Dragons, but with their depth, Lilja will have a ton of time to get better.

Grade: C

15.

Select Rude Sniff - Nevada Battleborn

The steal of the draft finds his way into a great situation with the Blizzard. Sniff ranks as the number 2 Dman and 3rd overall in earning at the time of the draft which bodes well for the Blizzard and their pick. Sniff posted an impressive 102.5 PDO to go along with 7 goals and 10 points in 9 minutes of ice time. Sniff is a fantastic offensive defenseman with great positioning and the ability to play in his own end. An exceptional pick by the Blizzard and the best value in the draft.

Grade: A+

16.

Select Bas O'Bigbers - NL Berserkers

Where the Wolfpack stumbled a bit with Huff, they made up for by taking O'Bigbers at 16. Bas ranks as the 5th ranked forward in earnings while being the 8th taken. In just 12 minutes of ice time a night, Bas put up 9 goals and 22 points while posting a PDO of 99. O'Bigbers is a play generating winger with some speed to go along with it. Good pick by New England

Grade: A

17.

Select Anton Mihailov - Detroit Falcons

The Stampede make the most of their late round 1st, selecting the number 4 overall earner at the time of the draft in Mihailov. Anton has the potential to be an offensive dynamo with great speed while needed a lot of work in the defensive end. With the Falcons, Mihailov finished with just 8 points but an impressive 100.1 PDO. The Stampede are banking on his work ethic and potential to create a superstar and Mihailov has the building blocks to do it.

Grade: A

18.

Select Robert Feltersnatch - Kelowna Knights

The Specters round out the first round with a solid and unsurprising pick of Feltersnatch. Feltersnatch ranked 21st overall in earnings for this class with great potential moving forward. With the Knights and the Raptors, Robert scored 4 goals and 11 points, with a 98 PDO. Robert will have a lot of work to do before he cracks a SHL roster, but he has the drive to achieve it.

Grade: B

1814

Sopath · 11-25-2020, 06:23 PM

Good read. The first round was really weird and went very differently from how I expected it to go.

TheBigSandeenie · 11-25-2020, 06:56 PM

I'm a +C?! This article is trash... JK great write up Smile

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