WINTER IS COMING TO NEW ENGLAND
Wolfpack Add Skill, Depth in S59 SHL Entry Draft



(BOSTON, MASS) A day where every team goes home happy, the SHL Entry Draft is a spectacle - a dream come true for plenty of youngsters looking to make it to the world's most elite hockey league. As families gather and players exchange their sweaters for their finest suits, the SHL Draft provides an opportunity to celebrate many players young careers while giving fans a taste for the future of their favorite franchise.

Last weekend, the New England Wolfpack made a splash by selecting Defenseman Matej Winters in the first round. Much has been discussed about this prospect, including his incredible hockey IQ and physical talents. The Wolfpack also got a steal in the second round with their selection of Forward Jack Micro, a skilled and speedy puck technician.

In what was considered a weak draft from a quantity standpoint, the Wolfpack had few prospects to pick from once the clock started ticking on their third round selection. GM @kenvald, phone in one ear and his trusted advisors in the other, put in the call to pluck another player from the Anaheim Outlaws , Forward Top Cheddar. A big bodied sniper, Cheddar has shown the ability to find the right spaces on the ice and find his place on a young Outlaws roster. However, outside the greater Los Angeles area, Cheddar has been criticized as a defensive liability, for his slow development, and has been labeled a "low ceiling" player.

"They don't ask you how you got there, just if you did," said former SHL MVP and current player agent Niklas Wikstrom. "The Challenge Cup doesn't have the position you were drafted next to your name. I made sure that Top knew that today wasn't about comparisons, it wasn't about any other player getting drafted. It was about celebrating the successes he's already had in his short career and defining the path he will have to make it to the SHL. If there's anything I've learned in my experience both as a player, as a coach, as a GM, and as an agent, its that the best player at a teenager's SHL draft is hardly an indication of who will have the best career. Top is a hard working kid, and New England is going to thank their lucky stars that the rest of the league didn't catch on before April 3, 2021." Many SHL insiders believe that Wikstrom's connections to New England might have been the only thing keeping Top Cheddar from going undrafted, but Wikstrom refused to comment on those remarks. "Today's about Top Cheddar, and I know the management in New England is too focused on building a championship culture to make promises to a washed up player who played in this league before many of these prospects were born. Please do not diminish the accomplishments of my client for your narrative."

Top Cheddar's stock has only been rising in recent weeks after Anaheim's early exit from the SMJHL postseason. A native of Vaxjo, Sweden, Cheddar was a surprise inclusion on the federation's World Junior's roster. SHL Commentator Dick Shivers made this comment about the selection TSN earlier today: "Are you really going to question the judgment of Ola Wagstrom, one of the premier students of the game in all of hockey history? That's absurd! Wagstrom has been able to find superstar after superstar and develop the Swedish Federation into one of the powerhouses of the IIHF. How many more endorsements does a kid need? The longtime scouts in this league all agree that Cheddar has an SHL body, that Cheddar has shown promise in his development, and its about time that the league took notice."

As a low-ranked prospect, Cheddar was not invited to attend the Draft in person. However, reporters had an opportunity to speak with Cheddar after he returned from a trip in Northern Ontario on Sunday. "It is an honor to receive the call today from Kenvald. I am thrilled for the opportunity to start my SHL career with the New England Wolfpack. I caught myself a lot of fish out on the lakes of Ontario this weekend, and I think the best catch of the weekend is going to go to the Wolfpack."

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