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CD12 · 04-12-2021, 01:03 AM

The St. Louis Scarecrows had an incredible draft on Sunday afternoon, adding a fresh core of players that are looking to make an immediate impact for the team as they head into S59. Here are the players that St. Louis selected:

Round 1 Pick 8 RD Marcel Beck

In a shrewd move by the St. Louis front office, the Scarecrows were able to trade down from the third pick to eighth overall in the draft, acquiring additional assets along the way while still landing their top target, and a player many people placed first overall in their mock draft in defenseman Marcel Beck. Beck got some experience last season with St. Louis as a DFA, so they were very familiar with what they were getting. Beck is a plus-level skater with excellent acceleration and stamina, and he is a smart, responsible player on the defensive end. Expect Beck to play a bigger role for the Scarecrows this season and potentially be a franchise defenseman that anchors them from the back line.

Round 1 Pick 11 LW Maverick Seabrook

With a potential standout defenseman already in the fold, the Crows turned their attention to rebuilding their forward group, with some of the last season's top scorers moving on to the SHL. They found an excellent one in left wing Maverick Seabrook. Seabrook is a balanced, versatile winger that is really good in front of the opposition's net. He has the potential to be a consistent goal-scorer for the Scarecrows and should also be a threat on the power play.

Round 2 Pick 14 RW Nikolai Ayerzov

Nikolai Ayerzov is another incredibly balanced forward with strong potential that St. Louis targeted with the departures of their top line from last year of Pavel Kharlamov, Xavier Doom, and Adrian Ayers. Ayerzov is a pure sniper. He's the type of player to shoot first and ask questions later. Ayerzov's ability to shoot the puck could create a lot of rebound opportunities for Seabrook, who is more of a net-front presence.

Round 3 Pick 26 Mars Stanton

Defense was a key area that St. Louis was looking to improve after last season, when they gave up a league-worst 254 goals. After landing their top defensive target in the first round in Marcel Beck, the Crows went back to adding defensive depth with the addition of Mars Stanton in the third round. Stanton joined St. Louis late last season as a DFA, though didn't appear in any games for the Scarecrows. After a respectable showing at the World Junior Championships with Team USA Red, where Stanton showed well on the defensive end of the ice. Stanton should help stabilize the defensive zone for St. Louis going forward.

Round 3 Pick 31 Igor Isyanov

With their second pick in the third round, St. Louis gambled on a speedy Russian winger that shows promise of big offensive upside. Igor Isyanov is a speedy skater with great first step acceleration. Isyanov still has some work to do on the defensive end, but the rookie could be an immediate scoring threat, which is helpful for a team looking to replace a lot of scoring from last year.

Round 4 Pick 38 C Jeffrey MacCabe

After adding some more skilled, scoring forwards early in the draft, the Scarecrows added a little bit of grit and sandpaper to their line-up in the fourth round when they selected center Jeffrey MacCabe. MacCabe doesn't bring a lot of offense to the table at this point in his career, but he is an extremely physical player that loves to hit, and is willing to drop the gloves if he meets a willing partner. Some may call him a goon, but he'll be a player that his own teammates appreciate having on their side.

Round 5 Pick 50 RD Major Chip Hazard

The final pick of the draft for St. Louis was Major Chip Hazard. Hazard is a third defensive-minded defenseman for the Scarecrows. He's off to a slow start in his SMJHL career, but for a fifth round gamble, appears to be a usable player that will take care of the defensive end of the ice.

Overall, St. Louis needed to have a great draft after a rough season last year, and they appear to have done it. They addressed some of the biggest holes on the team by finding a couple of very promising defensemen to help improve their goals against number, and they found a couple talented wingers that could be goal scorers to replace some of the great offensive threats that moved up after last season.

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