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Central Intelligence with Name Redacted: Vancouver Draft Review [2x Draft]
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2x Draft Media

Central Intelligence with Name Redacted: Vancouver Draft Review

Hello and welcome to Central Intelligence with [Name Redacted]!

Another season has gone by, and another crop of young stars have been called up to the bigs.  While we are always sad to see them go, it is also a happy, exciting time for the new batch of players waiting to be drafted into the SMJHL.

The GMs in Vancouver have been working tirelessly to balance their current roster and prepare those players for the SHL, secure draft picks, and scout the new class of talent that will be coming in as a part of SMJHL Season 59.  Both Boom and Dextaria have been very calculating when putting together rosters and analyzing their contention windows, and the S59 SMJHL draft has given us a great view into what their overall plan is.

Last season’s exit in the semis also marked the exit of a large group of players from the roster.  A few players aged out without heading to the SHL, and a few more were called up by their respective SHL clubs to start out their careers in the majors.  This high amount of turnover allows us to see a lot of action from the Vancouver heads as they have quite a few roster slots to fill.  Their choices this season will have a significant impact on the current squad, and, if all goes according to plan, will be a significant part of a potential S50-51 contention window.

In order to properly analyze Vancouver’s new acquisitions, we first have to take a look at the other end of the pipeline and study the players who will no longer be with the team headed into SMJHL Season 59.

Valtterri Kauppinen – Mr. Kauppinen led the Whalers last year as their Captain.  Coming into the league as part of the Season 55 SMJHL draft, “Koopa” had dreamt of an early call up to the SHL.  After fitting well into the Vancouver locker room and establishing himself as a leader amongst the troops, Kauppinen instead aimed toward the captaincy.  He continually made Vancouver better on and off the ice, and was a big piece of the S56 Four-Star Cup victory.  He continues even this offseason in assisting new players with their builds and in making sure the locker room is as accommodating as possible (despite [Name Redacted] still lurking there).  The hope is that his leadership won’t be completely gone, however, Kauppinen will be much more focused on the SHL now.  Boom and Dextaria will need to look to bring players with leadership qualities into the locker room with this draft.

On the ice, “Koopa” was a top point leader, potting 16 goals and adding 25 assists to the team.  As the Season 58 squad was relatively balanced in their scoring, the hope is that the upcoming group will be able to step up to the next level and add the offensive spark that Kauppinen seemed to be able to muster.  He was also the top +/- player on the team, managing to hold opponents off the scoresheet despite is propensity for offensive play.  The Vancouver GMs are looking to replace a bit of a unicorn here.  Their job won’t be easy.

Rikki Petrov – Rikki Petrov, Vancouver’s claim to the famous Petrov brothers, should also be making his way up to the SHL this year.  After becoming a UFA this offseason, Petrov signed a one year deal with the Minnesota Monarchs, who had drafted him in the Season 56 SHL Draft.  Known as “Playoff” in the locker room, Petrov had a propensity to pop off during playoff performances.  Case in point, while Rikki shot an 8.2% during the regular season in S58, he shot 22.2% in the playoffs, potting 6 goals and 6 apples in 13 games played.  That kind of playoff performance is tough to find, and is a major reason for the Whalers’ Cup in Season 56. Boom had his work cut out for him trying to replace Petrov for next year’s tournament.

Last season saw Rikki pot 12 goals and 31 assists while playing top line minutes.  Only Ako Zile was able to outperform him on the points front, however, Petrov was a plus player, successfully keeping opponents hemmed in to their zone with a CF% of 58.6.  It’s truly up to the juniors to step up and fill Petrov’s big shoes.

KnockedOut ByOvechkin – WJC Champion KnockedOut ByOvechkin is yet another of the Season 55 acquisitions that the Whalers are losing to the SHL.  This Ontario-raised Russian right winger will be headed to Edmonton on a three year deal.  The Vancouver Whalers will surely miss his offensive spark and awareness.  In the Season 58 playoffs, Kobo was trusted to start the counterattack for the top line.  While Koopa and Petrov both ended up with more points tallied on the scoresheet, Kobo was obviously a huge part of that top line’s huge possession numbers and overall dominance in the offensive zone.  The Vancouver GMs surely had to look for great players who can drive offensive pressure and create plays from the neutral zone in order to even start to replace Kobo.

Last season, KnockedOut ByOvechkin registered 11 goals and 23 assists while bouncing between different lines as needed.  His aggressive forechecking and eye for the net was used to spark scoring on lines that were slumping, and he always clicked well when able to join the top line.  Having a winger that can play up and down the lineup is a huge boon, and is a quality that Vancouver will surely be looking to acquire.

Zebulon Leavitt – The first Defenseman on the list, Zebulon is the last of the graduating class of Season 55.  A 4th round pick for Vancouver in the SMJHL draft, Zebulon came in with an above average hockey IQ and used it to his advantage, eventually becoming the go-to guy on the blue line.  Zebulon slotted in as a primary on both the powerplay and penalty kill, and was brilliant at anchoring both.  He was also a great leader in the locker room, earning himself an A.  Zebulon will surely be missed by his teammates in Vancouver as he moves on to Baltimore.

Zebulon’s final campaign resulted in 7 goals and 17 assists.  Grinding out the tough minutes, Leavitt finished with a 50.6 CF%.  While there are others like Narboza Manyhands who are able to step up and eat minutes, few will have the defensive IQ to be as effective as Zebulon Leavitt.  Vancouver needs to continue looking for good spider-style defensemen in this and future drafts.

Wile Coyote – A 5th year Season 54 draftee, “Clutch” Coyote is a legend in the Vancouver locker room.  Ever since his hat trick in game 7 of the Season 56 Four-Star Cup Semifinals, he has been revered as the guy who steps up and gets stuff done when everything is on the line.  While he was not drafted into the SHL and will likely retire from hockey at this point, he has made such an impact on the team, and he will always have a Four-Star to his name.

Wile did pot 17 goals and 14 assists, so others will definitely need to step up and take care of that production.

Lonnie O’Donoghue – Finally, we come to Lonnie O’Donoghue, another 5th year veteran of the Season 54 SMJHL draft.  This Flin Flon native grinded out tough minutes for Vancouver over his tenure and was a staple on the team’s penalty kill.  A defensive specialist with good puckhandling ability, Lonnie was definitely more of a stay-at-home guy who could eat minutes.  He finished his last campaign with 3 goals and 14 assists, averaging 19:25 a night.

So, after taking stock of the outgoing players, Vancouver needed to fill 4 forward positions and 2 defensive positions, and hopefully find some good leaders and locker room guys to boot.  In addition to this, veteran goaltender Jon St. Ark will most likely play some games in the SHL this year, meaning that the Whalers also had a need for a goaltender in this draft.

Now that we know the needs for Vancouver, lets take a look at how the draft shook out.

Round 1

5th Overall (via CAR) – Uhtred Ragnarsson – Center

Hailing from Great Britain we have Vancouver’s first pick of the draft, Center Uhtred Ragnarsson.  Ragnarsson caused a bit of a stir when first joining the league as his name closely matches up to JURT’s, a situation that promises great shenanigans in the future.  Ragnarsson was highly sought after in this draft as his physical shape is just outstanding.  He has the ability to take off in an instant and the speed to maintain distance and win races.  When on offense, he sees the whole ice and is great at maintaining possession and getting to the good areas.  He’s got an incredibly accurate shot and an itchy trigger finger, which hopefully translates into bunches of goals for the young center. In a couple seasons, Vancouver will be looking to base their first line and powerplay around a shoot-first offensive weapon.  This is looking like a great selection to start filling the gaps left by the outgoing scorers.  Welcome to Uhtred, and best of luck to you on the Whalers!

6th Overall – NeverBrokeAgain YoungBoy – Left Defense

With this selection, Mills returns to the Whalers!

NBA YoungBoy comes from the bustling metropolis of Canada, Canada.  Being a Canadian, he was raised with hockey all around, and he took advantage of all the ice time available to him.  He very quickly became a proficient defenseman, focusing most of his time on honing his puckhandling and passing.  He has a keen eye for offensive breakouts, knows when to peel back on defense, and has the stamina to play 22 minutes a night no problem.  This was another high profile player who the Whalers managed to snag in the first round.  With the loss of Zebulon and O’Donoghue, the Whalers are very quickly going to come to lean on their new defensive acquisition.

Welcome NBA YoungBoy, we are hoping for a great career out of you!

Round 2

None

Round 3

29th Overall – Olof Karsikko – Goalie

In the 3rd round of the draft, Vancouver decided to take a stab on young Finnish goaltending phenom Olof Karsikko.  There’s no such thing as a bad Finnish goaltender, and I think the Whalers got the best of the class here in Olof.  Olof has worked with a coach for the last few years, focusing on a stoic, positioning first style of goaltending.  He absolutely shredded up the competition up to this point with his superior positioning and reflexes.  High shots have no chance on him, as he has very active arms and can flash the leather as good as anyone.  While he is very good at the first shot, Olof is going to have to work a little bit on covering low shots on the rebound, as that has been a little bit of a weakness for him. Olof will have an opportunity to play quite a few games this season with Jon St. Ark being called up to backup in NOLA, so he will have plenty of opportunity to improve and show his stuff!

A huge welcome to Olof!  Hoping for great things from you!

Round 4

40th Overall (via CAR) – Isiah Lopez – Right Wing

Now that Vancouver has taken a top tier talent at each position, they have decided to jump back into filling their offensive gaps with young American winger Isiah Lopez.  Lopez stood out during combine for both his excellent skating and stamina, as well has his passing and screening abilities.  With a bit of conditioning, Lopez projects to be a good net-front presence or a great set up guy behind the net.  With a bit of skill at faceoffs, definitely look for him to take over the dot quite often when he is on the ice.

Isiah looks to need just a bit of work to get himself up where he needs to be…but following training camp and preseason with the Vancouver trainers and coaches, he will most likely be ready to go for the season.  It is unknown whether he will be able to play at his natural right wing or if he will be asked to switch sides to fill the gaps Vancouver has on the left side.  Either way, we look forward to seeing the progress and the impact Isiah will have this season.

Welcome to Vancouver, Isiah!

44th Overall (via NL via ANC) – Elvis Alexander – Right Wing

Elvis is an interesting fellow in regards to how he approaches hockey.  Physically, Elvis is the fastest draftee I’ve ever seen.  He can skate circles around most of the SMJHL even as an untested draftee.  As a fast skater, he sees the game pretty much in slow motion, which lends to his mental acuities.  Elvis has an excellent ability to see offensive plays develop and almost predict what is going to happen during breakouts and zone entries.  I’ve never seen a draftee with that kind of ability.

These superhuman abilities do leave him with very little else that he has honed, however.  Most of the rest of his game is weak.  His passing is ok, so he has the ability to spring his linemates.  Other than that, he really doesn’t have anything in the arsenal with which to take advantage of his speed and predictive ability.  The Vancouver coaches definitely see an opportunity in him, though.  They will no doubt work on his offensive fundamentals so that he can take advantage of his killer speed and vision going forward.  It may take a season or so for him to start to come into his own, but I trust that he will be a hyper effective piece by the time Vancouver looks to start to compete for cups with this core.

A very big welcome to Elvis Alexander!  Hope you enjoy your time in Vancouver!

46th Overall (via NL) – Gio Marsh – Center

Gio applied for the draft super late, almost missing the cutoff entirely.  Vancouver is very glad that he didn’t miss, however, as they viewed him as a late round steal at 46.  This young Italian centerman dazzled in bantams with his fantastic playmaking abilities.  Every time he was on the ice he was the core component in making sure that his team had an opportunity to put points on the board.  His excellent faceoff ability allows for his line to have an advantage every time there is a puck drop.  He has plenty of stamina to keep fresh on the ice, and fantastic vision and passing abilities.

For his first year in Vancouver, the Whalers coaches may look to use him in defensive situations to ensure that they win critical draws.  After that, though, Gio projects to be an offensive powerhouse. We are really looking forward to seeing how Gio develops.
Welcome to the Whalers Gio! Looking forward to seeing you lift a Cup!

Round 5

53rd Overall – Mikael Andersson – Left Defense

The 7th and final pick that the Whalers made in the S59 SMJHL draft brought Swedish defensive juggernaut Mikael Andersson to the team.  Another late applicant for the draft, Mikael managed to fly under the radar of quite a few teams.  His abilities look to be quite useful for Vancouver, however, so they are glad that they made the pick.  Andersson projects to be an offensive defenseman, with fantastic vision, shooting, and puckhandling skills.  He also has the ability to provide crisp breakout passes.  Physically, he will want to work on his stamina and skating just a bit, and his balance needs work if he’s going to go into the corners against larger, more aggressive wingers.

That said, Mikael Andersson looks to be a solid addition for the 3rd pairing and perhaps eventually the powerplay.

Vancouver is excited to have you Mikael!

All-in-all, Vancouver accomplished their goals for the current season.  All of the roster spots have been filled, and the Whalers picked up a bunch of different skillsets to mix and match.  The hope would be that this draft brings in a young core that will have a great shot at some Cups in a couple years, and might be able to help sneak some early success this season.  The future looks bright for the Vancouver Whalers, and we can’t wait to see how it unfolds.

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