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***Benpachi*** · 06-10-2021, 05:49 PM

With the S60 Entry draft drawing close, and a very strong SMJHL Rookie class entering the market, the lists are jam packed with potential future top earners. The top 10 rookies are impressive, with some surprising performances from Free Agents as well. With Winnipeg holding 3 picks in the first round, it's likely they will come out of this draft in a very strong position to build for the future. Or, this would be the case under ordinary circumstances. With the new update scale, players had the option to completely re-spec their build. Now, though the draft class will doubtless remained strong, the obvious leaders become significantly less clear, and the winners of the draft much more difficult to predict. With that in mind, I'm going to look at five members of the draft class, and give my thoughts on why they might go higher than expected.

1. Guy Fieri (currently ranked 39 overall)
Guy Fieri played 50 games for Anchorage. That's a serious workload for a rookie goaltender, and he rose to the occasion. 34 regular season wins, 3 in OT. 2.56 GAA, but a reasonable .902 SV. Guy stepped into a starter role and managed to keep the team above water while doing it. With a strong offseason for TPE and a rebuild along the new Update Scale, Guy Fieri could quickly develop into a strong starter or 1b goaltender.

2. Lev Lebedev (currently ranked 27 overall)
Lev had a solid debut year with Vancouver, putting up 35 pts (18G 17A) in 66 games. Despite finishing the season with a -7, Lev was given the nod to get backup powerplay ice time. I predict Lev Lebedev is on the verge of having a major breakthrough. The next few major TPE boosts will make a huge difference in Lev's game. I think Lev has a good chance of going much higher than 27th in the draft.

3. Roderic Banes (currently ranked 24th overall)
Roderic had a rookie year of ups and downs, ending with 23 pts in 66 games, and a -17 rating. Not thrilling, but not bad either. Roderic has potential however. He played most of his season on the 4th line, with two other rookies. Looking at his points, Roderic had 18 assists and only 5 goals. True to his role as a Setup Man, Roderic is the sort of player who elevates his game when he plays with guys better than him. His current performance at the WJC, even playing at C away from his natural position, show his adaptability, growth potential, and team player attitude.

4. Mikhail Novikov (currently Ranked 37th overall)
Mikhail had a tremendous first season, and I'm not sure why he isn't even a little higher than where he is. 26 pts and a -4 rating is very far from a liability, and a minute of Powerplay time each game shows he can handle a high-pressure workload. Novikov is a player I see benfitting greatly from the Update Scale Rebuild, if he can successfully balance out some of the weaknesses in his play. But strong, responsible 2-way play is the standout for me. A rookie comfortable in that style of game right from the get-go will develop much more easily.

5. Leon Doucet (currently ranked 64th overall)
Leon Doucet has done something even perhaps more rare than what Novikov has done as a Two-Way Forward rookie: he seems to have built a Defensive Forward. It's a difficult role to play, and a very niche one. Many teams will field entire rosters without a true Defensive Forward. It's a specialist role and that Leon has chosen to take on that difficult game says a lot. 15 pts is not an outstanding rookie season, but his 70 hits and 26 blocked shots show he is on the right track. Any team would benefit from the addition of an effective Defensive Forward, and Leon has the potential to become a truly great player.

There are many other potential good picks, and I still think the top 10 will be more or less the same after the rebuild. However, it's never draft day without surprises! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all at the draft!

DeletedAtUserRequest · 06-14-2021, 06:52 PM

Good read
+1

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