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vbottas17 · 01-19-2023, 10:53 PM

There's no doubt about it, The Minnesota Monarchs have struggled mightily as of late, during what can only be described as a complete rebuild. Since rebranding in S56, the team known as the Minnesota Monarchs have never finished with a winning record. They weren't winning many games before the rebrand either when the team was formerly known as the Chiefs. It's tough to blame the organization for looking to rebuild from the ground up. Luckily for Minnesota's long suffering SHL fan base, it looks like their years of pain may be coming to an end. The Monarchs have stayed to course with their plan to reshape the roster through the SHL draft, they have amassed a very deep prospect pool, some of whom will be playing for the Monarchs during this upcoming season. Minnesota saw a modest increase in wins last season, the Monarchs will be looking to make big strides towards rejoining the SHL playoffs, and it could happen sooner than most people think.

I decided to write a future watch article. This list is not meant to rank the teams prospects but to show the top end talent and variety of players that will soon be a part of the Monarchs core. This will be players from the past 5 drafts, s65 and on. Please don't be offended if you're underrated and my rankings are complete bullshit!
The teams franchise goaltender is juuust a bit too old to be included in the rankings. Sorry @AW13 ! We all know that if S64 was included that there is no doubt that Enes Gündoğan would be at the top of the list. Gündoğan is at roughly 1,000 tpe and will be essential to the Monarchs success moving forward. Look for Enes to be regarded as one of the very best goaltenders in the SHL as the team improves in front of him. The former 3rd round pick (44th overall) has proven to have been an absolute steal for the Monarchs. Conner Tanner is a few seasons older but has established himself as a quality SHL defenseman for Minnesota.

#1 - Julian Flörsch - D - S66 - Autodrafted (GM pick) - 896 TPE
@Mutedfaith

After four highly productive campaigns with the Detroit Falcons, Julian Flörsch is finally slated to join the Minnesota blueline. Bookending his SMJHL career with Four Star Cups in S65 & S68, Flörsch established himself as one of the best defensive prospects in the entire SHL. Julian finished S68 with 13 goals, 40 assists, and a remarkable +65 plus/minus rating. Flörsch's led defenseman in assists and was second among defenders with 53 points. Expect the Swiss born defenseman to step into a key role for the Monarchs immediately and he shouldn't look out of place either. Flörsch could easily become one of the SHL's best defenseman in short order.

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#2 - Nevek Kove - D - S67 - 1st round, 1st overall - 763 TPE
@Evok

In a way, the addition of Nevek Kove to the Monarchs pipeline signaled a new era for the organization. The first overall selection of the S67 SHL Draft, Kove comes from a prestigious hockey background and is one of the games brightest prospects. Kove has spent the past 3 seasons with the Quebec City Citadelles and will return for a 4th and final season. Nevek has played primarily a stay at home / shutdown role for the Citadelles. Kove blocked an incredible 203 shots and finished with over 100 hits last season. Kove should continue to round out his game and eventually develop into one of the SHL's best all around defenseman.

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3. Meta Knight - C - S67 - 2nd round, 37th overall (co-gm) - 742 TPE
@spooked

After 3 incredibly consistent seasons with the Vancouver Whalers, Meta Knight will be joining the Minnesota Monarchs for their rookie season. Knight has finished the past two seasons with the same scoring line, 20 goals, 36 assists, & 56 points. Meta scored over 50 points in all 3 SMJHL seasons that they played. Knight was a bit of a goon last season, finishing second in the league with 44 penalty minutes. Meta Knight looks ready to step into a top 6 forward role as a rookie for the Monarchs. Minnesota will welcome the forwards balanced play with open arms. Knight could potentially challenge for Jeff Dar Trophy's down the road as the SHL's top two-way forward.

4. Luca Pane - RW - S69 - 1st round, 1st overall - 390 TPE
@Nictox

The first overall selection in the highly anticipated S69 SHL Draft, Luca Pane adds another elite prospect to the Minnesota Monarchs pipeline. Pane had an excellent rookie season for the St. Louis Scarecrows in S68, scoring 14 goals and registering 41 points on a very good team. Luca already possesses elite offensive skills and plays a physical brand of hockey as well. He's not the biggest guy on the ice, but he finished his rookie season with 148 hits. Pane will continue to develop in the SMJHL for at least one more season, probably at least a couple. If all goes to plan, Pane will be joining an exciting, talented Monarchs team in the future. The Italian forward could end up being one of the pieces that finally puts the team over the top.

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5. Alexander Minaj - D - S68 - 1st round, 5th overall - 542 TPE
@minaj27

The Monarchs first round selection in the S68 SHL draft, Alexander Minaj is right up their with Flörsch and Kove as far as defensive prospects go. Minaj plays a responsible 2-way game that should continue to develop and lead to Alexander becoming a sure-fire SHL top 4 defenseman. Minaj had a remarkable rookie season, scoring 15 goals and registering 51 points. Minaj was unable to match his scoring output last season, but this can be attributed to the Quebec City Citadelles struggles as much as it can be to a sophomore slump. Minaj will return to Quebec for at least one more season, the door appears open for Minaj to make the jump to the SHL in the not too distant future.

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6. Alexi Piastri - RW - S67 - 1st round, 19th overall - 736 TPE

Alexi Piastri is coming off a breakout season in which he set SMJHL records with 60 goals and 103 points. Alexi won the Raymond Lindsey & Ideen Fallah MVP Awards. Piastri may be ready for the SHL now, but the Australian born forward will return to the Nevada Battleborn for a 4th and final season. Piastri has a legitimate shot to surpass the all-time goals and points records, but it will take another great season, and Nevada has been hit hard by graduations. It's only a matter of time before Piastri joins the Monarchs, the question is, will he be able to replicate his offensive production from juniors at the SHL level? Piastri has been used as a center by the Nevada Battleborn since coming to North America. It will he interesting to see if Minnesota decides to keep him at center or prefers for him to return to his natural position on the wing. If Piastri can continue to be dangerous offensively, he could be a favorite for the Jesster Trophy as SHL rookie of the year in S70.

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7. Dominik Froste - LW - S66 - 1st round, 11th overall - 711 TPE
@Froste39

Dominik Froste had a breakout season to complete an excellent 4 season career in the SMJHL with the Nevada Battleborn. In S68, Froste scored 29 goals and had a SMJHL record 63 assists. Froste finished his career with an impressive 94 goals and 158 assists for 252 points over 4 seasons. What stands out about the Wolfsburg, Germany native is his offensive skill. Froste has amazing hands and a great understanding of the offensive zone. He always seems to be in the right spot, Dominik is known for finding open areas of the ice in the offensive zone, where he can fire a deadly accurate shot from, or find a wide open teammate with clever tape to tape passes. Froste played on the same line with Piastri last season in Nevada and it's feasible that the two could play together again one day with Minnesota. Froste will be joining the Monarchs this season and should play a significant role as a rookie. Froste's name has been brought up in rookie of the year considerations by some league experts.

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8. Bastien Primeau - RW - S68 - 2nd round, 25th overall - 520 TPE
@MrPrime

After an incredible start to his SMJHL career, Bastien Primeau could be a fast riser on this list. Playing for the powerhouse Detroit Falcons, Primeau has quickly emerged as one of the most dangerous players in the entire league.
A budding power forward, Primeau is strong on his skates, and extremely tough to knock off of the puck. Primeau scored 31 goals and had 85 points last season, improving on his numbers from an impressive rookie season the season before. Bastien is not afraid to deliver the big hit, registering over 150 hits in each of his first two SMJHL seasons. Primeau will return to Detroit next season where he will undoubtedly be one of the pre-season favorites for the leagues MVP award. Primeau's well rounded game will be a welcomed addition for the Minnesota Monarchs.

9. Hải Nam Hoàng - LW - S68 - 2nd round, 21st overall - 519 TPE
@eddiesnothere

Hailing from Vietnam, Hải Nam Hoàng is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous players in the SMJHL. Hoàng led the Great Falls Grizzlies with 31 goals last season and finished with 59 points. Hoàng is a diminutive, lightning fast skater, with a great release on his shot. Hải Nam is a natural winger who has been asked to play center for Great Falls and has not looked out of place. Like Primeau, Hoàng looks to have been an excellent 2nd round selection for Minnesota. Hoàng is another versatile player who will give Minnesota a lot of flexibility with their forward lines in the future.

10. Jeff Newman - G - S68 - 3rd round, 41st overall - 486 TPE
@Lumosityfan

Continuing their history of finding excellent goaltenders in the 3rd round of the draft, The Monarchs appear to have found their goaltender of the future at the top of round 3 in the S68 SHL Draft. Jeff Newman played a huge role for the team during the Detroit Falcons dominant season, winning the Cedric Robinson Award as the SMJHL's top goaltender, and backstopping the team to the Four Star Championship. Newman finished the season with 49 wins, a 2.19 goals against average, a .910 save percentage, and 5 shutouts. Newman led the league in nearly all goaltending statistics among full-time goaltenders. Newman probably should be higher on this list after such a spectacular season. Expect Newman to rise in the rankings if he can duplicate his S68 form. With Enes Gündoğan holding down the crease for the Monarchs, Minnesota can afford to be patient with Newman's development.

11. Rikaad Metzller - D - S69 - 2nd round, 23rd overall - 382 TPE
@Lazyeye

Minnesota continued to stock the defensive cupboard with the selection of Rikaad Metzller in the 2nd round of the S69 SHL Draft. The Kelowna Knights rookie did not look out of place in the SMJHL, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game, and finishing the season third on the team with 145 blocked shots. Metzller is still raw, but he shows the potential and the tools that you're looking for in a future SHL defenseman. Another Swiss born defenseman, Metzller makes a great first pass out of the zone and relies on intelligence and positioning to stop his opponents attacks.

12. Brendan Laroux - D - S67 - 1st round, 11th overall, 552 TPE
@Shmurph

Laroux is yet another promising defensive prospect for the Monarchs. At one point Laroux was regarded as one of the SHL's very best prospects. While his development may not be progressing at the rate that it was advancing a season or two ago, Laroux has a great foundation to build on, and has been showing some very promising signs of improvement as of late. A French born S67 1st round pick, Laroux has enjoyed 3 excellent SMJHL seasons. Brendan has registered at least 10 goals, 40 points, 70 shot blocks, 100 hits, and has finished each season with a positive plus/minus rating, during his SMJHL career. Laroux spent the first 3 seasons of his career with the Regina Elk. A headline grabbing off-season trade has sent the talented defenseman to the defending champion Detroit Falcons.
Laroux will look to cap off his excellent career with a successful season before joining the Monarchs in S70.

13. Dan Baltsiberger - LW - S65 - 1st round, 4th overall - 740 TPE
@Segi

A bit of an enigma, Dan Baltsiberger had a great rookie season for the Monarchs on a team that struggled throughout the season. Baltsiberger is the first player on this list who has played for Minnesota. Baltsiberger finished his rookie season with 16 goals, 53 points, and 165 hits, all very impressive numbers for a rookie. However, Baltsiberger hasn't improved at all since leaving juniors. He's basically the same player now that he was when he last played in the SMJHL. The frustrating part is that he could easily improve as a player if he applied some of what he's learned in practice over the years to his current game. You would hope that such a high draft pick would develop into more than a role player. Baltsiberger should be able to spend a decent amount of time in the SHL, regardless of if he improves or not. Hopefully he'll do what he needs to do to take his game to the next level, he could be a very valuable player in the Monarchs rebuild.

14. Loosh O'Sullivan - C - S68 - 2nd round, 33rd overall - 350 TPE
@Loosh

A very intriguing prospect, Don't be surprised to see Loosh O'Sullivan climb up prospects lists everywhere before he breaks into the SHL. O'Sullivan may be a bit of an unknown compared to more highly rated prospects on this list, but it's almost like Loosh hasn't really applied everything that he's learned yet. He's got more in the tank that he seems to be saving for the future. Loosh has spent two seasons with the Great Falls Grizzlies and will return for a third. O'Sullivan is yet to break out and establish himself as a top player, but you get the feeling that the day he does is just around the corner. It remains to be seen exactly when O'Sullivan will be ready for the SHL. Loosh could end up being a hidden gem for the Monarchs.

15. Mushu The Dragon - C - S69 - 3rd round, 43rd overall - 316 TPE
@Tonzy

What better way to finish off the article than with another sleeper who has some untapped potential. Selected in the 3rd round of the latest SHL Draft, Mushu The Dragon has already displayed impressive improvement since being picked by Minnesota. Born somewhere in China, Mushu plays for the Maine Timber of the SMJHL. Mushu finished their rookie season with 16 goals, 43 points, and won a very impressive 59.4% of their faceoffs. Apparently its tough for opposing players to get in close when your opponent is breathing fire on you. It's still very early, and dragons definitely take a pretty good amount of time to train, but it looks like the Monarchs may have added another gem to the organization.

There you have it, spent a good amount of time off and on writing this up today. I hope that you enjoy the read and that I don't piss anybody off too much! Yeah I know, Piastri overrated.

Ohh, he's super old but Collin Gibbles is somehow still playing for the Monarchs. He's a part of the franchise as long as he keeps lacing up the skates. @SpartanGibbles

***Evok*** · 01-19-2023, 11:06 PM

lets go lets go lets go

We will be King and Queen soon :crown:

***spooked*** · 01-19-2023, 11:07 PM

LETS GOOOOO. Amazing, going to be a fun ride once all these prospects join us

***Ohtaay*** · 01-19-2023, 11:09 PM

Nice write up Bottas! Hope youre doing well!

SpartanGibbles · 01-19-2023, 11:11 PM

SpartanGibbles · 01-19-2023, 11:36 PM

01-19-2023, 10:53 PMvbottas17 Wrote: Ohh, he's super old but Collin Gibbles is somehow still playing for the Monarchs. He's a part of the franchise as long as he keeps lacing up the skates. @SpartanGibbles

Season # 22 in Minnesota Baby

Lumosityfan · 01-20-2023, 12:32 AM

Can't wait to be a part of this team in a couple of seasons! Thanks for the write-up

***Mutedfaith*** · 01-20-2023, 02:23 AM

You are all #1 on my list.

Monarchs

Froste39 · 01-20-2023, 03:47 AM

POG article

***Evok*** · 01-20-2023, 11:04 AM

01-19-2023, 11:36 PMSpartanGibbles Wrote:
01-19-2023, 10:53 PMvbottas17 Wrote: Ohh, he's super old but Collin Gibbles is somehow still playing for the Monarchs. He's a part of the franchise as long as he keeps lacing up the skates. @SpartanGibbles

Season # 22 in Minnesota Baby

TBH Kove gonna help you tie your skate when you wont be able to bend just to keep you around longer, grampa

***By-Tor*** · 01-20-2023, 11:24 AM

Wow, I didn't realize MIN's prospect list was so stacked. Good read!

Credit to enigmatic, Merica, and tweedledunn for sigs

***sköldpaddor*** · 01-20-2023, 11:38 AM

nice

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