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NJBadApple · 12-05-2024, 02:23 PM

No need for an introduction - here are each team's breakdown & final prospect rankings heading into Saturday's draft. This article was finished yesterday morning, some stats might be out of date.

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Record: 42-23-1 (5th)
Playoffs: Lost in Conference Finals
Draft Picks: 13th, 18th, 28th, 44th

Breakdown: Anchorage boasts one of the most impressive defensive corps in the league, leaving just the 3LD to the imagination while flaunting an incredible five players on the blue line maxed out in TPE. Their starting goaltender also has a maxed out build for juniors; however, they lack the support up front to compliment their own end of the ice. Likely to lose their top two centers, the Armada are almost certain to prioritize filling those holes through the draft or even trades. This seems pretty cut & dry to me, although looking towards the future they may select 1 or (at the very most) 2 defenders. Otherwise, this should be a forward-driven draft for them.

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Record: 44-18-4 (3rd)
Playoffs: Lost in Conference Finals
Draft Picks: 14th, 19th, 24th, 26th, 30th, 39th, 46th

Breakdown: Carolina had a great regular season & followed it up by nearly making an appearance in the Cup Finals; altogether not a season to be disappointed in. The Kraken ice an impressively diverse team, spreading out the talent & TPE across all positions up & down the lineup. Their biggest strength is likely on the blue line, with first-pair replacements already on-deck filling the second-pair for the upcoming season. They are likely to lose nobody this off-season to the SHL, however they desperately need center depth to help them over the Conference Finals hump. With so many picks inside the first three rounds, look for them to try & move up and grab one of the better C prospects. Aside from center, any pick for them likely works in their favor.

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Record: 40-23-3 (6th)
Playoffs: Lost in Cup Final
Draft Picks: 15th, 22nd, 27th

Breakdown: Colorado fell three wins shy of taking home the Four Star Cup, losing to the almost-unbeatable Citadelles. While the first two teams lacked depth at the center position, the Raptors have it in spades... which could've very well been the catalyst for them making such a strong playoff run. They're likely to lose their 1RW and keeping the remainder of their roster, so management will be looking to replicate whatever happened between the regular season and the start of the playoffs. Depth is going to be key here for Colorado, spreading their picks this season across the three main "food" categories - forward, defense, goaltending. They don't pick until 15th and have just three picks in as many rounds, so scouting is going to work overtime to make those picks count.

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Record: 33-29-4 (9th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 7th, 40th

Breakdown: Detroit floated through the regular season with impressive mediocrity, eventually losing in the quarterfinals. Likely to lose both their top forward & top defender, a rebuild seems almost imminent for the Falcons despite having just two picks inside the first three rounds. With plenty of holes to fill - namely the left side of the blue line & forward replacements for Season 81 - Detroit is very easily a trade candidate to move down in the draft from 7th (is Carolina listening?) to gain more assets for the future. Joking aside, they also have a handful of last-season players available for deadline moves through the next season. Other than Detroit moving down in the draft, I wouldn't expect any earth-shattering moves from Michigan.

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Record: 29-36-1 (12th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 5th, 21st, 37th

Breakdown: Great Falls finished near the bottom of the standings this past season, which was expected as they are trying to round the corner from a simple retool. Aside from losing their 1C there is a real solid base to build around for this (and next) draft. There's a glaring need on both the right wing and center for the Grizzlies, and you can make an argument for defensive work in the long term as well... but it does fall secondary. Depending how far down they're willing to fall & still pick up some strong talent I could see 5th OA being on the block, but I don't think they would entertain the idea of falling outside of the top 10 at all. If they keep 5th, I'd expect them to take the best forward available then use 21st and 37th to split the difference with a forward & defender. Overall I think they're postured to improve from this season but still won't sniff the cup quite yet.

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Record: 19-42-5 (15th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 9th, 17th, 34th

Breakdown: Kelowna finished second-to-last in juniors this season, taking a number of paddlings from teams far & wide. Losing their 1C this season (this seems to be a pattern huh), they are otherwise pretty solid across each position... except right wing. Of course the headline here is them trading away the 1st OA pick to Yukon for several picks in return which includes 9th OA in this draft. I think this was a great move for Kelowna, as they're only in real danger of losing one more player next season in their current 2C... gives them more flexibility with the Season 81 draft class. Regardless, they are 100% keeping the 9th pick here and taking a forward, either a center or right winger... I lean towards the winger. The 17th pick could be interesting though, where a forward makes plenty of sense they DO need more depth of the right side of the blue line. They're in a good spot to improve from last season - much like the Grizzlies - and again, not sniff the cup yet.

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Record: 44-20-2 (4th)
Playoffs: Lost in Semi-Finals
Draft Picks: 11th, 29th, 45th

Breakdown: Maine had a strong season followed up by a bit of a fizzle-out in the playoffs; surely a team with a rather heavy-TPE top six forward corps was going to look for something better than a second round exit. Heading into next season they'll be looking to fill holes in the lower roles left open, on both offense and defense. Likely losing their 1LW shouldn't bother the performance of their top-end players, but they'll need to be thrifty during the draft to fill the lower voids. Picking at 11th with their first selection could really go any direction, I don't think they can miss here unless they pick someone destined to go inactive. Smart utilization of the 29th and 45th picks are going to be key for healing the wounds of Season 81 SHL graduates.

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Record: 23-37-6 (13th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 4th, 36th, 43rd

Breakdown: Nevada floated towards the bottom of the standings throughout most of the regular season, so it came as no surprise that they were bounced in quick fashion in the first round of the playoffs. Boasting a left-wing-less team, they actually don't look that bad on paper outside of a few glaring holes. They'll need to address two main deficiencies if they plan on making an impact past the first round & improving to at least a .500 record - more LW's and defensive depth. They select 4th OA in this draft paired with a couple of later 2nd-rounders, which provides them a bit of flexibility. The Battleborn are a team I could see packaging 4th + one of their later picks to move into two spots in the teens, just to grab two solid prospects instead of possibly missing at 36th overall.

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Record: 45-17-4 (2nd)
Playoffs: Lost in Semi-finals
Draft Picks: 12th, 31st

Breakdown: Talk about a team with a disappointing playoff run after a tremendous regular season, look no further than the Berserkers. Newfoundland finished 2nd in the league with a remarkable 45 wins, just to get trounced in the second round with home ice advantage. Likely to lose their 1C and an outside shot to lose their 1LD, they DO have players on the 2nd line / pairing willing & able to fill those roles... so I don't think they are in dangers of really falling off a cliff here. My concern with the Berserkers is, are they going to swing for the fences this season? Or are they going to sell for more picks next draft? They're likely to lose almost their entire forward corps, in addition to 3/4 defenders AND their starting goaltender. With all of that being said, there's no wrong answer with any pick this draft for Newfoundland... after this coming season, every position is going to be a need.

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Record: 36-27-3 (8th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 8th, 41st

Breakdown: Ottawa had about as average of a season as you could expect from a team; finishing middle of the pack, and getting knocked out in the first round. Is there anything more Canadian? Joking aside, the Highlanders find themselves in a pretty unique situation with one leg on each side of the fence - allow me to explain. Ottawa is likely losing their top two LW's this off-season, in addition to MAYBE losing their 1RW... which sounds damaging at first until you take a look at their depth... except for LW, and G for that matter. With that exception, by Season 82 this team will have the strongest C and D corps in the league. Ottawa is perfectly postured here to make a move up from 41st using future picks to grab another 1st rounder, and really complete this roster and align with this timeline. They need help on the left wing ASAP, and certainly a back up goaltender. I'd be surprised if they don't make any trades leading up to & during the draft.

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Record: 46-18-2 (1st)
Playoffs: Cup Champions
Draft Picks: 16th, 32nd, 42nd, 48th

Breakdown: All hail the champions! I'm about certain most people had Quebec as the prospective cup champs heading into this year and for good reason, I mean just look at that roster. Taking the trophy during both the regular season and the playoffs, obviously the Citadelles are going to look for a repeat this coming season and have almost all of the firepower to do so. Losing their 1C and 1LW is definitely a blow but it's not going to be enough to stop them; especially with their defense and goaltending remaining the same - and getting stronger. I think the ideal draft here for Quebec would be to move some picks to shore up the offense while keeping a pick or two to grab another defender with the plan to shore up all of the impending losses come Season 81. The problem here though; will anyone want to be a trade partner? With them fresh off a cup win and looking to dominate again, it may be hard to find a partner willing to take bullets out of their own gun and hand them over.

UPDATE: Semi-nailed it

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Record: 23-39-4 (14th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 3rd, 20th, 35th

Breakdown: Why does nobody have natural LW's in this field? I know it probably doesn't matter at all in the sim but come on people. Anyway, San Diego was scraping the bottom of the barrel for wins by season's end leading to a first-round exit (although nearly upsetting Carolina in the process). The Tidal roster is a bit all over the place; having two extra-strong defenders on the first pair, followed up by a whole lot of... really nothing except two RD's. Their forward corps is a little more promising, which I would actually attribute most of their wins to this past season. As far as the draft goes, I would say they need quantity over quality at this point but could be hard giving up the 3rd overall pick; there are a lot of C's high in the rankings, which are coveted by almost every team. I'm guessing the Tidal stand pat here and improve slightly this upcoming season, falling short in the first round again.

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Record: 36-24-6 (7th)
Playoffs: Lost in Semi-Finals
Draft Picks: 10th

Breakdown: St. Louis had an overall solid season, finishing 7th in the league standings and making a push into the second round of the playoffs before heading home. Their 1LD should be heading into the SHL this season with two other options ready to jump into the top-pairing role. This seems to be a reoccurring theme but depth is likely to hold the Scarecrows back from making any serious push further into post-season contention. Having just one pick within the first three rounds at 10th overall, I would imagine they select a defender with their remaining two LD's likely to graduate come next season. I wouldn't rule off the possibility of moving down in the draft but I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze here.

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Record: 29-32-5 (10th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 6th, 23rd, 47th

Breakdown: Thunder Bay had a less-than-ideal performance this season after finishing near the bottom of the league, and quickly getting bounced in the first round. With nobody advancing into the majors & a top line that could rival many in the league, there's a strong possibility they become one of the most improved teams of Season 81. Picking three times inside the first three rounds, and their first pick at 6th OA, anything other than a forward would be rather confusing for me. Defense remains an option for them as well but looking at Season 82 they absolutely need to fill the void left at center and the wings in the upcoming seasons.

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Record: 10-52-4 (16th)
Playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Draft Picks: 2nd, 25th, 33rd

Breakdown: And bringing up the rear of the league we have the Vancouver Whalers, a team that only saw the win sheet 10 times this past season. To nobody's surprise they have zero players moving on from the Whalers so there's plenty of room for improvement come Season 81. While all of the players have improved, there are some major issues deeper in the lineup and they'll need to begin addressing them with the 2nd overall selection. Based on my rankings (below), you can only assume they'll be taking either a center or defenseman at this position.. both of which are going to do numbers for them when it comes to growing into a competitive team again. 25th OA should yield them another decent prospect, and with scouting pulling long shifts they could even make 33rd worthwhile as well.

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Record: 29-33-4 (11th)
Playoffs: Lost in Semi-Finals
Draft Picks: 1st, 38th

Breakdown: The owner of the 1st overall selection after a block-buster trade are the Yukon Malamutes. Sinking towards the bottom of the standings this season and somehow making it to the semi-finals, the Malamutes look to fill in several holes all throughout their lineup - starting with the center position. The top-ranked prospect this draft is a center, so I would bet a large sum of money that Yukon kicks off the entry draft by selecting him. With having moved plenty of assets to gain 1st OA authority, they'll head into this season with a nearly-incomplete roster and have potential to fall even further down from 11th in the standings come this time next off-season.

FINAL PROSPECT RANKINGS

The prospect ranking has been ranked on three separate measurable categories - bank, TPE, and hours spent online (yes I did this math, with a ton of help from the Canadice app). From this information I created a 'point system' to fairly compare all 52 of the prospects for this Saturday's draft. Here is how it worked:

There are 52 prospects (at this time of this article), so I created a spreadsheet and imported all of the information from Canadice. After a good bit of formatting, I would "Sort" by each category and award the top person 52 "points", going all the way to the bottom and giving 52nd place 0 points. Bank balances in the negative were awarded 0 points, and so were users with less than 1 hour of time online. Ties worked in the traditional manner (e.g, the top 9 TPE earners were tied, so they were all awarded 52 points... 10th place was given 43 points). The absolute maximum point total was 156 (first in all three categories). Obviously it's hard to rank character without doing some seriously ridiculous research, so keep that in mind with this list.

Ok with all of that explaining out of the way, here is my ranking heading into the draft:

1. Phoenix-Orion Soderberg-Tremblay (Top Ranked C)
Points Total: 151

2. Oceane Soderberg-Tremblay (Top Ranked D)
Points Total: 148

3. Apollo Seaborne (D)
Points Total: 146

4. Dee Centerman IV Jr ( C )
Points Total: 145

5. Baldur-Ulysse Soderberg-Tremblay (Top Ranked G)
Points Total: 141

6. Wednesy Shrinetime ( C )
Points Total: 135

7. Khalfani ( C )
Points Total: 134

8. Lucas Lindberg (Top Ranked W)
Points Total: 129

9. Honza Havran (G)
Points Total: 129

10. Sazed Kholin (D)
Points Total: 126

11. Mathieu Mathematique (D)
Points Total: 126

12. Jack Ryan (G)
Points Total: 125

13. Reg Kirkby ( C )
Points Total: 125

14. Matthew Leroux ( C )
Points Total: 119

15. Tom O"Donnel (W)
Points Total: 118

16. Cauliflower Pizza (G)
Points Total: 118

17. Joe Primeau (W)
Points Total: 117

18. Levi Bedrock (W)
Points Total: 115

19. Linus Ully (G)
Points Total: 113

20. If you Ain't First (W)
Points Total: 94

21. Claude L'Castor (G)
Points Total: 85

22. Optimus Autonomous ( C )
Points Total: 83

23. Denali Neddleberg (W)
Points Total: 83

24. River Yekaterina Volkova (W)
Points Total: 82

25. Hetaksh (W)
Points Total: 81

26. Ty Sinclair (D)
Points Total: 77

27. Brett McMann ( C )
Points Total: 67

28. Soobin (W)
Points Total: 64

29. hitlock burrito ( C )
Points Total: 63

30. Cutter Gauthier (W)
Points Total: 61

31. Adam daniels (W)
Points Total: 57

32. Franjo Frankopan Jelacic ( C )
Points Total: 54

33. Jordan Lafreniere ( C )
Points Total: 50

34. Kienen McKeller (D)
Points Total: 47

35. William Marshal ( C )
Points Total: 46

36. David Corrigan ( C )
Points Total: 42

37. Matteo Lorletta (W)
Points Total: 42

38. Vasher Summers (D)
Points Total: 41

39. Charlie Parks (W)
Points Total: 39

40. Sevrin Quinn ( C )
Points Total: 39

41. George McMaster (W)
Points Total: 38

42. Ethan Hamilton ( C )
Points Total: 37

43. Zakk Osbourne (G)
Points Total: 32

44. ty wells ( C )
Points Total: 30

45. Jose Salcedo ©
Points Total: 28

46. Jacques Cartier (W)
Points Total: 27

47. Chad angerdingus ( C )
Points Total: 26

48. Goonie McGoonface (D)
Points Total: 26

49. Fameradarr ( C )
Points Total: 24

50. Connor McDingus ( C )
Points Total: 22

51. Matt Retinol (G)
Points Total: 21

52. Delving Macket ( C )
Points Total: 20

Thank you for reading if you made it this far!

Code:
Words: Over 3,100 + graphics + tons of research

***Seany148*** · 12-05-2024, 03:51 PM

VAN:
>To nobody's surprise they have zero players moving on from the Whalers so there's plenty of room for improvement come Season 81.

Do you mean by that that there was no one called up? If so, we've lost 3 425TPE defencemen and our 1C, not sure where you got that

NJBadApple · 12-05-2024, 04:37 PM

12-05-2024, 03:51 PMSeany148 Wrote: VAN:
>To nobody's surprise they have zero players moving on from the Whalers so there's plenty of room for improvement come Season 81.

Do you mean by that that there was no one called up? If so, we've lost 3 425TPE defencemen and our 1C, not sure where you got that