Who should the Portland Admirals draft in the upcoming S33 SHL draft?
This is the highly anticipated SHL draft review by SHL Daily (SMJHL Daily got promoted :D). This year, the Portland Admirals have the luxury of being able to choose between three potential first overall pick in Veli Kaalinpaa (<a href='index.php?showuser=1269' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-8'>Tanner</a>), Lochlann O'Rourke (<a href='index.php?showuser=2439' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-59'>Legend</a>) and Viktor Vorkämpfer (<a href='index.php?showuser=1263' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-59'>kit</a>). In this review, I will go over what Admirals are in dear need of and keeping in mind they have a 6th overall pick, I would try to suggest who from the three mentioned above they should draft to represent the face of the franchise over the next decade.
Portland Admirals have 6 prospects drafted in S32 edition and only Max Weber and Teodors Cukurs seem to be active. Jean Girard (right winger) drafted last year hasn’t been on for over a month and the others seem a lost cause. At a first glance, they seem to lack winger and defenceman prospects. However, a deeper look at their roster revealed that they have 13 players drafted S28 and up not including the prospects. Only the Hamilton Steelhawks have more with 16 players drafted after S28 (not including prospects). With such a young team, care must be taken to not oversaturate on players in one position. We are looking at players drafted S28 and above because they would be the more realistic competition for playing spots once the S33 graduate to the SHL in few years. Lower draftees would approach regression when the S33 are ready to contribute and most teams would look to move them. Amongst the 13 players drafted above S28: 4 play in defence, 4 centers (5 centers including prospect), and 4 wingers.
Let’s look further in depth for each position:
The 4 defencemen are: Kelly Rivet (S30, two-way, 824 TPE), Colin Banning (S30, two-way, 714 TPE), Max Weber (S32, two-way, 532 TPE), and Barak Obrana (S29, defensive, 438 TPE).
The top-4 defenceman looks to be locked down for few years. However, looking deeper into the roster shows that there could be a place or two in the third pairing as early as next season. Both Shea Robinson (S24 – 424 TPE) and Mattias Wahlstrom (S24 – 174 TPE) don’t seem to be active, and will be hit by regression at the end of S34. The lack of defenceman prospects will hurt them in the long run. Admirals are however lucky to have the first and sixth overall pick, and don’t be surprised if they end up picking a defenceman for both. Veli Kaalinpaa (Defensive, 334 TPE) can provide depth right away with the potential of being a future top pair. He averaged almost 20mins per game last season collecting a staggering 96 hits (tied for 9th in the league) and 51 block shots. He also finished with 14 points without playing in the powerplay. His -6 may be a worrying factor for few people, however considering that he played for the Colorado Mammoths, it’s not that bad. The towering defenceman will provide stability in at the back which was abysmal last season for the Admirals. Of course, the GM might not want to expose Kaalinpaa to the harsh reality that is for playing for his team at the moment, and give the kid another year in the SMJHL to develop properly. Though one might say, Kaalinpaa already had that experience with the Mammoths last year :D. Something that Portland’s defensive lineup lacks is an offensive defenceman. The GM might consider remedying that by drafting one this year. There are two great offensive defencemen eligible which includes Tommy Salami (309 TPE) and Eero Hämäläinen (304 TPE), both from the Vancouver Whalers. Keep an eye on this Vancouver team next season, should be an exciting team watch.
The 4 wingers are: Reed Laing (S31, Two-way, 585), Jacob Renninger (S31, Playmaker, 448 TPE), Isaac Kaiser (S31, Offensive, 358 TPE), and Nathan Russett (S31, Playmaker, 318 TPE).
Lochlann O'Rourke (Sniper, 324 TPE) is a pure sniper, something that this team is lacking at the moment. Considering that Admirals had the worst goal scoring record las season with 97 goals in 50 games, they will definitely benefit by drafting this prodigious sniper with their first overall pick. O’Rourke already proved that he is an elite offensive talent scoring 14 goals and 20 assists leading all rookies in points with 34 points. Even more important, he did all this while playing in the 2nd line averaging 16min a game. O’Rourke will most likely spend a season or two with the Halifax Raiders if he was to be drafted, especially considering that the Admirals acquired Chernika Banananov and Ray Pejonis this off-season. However, with the lack of winger prospect, one can expect Irish Sniper be drafted first to bolster Portland Admirals future offensive line.
The 5 centers consist of: Geronimo Otto (S31, Playmaker, 608 TPE), Alex Reed (S31, two-way, 567 TPE), Beau Bent (S30, Sniper, 525 TPE), Teodors Cukurs (S32, Playmaker, 493 TPE), and Cikgnar Konstantinov (S30, two-way, 385 TPE).
The center position looks like a strength for the Admirals. With Alex Reed graduating to SHL this year and Teodors Cukurs waiting in the pipeline, one might think that maybe this is a position that would not require new additions. However, Viktor Vorkämpfer (Two-way, 324 TPE) has unique sets of talents that every GM look for their 2nd and 3rd center. He is the most complete player in this year’s draft collecting 31 points last season while winning 50.99% of his faceoffs. Add to that the 42.35M (credit @ Rabidsponge21) in his bank and he is a can’t miss first overall pick. Nevertheless, taking in consideration what the Admirals lack, it will be surprising if Vorkämpfer gets drafted first overall.
Though all three would be great addition to the Portland Admirals, Veli Kaalinpaa seems to be the obvious option here. He is the only player that can make an immediate impact into the team. Plus, he also has the highest TPE among eligibles in the draft.
Here is my suggestion: As mentioned above, Admirals have a 6th overall pick. This allows them the flexibility of not focusing too much about the position they need to strengthen right away with their 1st overall pick. I suggest drafting Lochlann O'Rourke first. He is already a proven talent that would only improve with time. Plus, looking at the players eligible, there doesn’t seem to be any elite first line wingers available this year. On the other hand, there are 6 great defencemen this year. Because of the depth in that position and the luxury of having a 6th overall pick (which is technically 5th since Toronto North Stars have forfeited their 2nd overall pick) they could possibly land any of Tommy Salami (309 TPE), Eero Hämäläinen (304 TPE), Caelan Fearghal (305 TPE), and Isaac Cormier-Hale (290 TPE). All four defencemen mentioned above have the potential to be top pair in any team. In addition, they provide great variety choices depending whether one needs an offensive, defensive or a two-way defenceman. Considering that the Admirals already have three great two-way defenceman, I would suggest wither one of the Vancouver Whalers rookies or Caelan Fearghal, who is a great defensive defenceman prospect.
Please note that this article is only an opinion expressed by Kobe Jones. There were no consultations done with the GM or the players mentioned above. He just had some time to kill today :D
Quote:Originally posted by XLeafer@Jan 27 2017, 03:56 PM Highly doubt Lochlann O'Rourke goes 1st overall. They need wingers. And that drafting inactive though.
O'Rourke is a winger.
#GOJETSGO S32 SHL Draft No. 1 Overall
Max Weber || D#39 || Portland Admirals/Winnipeg Jets ||
Quote:Originally posted by XLeafer@Jan 27 2017, 07:56 PM Highly doubt Lochlann O'Rourke goes 1st overall. They need wingers. And that drafting inactive though.
100% won't go 1OA when he busted HARD with his last player
"“HA HA! THIS GAME WILL NEVER END! I POSSESS THE SOUL OF EVERY GOALIE ON TEAM B!! CREW 4 LIFE!! SIGN WITH EDMONTON FOR THE CUP!!!” cackled Belial as he placed a Fedora on his head." SMJHL Commisioner S17-S26 Calgary Dragons GM S14-S23
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