Vancouver Whalers Post Draft Recap

After a very large and successful SMJHL draft, the Vancouver Whalers are poised to make a championship run with one of the most intriguing groups in the league. The Whalers had 7 selections this draft and they made the most of them by going after some of the most skilled players this draft had to offer.

Round 1 - 3rd Overall Max Mauldin @Wasty

With their first pick of the draft, the Whalers made a splash by selecting Mac Mauldin, the 6'5" left wing out of USA. He is described by scouts as being a two-way forward. Known for being one of the strongest skaters in the draft, Mauldin destroys the stereotype of being a weak skater due to his size. While his skating is already at a high level, you still can't sleep on his shooting. This deadly combination is enough to instill fear throughout the league and make him an early favourite for rookie of the year. As expected of someone with his size, he is known to enjoy throwing the body around and getting into the messy parts of the ice to retrieve the puck and put pressure on the other team. The only thing that even came close to giving scouts concerns is that his passing needs improvement. Even with this though, scouts agreed that the other areas of his game are refined enough that he will be able to rely on them for at least the time being.

Round 3 - 24th Overall Carlo Russo @Beaty

With their next pick, the Whalers went with a bit of a wildcard in Italian sniper Carlo Russo. Scouts felt that he has all the tools to be a top level scorer in this league, but they still aren't sure if he will be able to keep up with the workload of the North American game. Another area of concern is his size. Russo is one of the smallest players in the draft, standing at only 5'9" and weighing a measly 150 lbs. Despite all these concerns, the Whalers took a chance on him in the 3rd round thanks to his skills. He boasts one of the best shots in the draft, and is also known for his slick hands and passing. Something that should also be noted is that his defense is a lot higher than the stereotypical sniper. He is one of the most defensive scorers in the draft, which should help him transition to the North American game. If Russo can overcome some of the things going against him, he could turn into one of the many steals that will come from this draft.

Round 4 - 32nd Overall Luke Thomason @luketd

With their 4th round selections, the Whalers took a player that fell right into their lap. Thomason, who is a playmaking left wing from Czech Republic, was considered by most to be a late second/early third round player, but when he was still on the board at the end of the 4th round, the Whalers pulled the trigger. He is described as being a pass first player with great hands and top level skating skills. Thomason was a player scouts were watching to see if he would declare for this draft, and when he did so three days before the draft, teams became interested. One area of concern surrounding the cheeky forward is that he lacks the physical aspect of the game which keeps him away from the corners and dirty areas of the ice. This is a part of the game that is slowly leaving the game as players tend to be more skilled, Thomason is a perfect example of this.

Round 5 - 40th Overall Jack Kennedy @JRed94

In the 5th round, the Whalers elected to select another winger, this time by taking Jack Kennedy, the 6'3" left wing from Canada. Kennedy is a sniper and may just have the best shot in this whole draft. He has lit the lamp in every league he has played in so far, don't expect it to stop now. Kennedy is able to shoot from almost anywhere in the offensive zone and give his team a legitimate chance to score. To go with this shot is his effortless skating. He has the ability to blow by the defense and then pick his shot on the any goalie in the league. The reason for him falling may have to do with some of the question marks surrounding his game. Despite his large frame, he needs to gain some strength in order to win the physical battles along the boards. He also needs to improve his defense so that he is able to match up against other team's top lines. If he is able to improve these areas, don't be surprised to see his name at the top of league scoring in the future.

Round 6 - 48th Overall Johannes Leitner @AndrewWarren13

With their fifth pick of the night, the Whalers decided to shift things up and take a Johannes Leitner, a goalie from Austria. Leitner has a tall frame, standind 6'4" which makes him ideal to be a goalie. He is known for his butterfly style of play and his well above average reactions. He boasts a mature game that should easily translate to the North American style game. He is very steady across the board, featuring above average reactions, speed, and rebound control. Currently, the largest concern surrounding his game is his skating. He doesn't come out of his net too much to play the puck because of this, which shows he has a mature enough game to know what he can't do, but also shows the area of his game he will need to work on. If he is able to improve his skating and therefore become a little more aggressive out of the crease, he will have the chance to become a household name in Vancouver.

Round 7 - 56th Overall Marcel Pühringer @TMI

In the 7th round, the Whalers opted to go with Marcel Pühringer, a big bodied left wing who comes out of Austria. He stands at 6'4" and weighs 220 pounds, enough to make him an intimidating figure on the ice. While Pühringer may not have one area of the game he excels in like some of the previous prospects we looked at, he is an extremley solid player who is good at almost every area of the game. While he is more known for his strength and checking abilities, he also has a scoring touch that opposing teams can't sleep on. On top of this, he is also a very defensively sound player who has the ability to shut down other teams top players. All in all, Pühringer has a very solid game, but one area of improvement would be passing. If he is able to improve this to at least the level of his other skills, he could be a very solid top 6 forward who specilaizes on the penalty

Round 8 - 64th Overall Micky Pickles @Mike_n_Ike

With their last selection in the draft, the Whalers drafted the rights to Micky Pickles, a polarizing center out of Canada. He stands at a whopping 6'7" and weighs in at 285 pounds. He is surprisingly known for his silky smooth hands and passing more-so than he is for his physicality. The reason for him falling so far was that Pickles recently signed a 1 year contract with Jokerit of the KHL and is not expected to play in the SMJHL. Despite this, his raw skill set was enough for Vancouver to draft his rights, just in case he ever changes his mind and decides to pursue his professional career in North American instead of oversees.

The Whalers found the perfect balance with the S42 draft by drafting a nice blend of league ready players and project players. They stockpiled their forward depth by taking players like Mauldin and Russo, and got a potential goalie for the future by taking Leitner. This upcoming season will be a big one for the whalers as they attempt to bring the Four Star Cup back home to Vancouver.

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