The S48 SMJHL Entry Draft has come and passed recently and virtually all of the teams in the SMJHL are excited about the new players they have brought into the fold. One of those teams are the Halifax Raiders, who selected six players this draft, all of whom Raiders management hope will play a role in helping the team develop into Four Star Cup champions in the not too distant future. This article will go over all of the draftees the Raiders managed to bring to the team this past Monday, discussing their physical profile, strengths on the ice, weaknesses on the ice, and what they might be able to bring to the team in the future once they fully develop. It’s a group containing a mixture of forwards and defenseman and whom different playing styles are prevalent among this core of draftees. It remains to be seen if they will all reach their maximum potential, but assuming as such, this group can be an impressive catalyst for the Raiders moving forward. Without any further delay, I present to you the S48 Raiders draftees and their profiles.


Cody: The madman behind All Elite Wrestling, Cody is an offensive winger hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. The 6’1” and 220 pounds right winger finds his strengths to be in goal scoring, skating, and the ability to handle the puck. These strengths combined allows Cody to possess a great deal of potential to develop into a dynamic offensive player with the capability of developing into a great sniper, as well. The Raiders opted to draft Cody so high in the SMJHL Entry Draft (at 3rd overall) expecting him to develop into a key offensive player for the team over the several years he will likely spend in the SMJHL. If there is one area on the ice Cody needs to work on it’s his physicality, and you don’t see him willing to get too physical or to thoroughly complete his checks while on the ice. Cody has a lot to live up to with those expectations, but if he works hard enough as the signs have shown thus far that he can and will, he has a very good chance to fulfill those expectations that Raiders management expects of him.

Wyatt Ruschkoff: The second selection of the draft made by the Raiders and the first of their second round selections (16th overall) was the six foot, right-handed Russian defenseman, who also weighs in at a meaty and heft 240 pounds. Ruschkoff takes pride in being a two-way defenseman, and focuses on improving and excelling from both the offensive and defensive standpoints of being a defenseman. Ruschkoff’s three best skills appear to be his skating, his defensive capabilities and his passing. This allows him to be a dynamic presence whether defending in his own zone or being in the back end of the opponent’s zone. Moreover, his passing skills allows him to potentially have a strong presence on the Raiders’ power play unit at some point in the future. He may have to work on his physicality a bit moving forward, as he’s not always the strongest checker on the ice, something you’d like to see more in a defenseman. However, since being drafted, he has shown a great deal of dedication and desire to develop into a very strong defenseman for the Raiders moving forward, and a player who when we look back in a few seasons from now wonder how he fell all the way to the latter portion of the second round in the SMJHL Entry Draft. @Sand

Ricky Spanish: The third selection of the Raiders’ draft and the second of their two second round selections in the SMJHL Entry Draft, Spanish was selected 18th overall this past Monday by Raiders management. Spanish comes from Parts Unknown, which has thoroughly confused scouts, league officials, and Raiders management as to what his background is and where he might play in international tournaments. With that being said, however, what we do know is that Spanish is a 6’4” 230 pound left winger, meaning his a large and meaty winger from a physical standpoint on the ice. Spanish takes pride in being primarily a playmaker on the ice and finds his biggest strengths to be his passing, defensive skills, and his strengths, the last which likely stems from just how big and well-built Spanish is from a physique standpoint. The ability to be such a good passer obviously makes him a great playmaker potentially, but his defensive skills also allows him to be responsible in both his own zone and being able to get the puck away from the player in front of him. Spanish needs to work on his checking skills though and to not be afraid to complete them. However, should he live to his potential, Spanish may develop into a really impressive playmaker who can also be highly skilled defensively; a unique and valued skillset from a forward which the Raiders certainly welcome with open arms. @Whikadoodle

Jon Snow: With their fourth pick of the SMJHL Entry Draft and their sole third round selection at 24th overall, the Raiders decided to draft Jon Snow, hailing all the way from the fucking Wall, way, way up in the North. In fact, at one point, Snow was actually THE KIND IN DA NORF, obviously highlighting hos respected he was by his peers back at home. Snow is a 6’2” and 220 pound right winger, which gives him ideal size for the position. His three best skills on the ice are seemingly his scoring, skating, and puck handling, making his style all around offensively dynamic, but with a preference and knack for scoring goals. For someone from the Wall who doesn’t have much hockey experience, Snow has shown a tremendous amount of natural talent on the ice surprising many scouts, which is why although he fell to the third round, he still possesses the potential to become a huge steal for the Raiders in due time. Snow does have the weakness of lacking much ice on experience in a five versus five setting and he does also needs to work on his checking capabilities and not being too shy in finishing his checks, which would allow him to unleash his physicality. However, his nature talent on the ice, his highly promising offensive tools, and perhaps a bit of hard work can afford him the chance to become a big steal looking back in a few seasons. Snow has the chance to go from KING IN DA NORF to KING IN HALYFAX! @ckenny45

Jimmy Van Johns: The first of back to back selections for the Raiders in the fifth round, Van Johns was drafted by the team with the 42nd overall selection. Van Johns is a towering defenseman who hails from the United Kingdom at 6’3” and weighing a beefy 225 pounds. Van Johns takes pride in being primarily an offensive defenseman, but by no means is he a liability in his own zone either. His three most impressive skills on the ice are considered to be his passing, skating, and scoring, which means that he’s a very balance as to what type of offensive player he is and will develop to me. Those skills combined with his very impressive skating also grants Van Johns the potential to eventually be a key figure on the Raiders’ power play units in the future. The biggest concern with Van Johns are that he isn’t a particularly good checker and isn’t as physical as you’d desire a defenseman of his size being. However, assuming he can improve on that and add the extra house in the gym and on the ice that’s required of him to become a promising player for the Raiders, there is no reason as to why he can’t develop into a quality Raider and eventually, a promising SHL prospect. @TheGrza

Elijah Richardson: Last but certainly not least is the final selection the Raiders made in the SMJHL Entry Draft and the second of back to back selections made by management in the fifth round. Richardson was drafted with the 43rd overall selection and is a 5’10” 180 pound left winger hailing from the United States. Richardson is an all-around offensive winger who specializes in scoring goals. His two other best traits on the ice seem to be his skating and puck handling skills, which enables him to potentially be a dynamic player on the ice if he can fulfill his potential. In terms of weaknesses, Richardson (like almost every Raiders player this draft, I sense a theme growing here) isn’t a strong checker and isn’t as physical as he should be, even though he is a tad bit undersized for a winger on the ice. Nevertheless, Richardson certainly has the tools and ability to develop into a solid offensive talent if he’s willing to put in the work, and perhaps if all things come together, could become a late round steal for the Raiders in the future. @ElijahR92

In sum, Raiders management didn’t make it much of a surprise that they were ecstatic as to how the draft went, and not just from their earlier selections. They believe that they drafted a really good combination of promising offensive talent from both the goal scoring and playmaking standpoint, as well as adding a group of promising defenseman who can help bolster that position moving forward. Assuming all goes to plan on the development side of things, there is no reason as to why this group of draftees can’t be the catalyst for allowing the Raiders to become Four Star Cup contenders and hopefully champions at some point in the future.