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trella · 07-20-2023, 10:34 AM

After finishing 5th in the SMJHL in S70, the Great Falls Grizzlies entered a rebuild cycle as many of their former top players had since graduated to the SHL. Heading into S71, the Grizzlies had stocked up on defense in the draft and looked to stave off a sharp decline from the season prior. Unfortunately for Great Falls, the team struggled, finishing last place in the SMJHL. Even worse, the Grizzlies managed to lose the draft lottery, not even being rewarded for their last place finish. Heading into the draft, the Grizzlies still had 2 top 5 picks despite losing out on the Draft Lottery, due to a pre-draft trade with Quebec City. After the trade with Quebec City, the Great Falls Grizzlies had the 2nd, 4th, and 29th pick (pick #15 was traded to QCC).

Heading into S72, the Grizzlies’ team needs were clear. We needed centers, badly.

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(Image taken from @spidey ‘s recent article Team Needs and Futures, go give it a read!)

As you can see, the Grizzlies had 2 extremely low TPE centers down the middle, desperately in need of being upgraded. After seeing the team trade up for pick 2, it seems pretty clear to me that management would aim to use that draft capital to acquire 2 top-tier centers. And that they did.

At pick #2, the Great Falls Grizzlies selected right-handed Finnish centerman, Jani Mänty, user @puolivalmiste . This pick was an absolute no-brainer for the team. As a player, Mänty is a solid 2-way center who can affect the game at both ends of the ice. He is slightly better offensively than defensively and his offensive attributes are headlined by his ability to handle the puck and find space in the offensive zone. Mänty has a great understanding of the game in all three zones and this is exactly the type of player that Great Falls needed. As a user, puolivalmiste is a recreate with lots of history on the site, and is a former SHL GM, so in terms of the user, there aren’t many better selections out there. Puolivalmiste is great in the locker room and has lots of sim league experience making this pick and absolute home run for the Grizzlies.

At pick number 4, the Grizzlies selected yet another center, this time Jae-ik Barron, the left-handed South Korean, user @charlieconway . Barron is a more defensive-minded centerman, his overall game being headlined by his stickchecking and positioning in the defensive zone. Offensively, his best attribute is his passing and vision. Despite not being too focused on offense, Barron can operate as a solid facilitator for more offensive-minded wingers. Barron plays a style and with an intelligence beyond his years and is an extremely reliable and mature player on the ice, always making sure the defense is covered and not allowing much going the other way after the Grizzlies lose offensive possession.
As a user, Charlieconway is another fantastic recreate who formerly had a 2k TPE Defenseman Adam Barron. Charlie is a fantastic presence in the locker room and bring the experience and dedication to the team that any SMJHL team needs to mentor the first gen players. Following up Mänty with another center of equally high quality finishes off a very strong first round in the draft by Grizzlies management.

Since the Grizzlies traded pick 15 along with their S73 1st in order to acquire the 2nd overall pick, Great Falls had quite awhile to wait until they would be able to make their next selection at pick 29. At this selection, the Grizzlies had option’s to pick a defenseman, to fill in the last hole on the blue line, or to draft a forward who would likely slot in on Line 3, which after picks 2 and 4 will be occupied by inactives. When you get this late into the draft, often times the best strategy is to go for the best player available, to draft strictly for value. Great Falls did exactly that, selecting a player who maybe flew under the radar a bit, but they believed could make a big difference on the team.

At pick number 29, the Grizzlies selected American defenseman, Declan Van Ryker, user @LumberingGiant . Van Ryker is the type of player that every team needs patrolling their blue line. Standing at 6’4”, Ryker uses his size to enhance his great defensive awareness and abilities. Van Ryker is very steady in his own end, using his Defensive Read and Positioning to make the best play on the puck he can. However, Van Ryker is not only focused on defense as he is great in transition and has solid offensive instincts and passing skills for a player you would assume to be more focused on defense. Overall, Van Ryker looks to be a very solid two-way defender, and could potentially grow into that prototypical #1 defenseman role. As a user, LumberingGiant is a first gen that fell a bit under the radar before the draft, but has brought great energy and excitement to the Great Falls locker room since being drafted. Not only that, LG just recently put out a 2,000 word article for double media, showing his ambition and drive to succeed in this league early. This pick seems like an absolute steal so far at selection 29.

Overall, I’d say that the Great Falls Grizzlies are in a solid spot moving forward into the season. Losing great players like Tiberius Kane and Pork Tenderloin will hurt, but the defensive class of last draft will be very hard to play against, with an experienced netminder behind them. The Grizzlies went out and filled the biggest holes on their roster, using premium draft capital to do so and that plan worked great. Picking up another defender late completely fills out the blue-line with six defenders who are very hard to play against. If the Grizzlies are looking to improve, they will surely be hot on the waiver market for some more forwards. The top-6 looks great now with two high pick and top earning centermen, however, the 3rd line looks like it will be filled with some lower TPE inactives to start the season. Forward depth will be this team’s weakness until they can acquire some more talent to fill out the roster. I would expect the Grizzlies to improve off of their last place finish from the previous season.

GO GREAT FALLS