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*CptSquall* · 11-19-2023, 04:36 PM

(Graders, this is 1473 words in a word counter + Graphics.)

Season 73 has been a HUGE season with a lot of things going on for the Toronto North Stars. Much attention has been made of bringing in former star player Ruslan Zaporozhets as both Director of History and Accolades as well as Strength and Conditioning Coach. In addition the team has brought in the cerebral genius as Head of Player Scouting Fluw, whom the Stargang was shocked and impressed to find out is a LITERAL Malamute! Yes the legend is the best. This does mean of course that the core management team for the Toronto North Stars is head manned by Kyle Wahlters, an Actual McGriddle from the local McDonalds, Former Power forward Zapo, and a Literal Malamute!

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Into all of this has been a season with a ton of newsworthy attention paid around the SHL to the often forgotten about franchise. To give you a peek back stage everyone has been hard at work revamping and reviving this once strong franchise. Wahlters with organizing and bringing in the aforementioned Ruslan and Fluw as well as planning and introducing the team all star camp.

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McGridds has been more of an on ice figure. As head of Player Development, the Taste of Breakfast has been hard at work training and developing every member of the Toronto North Stars both at their individual games as well as with the unique challenge of dealing with Stargang Fans and the always infamous Toronto Sports Media. Look for him to cut an imposing figure behind the bench.

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Much of the off ice work that Ruslan has done has been to lay the ground work for reviving the Toronto North Stars Hall of Fame which is now being called the "Shining Stars Hall of Fame". He has also taken to updating the old record books and provided some imput that has gone into Wally's legendary new All Star Camp. On the Ice and in the weight room, the physical force that is the old Cossack is still alive. Zapo is still number 2 in Hits among Stargang players. Surely this team will feel tough all on its own.

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Given what I have said about the impression that Fluw has left, it should come as no surprise that he has taken over and not only remodeled but absolutely raised the bar with what the Scouting Department is capable of. In all of my time I have seen spreadsheets and such but never as comprehensive and well oiled a scouting team in all of my time in this league. This God has an eye for many amazing players and has shown time and time again a propensity for plucking gems from all over successive drafts. Splitting his time between running the Yukon Malamutes and the Scouting Department for the Toronto North Stars, Fluw will have a lasting impact here in The Six.

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That brings us to Yesterday. With the S74 SHL Entry Draft taking place in Nash's Doghouse, our 4 heroes were ready to test this new drafting setup and eager to bring about the next step in the changes this organization has begun. The place was shockingly spacious to all but Fluw of course. The other thing on their minds was the lack of a 1st rounder, it having been traded for S73 5th overall pick Brooklyn Physt. This meant that, unless they were in the market for a big trade, the Stargang would not be debuting with a massive splash. However the timing could not have been better for picking up the Draft Day Dog Fluw.

Aside from the odd sounding location, the draft looked a lot like what you would expect from any televised sports thing. Large, round tables with team placards, phones, a stage, and of course seating for the many players who figured they have a large shot of going in the 1st round. The room is of course filled with a ton of character. But i'd have to say our motley crew has to be the most fun. Wahlters looking the most professional, Zapo adding a bit of Cossack flair, a McGriddle, and a Malamute.

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The chatter was lively and the general air of excitement was indeed palatable. The North Stars table had its own buzz what with discussing our list quietly as well as opinions on teams we thought were drafting well and trading smartly. However there was never a big discussion on grabbing a 1st rounder. Just nothing that we were willing to give up. Luckily there was a strong amount of good talent ranked up and down the draft. After the first round it was time for an intermission to stretch the old legs. We knew the next 2 rounds were going to be very important because we finally had our picks.

Back at it for the second round and in short order it was time to draft away. We sent McGridds up to make the selection because of course he was drafting Mac Griddle from the Newfoundland Berserkers with pick 25. We have some confidence in this kid and cannot wait to see what comes of him. A pass first kind of player with a physical upside and not afraid to fight either.

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While the public face was off doing that, Wahlters was working the phones to line up a trade. Sending future picks along to the Minnesota Monarchs for the 29th pick and then using it to select Denebor Milasch from the Carolina Kraken. The kid is cool under pressure and able to keep up with a large, nightly workload having backstopped a largely middling Carolina team with a 13-12-1 record as well as an eye catching .912 SV%. With the way the North Stars play, we are hoping the time, training, and being used to seeing a lot of rubber continues to bode well for Denebor.

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For us, that was it for round 2. Another break which saw Director of Player Development McGrids chatting with our 2 new prospects as well as their parents. Fluw would set about making heavy recommendations as to who our next picks should be. Wahlters put in an additional player to think about but he agreed with Fluw's choices, having been high on the himself. Zapo would only serve to agree with the assessments and emphasized the value of multiple goaltender picks, something Fluw had suggested.

Round 3 started with a bit of nervous excitement. Fluw had his keen eyes on a particular player, however rebuilding Rivals in Hamilton were making a trade to jump into the draft at pick 41. They would select Erno Joonas which would send Fluw's tail thrashing. He strutted up to the podium to announce that Toronto would become the home of bruising titan Bog Damsel. The boss babe blueliner from the St. Louis Scarecrows managed to put up over 30 points whilst collecting 130 PIMs, an SMJHL single season record. A wise decision to keep 1 of the most feared players on our side.

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3 picks later, Wahlters was back up to select Dwayne Swanson at pick 45. The big winger spent the season on the Cup winning Maine Timber. Putting up 60 points in 66 games that were pretty evenly split. He can fit both scoring and playmaking roles. In fact, Swanson was a huge playmaker in the playoffs with 14 points in 13 games, almost all of them assists. How he fell this far, we still don't know.

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after Tampa Bay Barraccuda picked an Average Dude, Fluw was back up to select Stormlord Imotekh at 47. This absolute unit stands 6'5, 245lbs, hits like a truck, can fight, doesn't let many people pass by at the Blueline and not to mention his heavy shot. 11 goals as a rookie defenseman is pretty solid and a glimpse at the future. Also another player who we felt fell too far.

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Last but of course not least it was time for another round break, Gridds hard at work to make all of our draftees and their parents feel welcomed into the Toronto Organization. The tail end of round 3 and carrying onward saw teams make the hard decision weather to keep picking or not. Stargang still had their eyes on 1 more player and Ruslan was given the honour to go call the name. Yves D'Odeur was called upon with the heavily accented English of the big Ukrainian. Having had the unfortunate luck to be drafted by a Great Falls team that had begun rebuilding, Yves put out a solid showing and kept his chin up in spite of a 3-17-2 record. SV% at .901 serves to paint a better picture and provides more depth to the goalie pipeline.

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With the draft over, the North Stars Directors left feeling confident in the future success that this draft will set them up for. Day 1 in building a true Champion.

*Fluw* · 11-19-2023, 04:48 PM

Woof

***CloudRobot*** · 11-19-2023, 04:57 PM

Great Images LOL

Cobbenstein · 11-19-2023, 04:59 PM

Fantastic article. Top tier story telling and images

***Wally*** · 11-19-2023, 05:03 PM

LETS GO

!

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