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***hhh81*** · 05-04-2022, 06:14 PM

A Truly Unhinged S65 Terminator Mock Draft, Part 2 [DOUBLE MEDIA]

We’re back for part 2, breaking down how the 1st round of the S65 SHL Draft might have gone if all SHL GMs were replaced with robots, making the GM class eligible to draft. Here are picks 11-20 from @hhh81 and @Capt_Blitzkrieg

11. Philadelphia Forge

Trips: C Jayson Aittokallio Outlaws

@luke
He may not be the top earner in the class because he joined a little later, but luke’s track record speaks for itself. With the sheer number of great users, I almost forgot about him. Philadelphia—luke’s actual hometown team—won’t. He’s only 46th in the class right now TPE-wise, but I don’t expect him to remain that far behind for long. This Aittokallio son is in it for the long haul!

Blitz: D Pass Forfeit Kraken

@”esilverm”
Philly’s most pressing need is defense, and it’s not really pressing. I think they’re going to go defensive here at 11, but have the luxury of picking up a solid wing at 13 because there’s a shitload of wings in this class.

The best defenseman available is Pass Forfeit. It’s probably a steal getting esilverm here when he’s supposedly in the live mock’s running for 1 OA, but it makes a little more sense by TPE and with consideration given from the outside looking in at the large gaps in Nicolaj Muller’s career. He’s certainly made quite the return in the last five seasons, with his behind-the-scenes work on the index and trading card platforms. I think if Philly didn’t pick him here, he would be snapped up in a heartbeat before the Forge pick again.

12. Tampa Bay Barracuda

Trips: LW Benjamin Surkhi-Ze-ev Whalers

@HoltzFan10
The user’s previous player was a Hall of Fame goalie for the Barracuda—there’s a wealth of great players available here, but Surkhi-Ze’ev is motivated to be a top earner and has been a pretty darn good one so far. In this stacked draft class, his 294 TPE is good for 12th. TBB could easily go with a first generation player like Hynek Heidinger or Miroslav Ketil or even a less well-known recreate like Luke Laraque. They don’t need anything desperately, so they can easily go best player available here. I think the young Ben is easily one of the better options.

Blitz: F Aleksi Kettu Kraken

@”FuzzSHL”
While dark day veterans Ronlain and Fitted still anchor the team, the group that’s sprouted up around them is a vibrant presence around the league, defined very easily as the sum of its parts creating a greater whole. I’m not really sure what they’re looking for, so I think they’ll pick the best available.

For me, it’s down to Waters and Kettu. Waters has been around the site for a while and seems to be looking for a new experience. I think Tampa is one of a few teams that would be a good environment fit. While it’s skewed to first-gen players, the recreates that they have tend to have seen the S20s and 30s. Kettu, by contrast, has ties to Tampa; DK was one of Fuzz’s guys in Carolina in the early S50s, and trella was his first Co-GM for the Kraken after they moved over from St. Louis’s war room. I think ultimately that long-time friendship wins out here.

13. PHI via Los Angeles Forge

Trips: LW Faust Faker Citadelles

@Patty
I can’t see the newest player of a longtime HO member slide any further than this. Some teams further down the draft board likely hate this pick, but Philadelphia’s GMs are shrewd and get good value here. With almost $90 million in the bank and sitting just outside the top 20 TPE earners, Faker is a great grab. I also considered mentioning Leon Lokitonov, one of a long bloodline of Armada alums, as an option. Faker is too good to pass up, as messy as this makes my next few picks.

Blitz: F Reed Kobo Outlaws

@”Toivo”
Philly, Part 2. I said I expected them to go for a wing here, and here it goes. Toivo’s last player was Elijah Jones, who was a member of the Anchorage Armada for two seasons before getting the call up. Given that Acsolap likes drafting from his old J team, I think that the culture being built is one that would be familiar to Toivo. It’s honestly only by the grace of being allowed to pick GMs that he’s fallen this far, and he could very easily go to Buffalo in place of Corey at 10 OA.

14. Buffalo Stampede

Trips: C Aleksandr Iskandrov Knights

@dmuda
Buffalo curses a little bit to see Faker taken one pick earlier, but waste no time grabbing one of the better forwards available. ANourther aDamn Podcast said Aleksandrov is among the shortlist for Buffalo Co-GM, so they leak the hire and draft dmuda’s new player. There’s a bunch of other players that could also be in play here (I personally also like Colorado rookie Hynek Heidinger here).

Note: in the time between writing and publishing, Buffalo announced Seymour Snatches as their new Co-GM. I was too busy to go back and edit this pick.

Blitz: D Capy Bara Whalers

@”TheWoZy”
I think Buffalo takes a defender here. The question is, do they go for the first-gen St. Louis product in Tom Taylor, or do they go for Capy Bara. I think the biggest thing in Capy Bara’s favor is that Wozy originally played for Buffalo as Satoshi Zigzagoony and has expressed interest in returning to the Stampede. They might not be the best defender in the long run, but being a known factor can be good as gold.

15. Los Angeles via Baltimore Panthers

Trips: RW Luke Laraque Battleborn

@blix900
I was unsure of the pick, but decided to swing for it as blix is great and should only continue to grow as a user in our community. Laraque is a top 10 earner in the class and has a decent bank ($17.8 million) from jumping in as a simmer.

Blitz: F Ben Waters Jr. Knights

@”Waters”
With only Whitecap in the pipeline and a roster that looks rather air-tight, it’s going to be difficult to decide who the Panthers should take here. If they go strictly BPA, they’ll be picking Waters, which is an entirely fair pick. There’s quite a gap between him and Benjamin Surkhi-Ze’ev. There’s also the possibility that they take Tom Taylor, for the best defenseman. I think ultimately the Panthers can give Waters the new experience he’s been interested in, and Waters is a solid enough player and member of the community for the Panthers to feel good about stealing him here.

16. Texas Renegades

Trips: D Miroslav Ketil Whalers

@ArmTheSharks
He’s a ways down there as an earner (35th in the class) without much of a bank built up, but anyone in the S65 class Discord knows just how active this user can be. While some first gen users shied away from the room, Ketil rose to the occasion and stood out alongside very vocal recreates. He’s missed a bit of TPE, but with the right investment I think he can be the backbone of the next phase of Renegades.

Blitz: D Tom Taylor Scarecrows

@”TomTaylor”
With three declared defenders on the roster and one active in the pipe that scraped to 425 TPE, I think Texas has to be looking at defense here. The best man standing on that side of the ice is first-gen Tom Taylor, who I’ve mentioned a couple of times. I think it really works, since Texas does seem to like new players and Tom seems to have been growing in a vacuum. Giving him an active place that will help him develop would likely bring him out of his shell as well.

17. Hamilton Steelhawks

Trips: LW Ben Waters Jr. Knights

@Waters
I almost had Hamilton take Waters at 9th overall, but he was still available here. Waters Jr has been a high earner thus far, floating right around the top 5 all season. If he keeps this up, Hamilton will get a great player who can be part of the start of what they hope to be another dynasty (insert the rest of the league’s boos here).

Blitz: F Aleksandr Iskandrov Steelhawks

@”dmuda11”
It’s a toss-up for Hamilton, whether they take Aleks here or at 9. With Sharks more likely to get snapped up by the Forge, Panthers, or Renegades, letting Iskandrov fall to 17 feels like the move. It’s not one that I think they want to make, since he’ll have to get through the Buffalo gauntlet and every other team that might be eyeing centers. I think he’s more valuable here, though, since they’re still getting an established member of their community back in the first round. If he’s not here, I expect that they’d happily take BPA.

18: San Francisco pride

Trips: C Aleksi Kettu Kraken

@Fuzz
Despite being outside the top 30 in TPE, the Pride snipe a top earner from their in-state rival’s former-GM. Fuzz has a massive bank at over $161 million. I’m a little surprised to see him so far back in the class (249 TPE for 35th in the class), but I’m not worried at all. SFP just broke through to the conference finals this season, and don’t have any glaring weaknesses in the roster. Grabbing a strong earner here makes sense, even if they flip him to another team for additional value later. If not Kettu, there’s a number of Colorado prospects they could go for. The team has deep ties to the Raptors, even if both current GMs are closer tied to the Maine Timber. Looking over the draft class, I don’t think there’s anyone on the Timber’s rookie crop that I see them taking in the 1st round.

Blitz: F Tommy Thompson Citadelles

@”Allegiant”
This is another team that did their stint as the butt of jokes and is now a fearsome competitor. In the discussion that I had with SFP in scouting, one of the things that came up was that they look for enthusiasm for the league, lots of former or junior GMs and veteran members, but also a lot of people who have come in and made marks on their team cultures. This is another team that’s pretty air-tight and can pick whoever they want off the list at this point.

Given the bulk of Maine Timber ties to San Fran, I think it’s pretty reasonable to take Tommy Thompson here. He’s not the tippy-top of TPE on the board, but Allegiant fits their locker room description very well, and some of the veterans in the room would likely be glad to add him into the fold. Will he make a player that makes it out of the J and has a solid career with the Pride? That remains to be seen, but he’s also the kind of player that their youth and lack of 2nd rounder entices them to go ahead and pick as a calculated risk.

19: Atlanta Inferno

Trips: RW Jolmi Koivu Raptors

@Good_Ole_Kimmy
Off their surprising run to the finals, the Inferno grab another Koivu. Jolmi was one of the standout offensive players among the class of S65, scoring 35 points. He’ll join Atlanta’s second round pick last season in fellow Raptors defenseman Binko Koivu. The Colorado-Atlanta pipeline is strong. I’ve said this several times, but first gen rookie Hynek Heidinger could also be an option here.

Blitz: F Benjamin Surkhi-Ze'ev Whalers

@”HoltzFan10”
Fresh from appearing in the Challenge Cup Finals, the Inferno have to be in one of the best spots in the league. They’re losing Gabe Johnson to retirement and Dick Clapper (most likely) to free agency, but have Victor Krunk and SMJHL scoring leader Shoyo Hinata ready to pick up the slack.

That said, both of those players are wings and they only have 1 defender in development. I don’t think it’s a problem, though, since most of their players are just hitting their peaks or are developing beautifully. I think they take the best player left on the board, and I think given Ben’s history in New England during hotdog’s Co-GM tenure along with just the vibes that I get from the team and user, this is a good fit.

20: Manhattan via Chicago Rage

Trips: RD Seamus O’Slapahan Battleborn

@Z0REM
Manhattan, who has Chicago’s 1st round pick, grabs another defender. Z0REM’s first player was a Rage, and I think it makes a ton of sense to bring back an old friend here. He’s got a decent bank (~35 million) and sits pretty at 26th in the class with 270 TPE.

Blitz:
20. D Seamus O'Slapahan
21. Rage

F Din Djarin Battleborn

@”jsteele14”

And to finish out and bookend the first round, we’re back to Manhattan. I’ll list two picks since they also have 21 OA and back-to-back picks have a bit of a grace to them.

Z0rem started his career with Phineas Gold in Manhattan, so to see him go back in a position of relative need for the Rage feels like a good fit. He only left because he went inactive, after all. It helps that he is playing in Nevada with Djarin, and that there’s Nevada ties with other rostered and prospect members of the team.

Djarin is a newcomer to the league, and at 20/21 OA is not only one of the best players left on the board but also fits with the theme of raiding Nevada for prospects. I haven’t gotten to talk to jsteele much, so I can’t say for sure what kind of vibes I get.

That's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed.

Quote:2284 words, ready for grading. Please split evenly between @Capt_Blitzkrieg and I

***HabsFanFromOntario*** · 05-08-2022, 12:50 PM

Blix at 15 is criminal and even typing it is something I'll sue you over. @JNH draw up the paperwork.

***hhh81*** · 05-08-2022, 01:20 PM

05-08-2022, 12:50 PMHabsFanFromOntario Wrote: Blix at 15 is criminal and even typing it is something I'll sue you over. @JNH draw up the paperwork.

Good luck with that--I have the best attorney in the league on my side.

***HabsFanFromOntario*** · 05-08-2022, 01:26 PM

05-08-2022, 01:20 PMhhh81 Wrote:
05-08-2022, 12:50 PMHabsFanFromOntario Wrote: Blix at 15 is criminal and even typing it is something I'll sue you over. @JNH draw up the paperwork.
Good luck with that--I have the best attorney in the league on my side.