****DOUBLE MEDIA PAYOUT***
Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, I am your host Akashi SixNine and welcome to the Simulation Hockey League network. Today we will be discussing our mock draft for the upcoming S51 draft, scheduled to happen tomorrow afternoon. So, buckle up and get ready for a doozy as we go through the first 16 selections of this year’s entry draft. This pick is purely opinionated probably will not happen, but unfortunately my days of spending money are over, and I need to make some. After the completion of the entry draft, we will be discussing the results of the actual draft and comparing them to our prediction, so this will be part one of a two-part series.
Round One
1. Nicholas Owens
We have Nicholas Owens at number one on our big draft board, we believe that Owens has the calibre to be a superstar in this league and will be a star for the Stampede in a few seasons, as we rarely ever see a true rookie in this league anymore. Owens played on a good Anaheim Outlaws team, in which he amassed 21 points in 50 games, which was decent for his first season in the league. With 16 assists, it appears that the Stampede will be drafting another playmaking defenseman to add to the star-studded lineup they currently have. With Metzler and Charles Walker both aging, Owens will be great to step into the team and join a star-studded d-core joining the likes of Tatu “titties” Makela. Being a first-generation player with almost 300 TPE, we expect to see Owens have his named called very early tomorrow afternoon, and if he does not go first overall, he won’t be there past #3.
2. Alexander Wachter
Next up, we have Alexander Wachter. Wachter played on a heavy Carolina Kraken team, which may I say is a stupid name for a hockey team – anyway, he had a decent rookie season despite being the only rookie on the team and playing minimal minutes, as he only played 9.15 MPG, which we see going up drastically in the next few seasons. With the Renegades in a rebuild mode, Wachter would be a great addition to the team and has a good track record in the Simulation Hockey League with his former player Maximillian Wachter. We see Alex as a large building block in the Renegades path to championship status again and think he will go 2nd overall.
3. Zlatan Ibrahimović Jr.
At third overall, we have the Chicago Syndicate taking Zlatan Ibrahimović Jr. from the Vancouver Whalers of the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League. Zlatan had a good rookie season, scoring 26 points, in just over 21 minutes per game of ice time. The rookie was a very pass-first player and loved to distribute the puck around his team. With the Chicago Syndicate on the rise, adding a player of Ibrahimović’s calibre would be beneficial to leading to the team to a deep playoff run in the future. We see Zlatan going back to the SMJHL for a few more seasons before making the big jump to the leagues where we expect him to be a household name if his progression continues. Think a player like Akashi SixNine in his first season. He also comes from an established SMJHL organization which will thrive with talents like him within the organization.
4. Mitchell Van Der Heijden
The Winnipeg Jets are going to take Mitchell Van Der Heijden with the fourth overall pick in the draft. The Jets recently announced the new direction of the team and are looking to start the rebuild through this draft. Mitchell had a great season with the Anchorage Armada scoring 28 points and a whopping 14 goals as a rookie on the team. He played just over 18 minutes per game and was relied upon quite heavily by the Armada management team, which we expect to continue moving into the next season. The Jets have a great player in Mitchell and would be ecstatic to pick up a player like him.
5. Luca Del Vecchio
The young Italian stallion from Italy is going to be drafted 5th overall to the West Kendall Platoon, where he will mingle with the other people who live in this tiny suburb in Florida (no offense to anyone who lives here). Luca had a good year as the starting goalie for the Kelowna Knights, putting up 20 wins in his first season, which is hard considering he is a young goalie and they usually get lit up in the SMJHL in their first year, so he obviously has something good going for him. Zoone also had a great track record in the league with his former player Alex Light being a big name in West Kendall, so it makes sense to see him replace Beaujeaux in WKP. West Kendall is in the market for a goalie early as the ageless wonder Beaujeaux Biscuit will retire eventually, well maybe but he really should retire and make Pushkin a player. Nonetheless, Del Vecchio will man the pipes for the Platoon in probably 3-4 seasons and will continue to carry the success the team has had – well hopefully he does.
6. Kenny Creller
With their second pick in the draft, the Texas Renegades select Kenny Creller from the Detroit Falcons. Creller has a great reputation with the Simulation Hockey League and his agent is loved by many. Playing on a team with the stud Jagger Fouquette, Creller only managed to get 12 points, despite playing just over 14 minutes per game. His -15 on the season is a huge blemish on an otherwise good rookie season. With a lot of the team expected to graduate to the SHL next season, we see Creller taking on an expanded role with the Falcons and really being able to show off his key strengths in the juniors, on the SHL side, the Renegades get another great player that will be a cornerstone for the franchise for years to come. Creller has 275 TPE and looks to continue his rapid pace of earning heading into his sophomore season. The only issue here may be his inactivity, as I believe he ghosted his last player (but I may be wrong). Mook is a great guy and I personally want to see him stay here forever again, so let’s hope that happens.
7. Henrik Lundqvist Jr.
The Los Angeles Panthers go back to their roots and select the son of former goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist is known to the Panthers organization as he used to hang out in the locker room with guys like Tony Pellegrino, Kaapo Kekkonen and Sven Karlsson way back when he was a young child. Now returning to the team as an actual player, Lundqvist will mesh into the Panthers system quite well. While he is not a goalie like his father was, his offensive abilities will be tested, as he only managed to put up 7 points with the Raptors and playing minimal minutes on the team. We see this number increasing next year like Creller, but again, it all depends of the Raptors can keep him around long-term and ensure he continues to progress at a strong rate.
8. Joakim Ohlund
The Manhattan Rage select Joakim Ohlund from the Detroit Falcons with the eight-overall selection. Ohlund played on the same team as Kenny Creller, and despite playing ~5 minutes per game more than Creller, he only scored 9 points. He is still a young player with tremendous playmaking ability that will be a good role player for the Rage when he makes the jump to the big leagues, but he still needs to develop quite a lot in the minor leagues before he makes the jump. Like Creller, as most of the Falcons veterans graduate to the SHL, he should be able to take on a bigger role with the team and showcase his true potential.
9. Abel Skinner
Abel Skinner played with the Halifax Raiders last season and will see his name called by the Toronto North Stars at ninth overall, in the first of their back to back picks. Skinner had a tremendous rookie season with the Halifax Raider (another great organization to play for in the SMJHL) and was able to be a top producer right out of the gates. The user KC15 seems to have a grasp on the league and building a great player and should be a top pick for the North Stars. Abel Skinner could easily go earlier than 9th overall, so we have a conservative estimate for him here today, however, if he falls past 9th overall or stays at this position we know that whatever team is drafting him is getting a real steal. The former first overall selection in the SMJHL lived up to expectations and will continue to dominant the SMJHL for seasons to come.
10. The Stingray that Killed Steve Irwin
With the second of their back to back first round picks, the North Stars select The Stingray the Killed Steve Irwin from the Vancouver Whalers. While we at the SHL network initially thought this was a joke name on some people’s mock boards to throw people off, we came to realize it was none other than the loved user Gooney. Gooney has a strong reputation in the league of being someone that everyone loves, however, developing players have been inconsistent for him (see Donnie Dicks), while I know the folks in Hamilton would love to scoop up the Stingray that ended Steve Irwin’s life, we see him going much earlier to a rebuilding North Stars team where he can join the likes of fellow young superstar Mika Kandinsky, and Mikhail Lokitonov and really be a strong player on and off the ice in Toronto.
11. Ruslan Zaporozhets
With the 11th overall selection, the Buffalo Stampede select Ruslan Zaporozhets from the St. Louis Scarecrows. Ruslan is the first Scarecrows player to be drafted this year, which is quite surprising given the tremendous amount of talent that usually comes out of this organization. He had a great rookie season like Skinner, scoring 27 points as a rookie. The most outstanding stat from this is that he did it while ONLY playing ~15 minutes per game. As the team gives him more playing time in the next few seasons, and he continues to develop his game he will be a star in the SMJHL and probably league the league in goals and points (scored 15 goals in his first season). The Stampede get yet another steal here with Ruslan and add to an already dynamic team that somehow continues to build for the future while playing outstanding on the ice…except against the Steelhawks.
12. Alex Petrenko
With the 12th pick in the draft, the San Francisco Pride select Alex Petrenko from the Anaheim Outlaws. Now this is a weird situation, Petrenko led all the rookies in scoring with 33 points (29 assists) and played an absurd 22 minutes per game in its first season in the league. It is a surprise to see them fall so far down in the first round, and with San Francisco being loaded on defense it’s a little weird to see them take a defenseman in the first round, but it becomes hard to pass up on a player like Petrenko who can easily be a quarterback for the teams powerplay for years to come. A few more years of conditioning and development in Anaheim will be great for Petrenko, and when he comes into the league he will be firing at all cylinders. Great pick here.
13. Elizabeth Doyle – NOLA
At thirteenth overall, the New Orleans Specters select Elizabeth Doyle from the St. Louis Scarecrows. With Aleister Cain already the number one goalie in New Orleans, the Specters need a backup in the meantime, and possibly someone to take over the reigns from Cain once he leaves either via free agency or retirement. Doyle had a decent rookie season playing in net, with a .500 record. As a rookie in the league its hard to really develop your game with a low TPE count, so we see Doyle having a great year next year as she caps out and really becomes the strong backstop the Scarecrows need. Doyle could easily play all 4 seasons in the SMJHL and develop strong before making the jumps to play in the pipes for the Specters. Evok also has a strong track record in the league, and especially with the Specters so it’s a no brainer in why the Specters management team are taking a chance on her to join the squad.
14. Stan Hanson – HAM
With the 14th pick in the draft, the Hamilton Steelhawks select Stan Hanson from the Anchorage Armada. Playing alongside Mitchell Van Der Heijden, Hanson couldn’t replicate a lot of success, scoring only 8 points while playing just over 15 minutes per game. Hanson still can grow as a player as the Armada veterans graduate to the SHL and will be a strong winger for the team. The Steelhawks are already set on defense and are really looking for forward depth moving forward, so Hanson is a player that can slot in the bottom six once he makes the jump up to the big leagues, and with continues development could easily be a top six player for the team. We see Hanson playing 3-4 years in the SMJHL before he makes the jump up to the team, in which he would probably be joining the Steelhawks in their championship window – which is a great opportunity for a player to hop right into the league in.
15. Luciano Vessot – TEX
With the 15th pick in the draft, the Texas Renegades select Luciano Vessot from the Kelowna Knights. Vessot was the top rookie with the Knights scoring 21 points in just over 21 minutes per game of ice time. Vessot joins Alex Wachter and Kenny Creller as the team decided to keep drafting strong forwards to bolster the team. This is a huge draft for the Renegades, and Vessot looks like another strong piece the team could use in this rebuild. NJBadApple also has history with the Renegades organization, last having his agent Noah Konn play with the team for quite a while, so him going back to the Renegades organization seems likely, as well, will give the Renegades management team confidence that they are picking a great player here to round out there first round picks.
16. Thicc Cheezy – CGY
With the final pick in the first round of the draft, the Calgary Dragons select Thicc Cheezy from the Halifax Raiders. Cheezy had a respectable rookie seasons scoring 16 points in ~17 minutes of ice time per game. The Raiders had a poor year in terms of production, with their top scorer only having 41 points in Atlas Rush. As the team continues to progress this strong rookie class, we see Cheezy joining Abel Skinner atop the team’s top players and see him being a force to reckon with in the junior leagues. He is falling behind a bit in terms of development, but it is so early into his career that he has plenty of time to make it up and build a great player – that will be joining a fantastic organization in the league. Who wouldn’t want to join an organization that has had perennial success in this league, and won multiple cups under its current management team?
That concludes our not so accurate mock draft. Please stay tuned for coverage following the draft, in which we will talk about what went down and discuss our opinions on each of the team’s selections.
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