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*Jayba1t* · 08-17-2021, 01:14 AM

Now that the SHL Draft has concluded, Seattle made 5 excellent picks in this year's draft. 3 in the 1st round and 2 in the 3rd round. With those, the Argonauts selected 3 defensemen, 1 forward and 1 goaltender for the future. This loads and stocks up the prospect cupboard for the Argos, with them bringing in a few high-end prospects, along with some underrated players. They all look to be able to contribute, and eventually prove themselves SHL worthy. Let’s meet the newest Argonauts right now!

I’d like to appreciate and thank tig for all his time and effort into writing these GM statements. There’s a writer oozing with talent, as he would say.

1st round, 10th overall – Landon Fischermann

With Seattle’s first 1st round pick, at 10th overall, was right shot defenseman Landon Fischermann. Drafted 35th overall by the Vancouver Whalers last year, Fischermann quickly raised his stock, jumping over 20 spots to this year. The native of Los Angeles, Fischermann has a great size and skill build, using his 6’4 frame to be an all-around steady and reliable defender in his own zone. From efischermann: “The most important thing for me is the defensive zone”. His vision and intelligence really carry his play on the ice, alongside the flexibility in his choice of defense, Fischermann is a real adaptable and versatile player plus a person who truly excels in the defensive zone. His skating is pretty smooth and brings on to his eventual focus: a two-way defenseman. He looks to be a player who can generate results, and be a playmaker, passing off pucks to open teammates. Fischermann makes solid decisions on the ice and distributes the puck really well. He had a decent 1st season, netting 8 goals, 13 assists for 21 points while averaging 18:04 minutes a night.

GM Tig had this to say when I interviewed him on his new defenseman:

"Landon Fischermann was a player we had our eye on from early in the season. Due to organizational need, a premium was placed on defensemen by our scouting staff, and it became clear very early that Fischermann was one of the very best players in the class, let alone defensemen. Very rarely do you encounter a player with that combination of size and skating on the back end, which to us indicated that there was immense potential on the defensive side of the puck. Then when we factored in his puck skills and vision with the puck, the whole picture started to come together. We're pretty confident that Fischermann will be an elite defenseman in the SHL and is exactly what we needed to add to our organization - we were shocked that he was still available at 10th overall."

1st round, 12th overall – Willie Miller

At pick 12, Seattle saw opportunity and the #1 goalie potential in Willie Miller. After being mocked to go a little earlier than that, Miller fell into Seattle’s lap. He now is Seattle’s goalie of the future, and in the words of GM Tig: “Thor Odinson will be entering regression by the time Miller is called up, so there's a clear avenue for him to be the starter for a long time.” So with that, Miller was quickly scooped up. The talented Swedish goalie, drafted by the Battleborn last year, did not have the greatest stats for a rookie. However, you must realize he played on a porous and weak Nevada team, who were a new expansion team starting from near the ground. Miller always puts himself in good spots for save opportunities, is a monster of an athlete, being quite flexible along with sharp reaction. Otherwise, he plays well at most shots, at any height and range. Miller had a 4.96 GAA and 0.895 SV%. At first glance, that doesn’t look promising at all, but the Battleborn was not a very good team. Rest assured; Willie Miller will be a goated goalie that Seattle for love one day.

Tig was beaming as he described his now Goalie of the Future:

"When we started our draft preparations for the season, we didn't necessarily expect a goalie to be high on our priority list. However, after a number of our scouts had a chance to watch Willie Miller play under pretty difficult circumstances for the Nevada Battleborn, the group became more and more enamored with him. He's a character kid and mature beyond his years and has that same unshakeable focus that all of the best goalies have. Based on our intel and what we knew about the needs and depth charts of the teams in front of us, we were fairly confident we had a real shot at Miller at 12. I would absolutely say he fell into our lap, anytime someone who earns that well is available in the middle of the 1st round, it's close to a no brainer, especially considering that we needed a long-term goalie solution. Thor Odinson will be entering regression by the time Miller is called up, so there's a clear avenue for him to be the starter for a long time."

1st round, 20th overall – Max Manning

3rd round, 43rd overall – Jamal Nightingale

3rd round, 51st overall – Magnus Galtisson

Ok, now I think I have written enough about us Colorado rookies here so I am just going to release GM Tig’s statements:

"We almost sprinted to the podium when Manning made it to the 20th pick. Johnny Hamilton (the former Colorado Raptors GM) has been in our ears about him since the puck dropped on the season, and it didn't take us long to see why. Manning absolutely oozes offensive talent and vision, and is probably one of if not the best pure playmaker in the draft. He excels at using his puck skills and edgework to create space and draw in defenders before hitting a passing lane that didn't exist a half second before. You could see his confidence grow more and more as the season wore on and I think he's likely to be one of the biggest breakout stories in the SMJHL this coming season. On top of it all, his coaches and teammates absolutely rave about his infectious personality, so we know we've added a high quality individual to the organization on top of just a potential star player."

"As we prepared for the draft we weren't necessarily expecting to still be picking by the time the third round rolled around, but when Nightingale was there at 43rd we were pleasantly surprised. He's a big bodied, steady player, a coach's dream because you know exactly what you're getting from him night in and night out. He's got a very competitive motor, and if a forward wants to come through his ice he's taking his pound of flesh every single time. He's got good skating fundamentals and excellent gap control even when staring down some of the faster forwards in the league. He'll need to work on becoming a bit more comfortable with the puck to transition his game effectively to higher levels, but he has all the makings of an excellent defensive defenseman."

"Galtisson was another player we had some interest in but weren't sure if he'd quite make it deep enough in the draft. Once he kept falling into the 50s, we felt it would be worth acquiring a pick to take a chance on the youngest player in the draft. He's extremely raw but we see a lot of potential there purely because there's still so much room to grow. You can tell that he's still growing into his size a bit but as he got more comfortable towards the end of the season, he was beginning to get more assertive with and without the puck. He's got the size and strength to be a horse defensively, but showed flashes of offensive vision and puck skill at times. He's a player that will take some time to develop but for where he was picked, we think he stands a real chance of becoming a valuable contributor down the line."

And there wraps up Seattle’s 2021 draft! A great group of guys just joined Seattle, and I cannot wait to be apart of that team in the future! GO ARGONAUTS!

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