Last night hosted an exciting event in SMJHL history as the league welcomed it's 31st class of players into its ranks. The pool, consisting of twenty nine total prospects and a number of players who have decided to skip the SMJHL stage altogether will be a part of the next SHL draft, one that some say could live under the shadow of the record setting S31 SHL Draft with it's huge number of talented players and incredible late round depth.
While some critics are looking at the most recent draft as one to be expected, some dedicated fans are bewildered by moves made by teams come draft day. Today we'll be looking over each of the player selected at their positions as well as the individual team's draft rankings and grading for prospects gained. Without further ado, into the main event.
This young prospect shocked the hockey community when his agent, Jedi, retired his player right before the draft commenced and decided to join a quickly growing group of young players on their way to the big leagues. Sorenson is a talented two way defender from Norway who seems to be ready to take the first jump into the big leagues this season. His strong defensive talent paired with a balanced offense will make him into a stalwart all around threat teams will need to look out for when on the ice.
In a huge trade that happened only a short time before the draft happened and the second big surprise of the night, the Vancouver Whalers traded the second overall (a pick some considered to have young talent Oliver Lake's name on it) to the Prince George Firebirds for a pick they owned at 7th Overall. The result of this was the BC based team selecting Herbert Cukurs, a strong Playmaker native to Latvia. His all around balanced approach to the game was a must have for the Firebirds, and they were smart to select him with this early pick.
Max Weber, a prospect unknown to many was another player who stunned by going high in the draft come the special night. Previously slotted in the bottom half of the first round of the top of the second, this move came as a surprise to many. This talented German defender isn't a bad selection though, and will fit right in with other top league defender's once he works his way into the Scarecrows top lines.
The Firebirds second selection of the draft, Caelum is a wonderful Czech two way defender with a very similar play style to top talent Éibhear Sorenson. His previous player, Aviad Ratzon of the Seattle Riot got him bonus points with the hockey community and some say this is the reason he was able to go so high in his class. All we know, this is a talented prospect who we think should make big change in the SMJHL during his career.
Finnish born forward Alek Koivu was the first player to go outside the top half of the first round, but easily could have squeezed into one of the first four positions. His natural ability on both ends of the ice and uncanny knack to move the puck around in his own end will be important parts of his game, and he'll fit right in with the Mammoths play style of team first offense and shut down defense.
Considered one of the early favorites to go in the top half of the first round, this prospect saw a sharp decline and fell in a number of pre-draft rankings after the pool started to clean up and more talented players came into play. His scoring and skating talent is still phenomenal, and its no doubt that he'll be taking a shot at sweeping open the record books to write his name into them sometime soon.
This Finnish enforcer has had one of the hardest times making a name for himself as a top quality player in the league so far, and the media blames this on his natural tendency as a more aggressive player. While the hockey community doubts his ability to be a strong teammate, we think that with the right development and build Repo could be a very strong player in the SMJHL.
8th Overall - Oliver Lake (<a href='index.php?showuser=2362' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>cltnsnw</a>)
Once one of the most highly touted players in the draft, Lake suffered a fate similar to Kyle Kylrad in that the novelty of him as a player may have worn off for some of the league's GM's and players. Still a first round selection, Lake hopes to prove he was worth every draft pick that passed before him on his way towards the SHL. His strong all around play will allow him to fit right in with the strong Colorado team, and his leadership ability will help him become closer with his teammates.
Montreal's first selection on this draft class, youngster Ted McDonald was the first player off the board in the second round. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, his natural ability on his own side of the rink will make him into a perfect shut down defenseman, a role that will be perfect with Montreal's current roster.
10th Overall - Sepp Reiter (@04L)
A player commonly confused with Seppo Repo, one of the newest Vancouver Whalers, Reiter leads a very different life. This Austrian sniper has all the potential to be a dominant top goal scorer in the SMJHL, and will be training hard and working closely with the best training talents the Halifax Raiders have to offer.
This young man from Prague was the second selection by Montreal in the second round, and it may take some time for him to prove himself as a top prospect. Generally unknown, he presents a strong future as an offensive defenseman with a knack to move the puck and help his team clear it out of the zone. With careful development you can expect to see him jump to the top of the draft class soon enough.
Another player fallen from the top of initial draft rankings, Luke Atmey should be a strong addition to the Detroit Falcons. His fantastic goal scoring prowess is what sets him apart from the rest of his second round competition, and its no doubt that it will serve him well as an offensive threat with the Falcons this season.
Born in Osaka, Japan, Tsujimoto looks to find his way towards the top of the draft class as a talented young two way defender. A strong second round pick up by the Whalers, defense and passing will be his top two areas. You can expect too see him rack up the assists and dish out big hits as well as add some blocked shots this season.
With phenomanal development to his puck handling, passing, and defense, it's a wonder how this youngster fell so far. Some attribute it to the fact that he wasn't shopped around enough, and some say he just didn't have the in with the GM's. Either way, his combination of skill and natural ability will make him into a formidable opponent.
Not many people had heard of this young Canadian talent leading up the draft, but he made for himself going at the end of the second round to the Detroit Falcons. His seeming lack of activity has been an issue with GM's, but you can expect him to pick it back up before the draft as he walks through his first season in the SMJHL.
Knouse took a dramatic fall in the draft rankings as he showered down from a top five ranking previous to the draft all the way into the final reaches of the second round. His passing and skating will help him tremendously as he blossoms into a dangerous puck moving forward with the Kelowna Knights.
Strife was the first player off the board in the third round, and he found his way onto the Kelowna Knights. Strife is your typical defensive defenseman, with a well trained defense and some potential to be strong in his puck movement game as well.
A surprise to many, this member returned in order to join the S31 SMJHL Class but fell far with his new player. Knox is a strong passer and scorer and will still be a valuable asset to the Montreal Militia this season.
Abercombie followed in interesting build path, choosing to take the way of the grinder as he moves towards the SHL Draft. It's no doubt he won't be scoring many points this season, but he could provide some good two way play and puck control.
This Austrain sniper has tons of potential to dominate this season with a very strong scoring ability and fast feet on the ice. With careful development he will blossom into a top goal scoring talent.
Somehow finding his way into the third round, Garland is an active member of the community with an important role to play on the Mammoths roster this season. His all around skill should be one of his more important aspects in the competitive SMJHL scene.
This man is the literal owner of the site and fell all the way into the third late third round only to be taken by the Detroit Falcons. With strong puck moving ability and a generally well rounded build, he should be a very strong addition to the Falcons roster.
Hanley is a two way forward from Ontario, Canada who looks like he may have some future in the SMJHL. Maybe it won't be as a top goal scorer, but his defense and puck handling will still make him positive on the ice.
Hiemstra is possibly the least well known player in this whole class, and went as the last pick in the third round. He has some scoring talent and may be able to rack up a few points, but don't expect to see his name at the top of the leaderboard come draft day.
Once a strong draftee free agent with the Prince George Firebirds, this man fell from grace only to be passed up on by two teams in the fourth round until eventually being picked up with the Falcons. Don't expect him to see too much ice time.
The firebirds got a piece of gold with this pick. No doubt Glenn Campbell will be the all-star number one player for the Firebirds this season. If he scores less than seventy points I'll have to seriously consider how the simulator works, because with a build like his it's impossible to go wrong. At this point in my article writing I'm pretty over the idea of writing about fictional hockey player but it's okay. Now, onto the team reviews.
This is the part of the article most of you were waiting for. If you were a prospect in my draft class, you probably only read your player's section and are now moving onto your team's section. You might never even read this little tidbit that it has taken me like, thirty four seconds to write. At least it's here and means I earn like $200,000 more now that I've written a novel about this part your not going to read. Anyways, here we go.
[b]Detroit Falcons
The Detroit Falcons picked up a number of strong talented youngsters with this draft. Kyle Kylrad and Luke Atmey will provide great all around support while Markie plays a role as a dark horse selection who can add some depth to their roster in his first season with the team. Hackenberg and Bulgogi will be secondary offensive threats, but most likely won't make huge impacts on the SMJHL in their first season. It's possible they could serve bigger roles in the future.
Draft Grade: B+
Halifax Raiders
The Raiders only managed to select one player in this draft, but the one player they did get came in the early second round. Reiter should put in a good number of goals this season, and it's possible he could lead rookie scoring with his natural talent to put the puck away. But, with a shallow amount of potential other than him, the Raiders are in a tough spot.
Draft Grade: D
Montreal Militia
Montreal locked in a solid three prospects with this draft class. McDonald and Melnyk are the obvious number one and two to help lead the team as the next generation, but Knox adds some late round support to go alongside them. The current class could contend as top players, especially with McDonald and Melnyk serving roles as a top two defensive pairing in the future, perfectly paired offense and defense on the blueline.
Draft Grade: A-
St. Louis Scarecrows
St. Louis brought in four talented individuals with this draft class, including Max Weber at third overall. Generally considered the future face of the franchise by many dedicated fans, he'll have to work hard to lead the team to a Four Star Cup. Glover is a defensive wizard and will solidify the team game, while Abercombie and Hanley throw in some much needed depth to the St. Louis Roster.
Draft Grade: B
Colorado Mammoths
Colorado had a wonderful night, grabbing three high profile prospects in a surprising turn of events. With their first selection the team brought in kid wonder Alex Koivu who fills the team's centerman role. Soon later at the eighth the team was blesses with prospect Oliver Lake, who miraculously dropped all the way down to the end of the first round and right into their hands. Finally, future star Vincent Garland was thrown into the mix, and the Mammoths came out with one of the best pools of the night.
Draft Grade: A
Kelowna Knights
The team with the first overall selection had another strong draft, and selected late round declared prospect Éibhear Sorenson. Sorenson fits right in alongside second rounder Cory Knouse and Cloud Strife was added in to finish off a strong knights for one of the three BC based teams.
Draft Grade: A-
Prince George Firebirds
Prince George traded for the second overall pick right before the draft and brought in future talent and current prospect centerman Herbert Cukurs to open the night. Soon after at fourth they drafted Noctis Caelum, a strong defender. Later on they would add Stefan Wagner and Justin Heimstra to an already strong draft class for a wonderful performance by the GM's out on the draft floor. Zhang and Campbell are wildcard picks and simply roster spots filled for the team.
Draft Grade: B
Vancouver Whalers
With a surprise trade to send of the second an hour before the draft, the team recieves the seventh in return and selected enforcer Seppo Repo. Later they would add Taro Tsujimoto and finalize the night on a good note with two phenomanal prospects added to their already deep roster. Look for them to head into a playoff push this season.
Draft Grade: B-
Thanks for reading my draft review! I realize that now that you realize this is over you may want to just leave or say "great article." down below. I will say that if you do, you miss out on the great opportunity to read this sentence I'm writing just so I get two thousand eight hundred words.
Great article, and I read the last bit as well, but I am disappointed with your grading for PGF. In my opinion, not cuz they drafted me, their draft is worth at least A- or even A.
We only used one draft pick because we didn't really have room for more players. I understand why you would grade us low, but the draft went exactly how we wanted it to.
1st Overall - Éibhear Sorenson (<a href='index.php?showuser=1178' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-13'>Jedi</a>) 
2nd Overall - Herbert Cukurs (<a href='index.php?showuser=2364' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>iOBESE</a>) 
3rd Overall - Max Weber (<a href='index.php?showuser=2378' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>MWHazard</a>) 
5th Overall - Alek Koivu (<a href='index.php?showuser=593' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>BigTittySmitty</a>) 
6th Overall - Kyle Kylrad (<a href='index.php?showuser=704' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-59'>Kylrad</a>) 
7th Overall - Seppo Repo (<a href='index.php?showuser=537' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-56'>Schultzy</a>) 
9th Overall - Ted McDonald (<a href='index.php?showuser=340' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Cyanide</a>) 
10th Overall - Sepp Reiter (@04L) 
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