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NONAME · 07-30-2019, 12:27 PM

The season 49 SHL draft day is one day away. The young prospects of the future professional league have experienced so much this past year. They have their first draft, they have their first of many SMJHL seasons under their belts, they have their first taste of highly competitive playoff hockey, the first year of intense rigorous workout routines and dietary restrictions, their first experiences of true up and downs, the experience of dealing with the hounding media, and the list goes on and on. The growth these players have endured throughout the year is exactly what is needed for the next step of their hopeful long successful careers. Today we turn our attention away from the top prospects of the draft and want to focus on names you might not hear enough or names we believe aren't getting enough attention. Today we are going to focus on what could be the biggest steals of the draft.

Knox Booth
Position - Goalie
TPE - 274
Projected Pick - 16 to 18
Projected Potential - [LOW] Star [MED] Elite

Knox Booth has all the tools in the bag to be the next big goalie in the SHL. He has gathered TPE consistently throughout the season which has placed him within the top 10 for TPE earners, he consistently puts out media to help pay for training and has managed to pile up a very respectable 11.5M for a first generation player. He is a very active player throughout the forums and lockerroom while also being a good presence. Booth is, unfortunately, a victim to his position and will likely fall below people he will out earn TPE wise by a decent margin. This creates a perfect opportunity for a team to select a steal in the draft and to solidify their future goaltending position for seasons to come.

Mikas Bieksa
Position - Defenceman
TPE - 252
Projected Pick - 20 to 25
Projected Potential - [LOW] Top 4 [MED] Top 6

Mikas Bieksa could be a very late round steal for a team. He is a re-create who has abandoned two players in the past already so while he has the experience you worry about the commitment. He would be considered a high risk high reward type of selection, however, if selected in the later rounds the risk diminishes. He currently sits 22nd in TPE and has a very nice bank account of 27.7M which will be useful for purchasing max equipment and paying his way through training which might help keep him active.

Artem Mozgov
Position - Winger
TPE - 256
Projected Pick - 16 to 22
Projected Potential - [LOW] Top 6 [HIGH] Top 9

Artem Mozgov is a first generation player who joined the season after the draft. He signed with the Vancouver Whalers and has updated weekly so far in his career. Mozgov has also dabbled in media which has helped pay for training this year. Due to his updates he currently sits 21st in TPE for the draft class. The main worry with Mozgov is the lack of money in the bank. He won't be able to afford the best equipment going into next season which might hurt him in the TPE race and it'll be hard for him to purchase training weekly. If whatever team manages to draft him can get him to put out a weekly article, we could very well be looking at another late round steal.

Denver Wolfe
Position - Defenceman
TPE - 244
Projected Pick - 13 to 17
Projected Potential - [LOW] Top 2 [MED] Top 4

Denver Wolfe is another player who entered the season after the draft. He ended up signing with the Colorado Raptors and I'm sure the team is very happy with that. He is very active throughout the locker room and as a re-create he has the experience under his belt. Wolfe has a stacked bank account of 39.9M so he will have plenty for equipment and weekly training which will help him catchup to the rest of the pack in the TPE race. He currently sits 25th in TPE in the draft class. Wolfe has consistently pushed all season to gather as much TPE as possible to catch up to everyone and I see no reason on why that will stop soon. Wolfe could very well be the safest steal option in this draft.

Jakub Bruchevski
Position - Centre
TPE - 241
Projected Pick - 18 to 22
Projected Potential - [LOW] Top 6 [MED] Top 9

Jakub Bruchevski is an intriguing selection to me. I feel like he is a big boom or bust type of prospect which is perfect for that mid-late draft selection. He is a first generation player who joined the season late and signed with the Scarecrows. He has updated weekly throughout the season, however, hasn't had the money to buy the best training every week. He has dabbled with media but in order to afford the costs of playing in the SHL he will likely have to be a little more active on that front. If he picks up the media I could see Bruchevski being a future 2nd line player, however, if he sticks with the half in mentality he will likely be a 3rd to 4th line option for teams in the future.

That wraps up my favourite 5 prospects that could be steals in the season 49 SHL draft. It's now up to the general managers and these players to prove the league wrong and me right. Good luck to everyone in the draft and good luck to everyone on the hopefully successful careers.

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