Login

***Inf1d3l*** · 01-30-2025, 07:56 AM

Looking at the upcoming S81 SHL draft, I figured that I would do a bit of diving into how I think the first round will break down, which teams will look to make the biggest splashes, and where my fellow S81 draftees will fall. This will be similar to the SMJHL draft media I did where all of the opinions, predictions, and assumptions are my own and, likely, incredibly wrong.

The Minnesota Monarchs pick first and, honestly, I find myself scratching my head here. Minnesota seems, to me, to be in a place where they need literally every position across the board. As of my writing this, and according to their budget, they have a grand total of eight players signed for next season, one of which is a sub 400 TPE goaltender that likely won’t get called up. They have a few prospects that clearly show their desire to rebuild and having three first round draft picks this season should help. However, they have a decision to make, how do they approach the first overall pick? Personally I’d trade it for more assets but considering I’m supposed to choose who they draft I’m going with activity and LR presence over everything here. There’s a few people I could go with but I’m banking on them taking Claude L’Castor here. Beavie is an amazing new user with a passion for the league, a top earner, and will be the backbone to any team on the ice and in the LR.

Second overall is the Montreal Patriotes. The Patriotes look to have a solid foundation already, a young core that will likely improve more and more as they progress and look to shore up the tail end of their rebuild this draft. The 2nd overall pick could be used for trade collateral as well here, but I will assume they pick a player here. Considering they likely call up a player this offseason as well, I would assume at 2nd overall they go forward, and pick Dee Centerman IV, Jr. grok is a long term user and will be a stout presence wherever he goes, and will be another brick in the wall of a strong Patriotes group.

Third overall we shift over to Hamilton. The Steelhawks are definitely working on their rebuild currently, with a young core beginning to replace their aging veterans on the ice. With the number of strong prospects they already own, the likely can’t go wrong with any pick here. That being said, I believe they pick Tom O’Donnell here. User Rotti has a history with the Hamilton team and will likely plug back into the locker room with ease, finding himself at home in a familiar setting.

With the fourth overall pick we head to Edmonton, a team about to end their rebuild, and look to be extremely dangerous a team to play against for many seasons in the future. They get to follow this lethal combination up with a high ranking pick, and an ability to be flexible with who they take here. I believe they take Océane Söderberg-Tremblay, the star Yukon Malamutes rookie. They are a perennial active user, player, earner, and generally awesome person and will give Edmonton some seriously positive vibes.

At fifth overall we slide over to Winnipeg. The Aurora look to be in a middle zone, not quite fully rebuilt but getting there, and getting swept by the eventual champions in the first round adds a bit of injury to that. However, they have a good set of prospects and young talent ready to go, so once again, I could possibly see them trade this pick, but assuming they don’t, they will likely look to bring in a defensive talent here, and will bring in Apollo Seaborne. User NJBadApple has been around the league for some time, and has some history with the Aurora team. He has a sizeable bank account to go along with that, making him a good choice to add to the (soon to be) stacked Winnipeg roster.

Next, we get to revisit Hamilton, who after their pick at number three with Tom O’Donnel, they can be more flexible now. After already bringing in a forward, they likely will look to do more of the same in my opinion, aiming to solidify that forward core for the future here. A good choice being Jordan Lafrenière. The first generational user Rookyi looks to make a splash and will jump from his 17th overall position in the SMJHL draft to sixth in the season 81 SHL draft.

At number seven, we advance over to Buffalo who look like they need a goaltender the most in my humble opinion. With top prospect Claude L’Castor off the board, they’ll have to find another goalie for the future, and luckily, they already have. Honza Havran is a top tier goaltending prospect in their own right and will be a solid addition to the Stampede roster looking to solidify a need. User Raven has been around the league for quite some time and will be a healthy insertion into that locker room.

Eighth we look to the Platoon. They will likely look to begin a rebuild as the majority of their current pro roster find themselves regressing. They have a few good tradable players here, as well as a handful of good prospects, and they are going to look to load up. Generally, Baltimore needs a bit of everything outside of goaltending, and they will look for someone who can bring an on ice presence to their team. That being said, I believe they will make the obvious decision and pick Captain Obvious. I refuse to talk about myself in the first or third person here but I just think it’s a good pick.
Ninth, Montreal gets another crack at the draft board, and they have their sights dialed in already here. The obvious choice now is likely Phoenix-Orion Söderberg-Tremblay, the current general manager of the SMJHL San Diego Tidal. Corey will bring locker room presence, experience, and player talent to a Patriotes team that looks to become a real contender in the next few seasons. The pick seems to be a no brainer and will shake up the draft board going into…

Number ten overall. Manhattan, a place near and dear to my heart in the past, looks to improve pretty dramatically. They have a solid outlook on roster and prospects and anyone going here will likely be on the tail end of a team on it’s way up the standings in the near future. That being said, they could still use a bit of help and bringing in a forward here will be a boon to their long term outlook. Welcome to the Rage Khalfani. Z0rem has a history with the Manhattan Rage, winning the Challenge Cup in season 52 with the team, and also being a rookie All-Star there, General Manager CoA will be happy to bring him back into the fray.

Eleven we spend a short time in Seattle, who know exactly who they want to bring into the locker room. Welcome to the Argonauts Wednesy Shrinetime. User JuOSu will have fallen a bit in the draft, but finding themselves back in familiar territory is usually not a bad thing, and both the Seattle management and Shrinetime will find this a mutually advantageous pick. Shrinetime will have big shoes to fill however to rival his past player in Seattle, Wendolene Ramsbottom…

Twelve overall finds us looking to the shady Syndicate, and first first of a back-to-back picking situation that will be huge for them. They are generally a younger team with a strong set of both young roster players and prospects, and will hope to add to that smorgasbord here. They’ll first set their sights on Hetaksh, the first generational user that currently plays for Carolina. They have an active Discord presence and will definitely give Chicago some love.

Chicago gets to keep going, bringing Optimus Autonomous in at number Thirteen overall, adding a more veteran user presence to go along with the younger Hetaksh, and the5urreal will be a fantastic addition to that. While both users may find themselves part of a small logjam in the future, that will just add extra motivation to play well, be involved, and fight for their eventual roster spot.

Fourteenth overall shifts all eyes towards Philadelphia, a team in a position that looks as if they will need to make big moves to remain in the hunt, or choose to rebuild, and whoever they take here will likely be a big part of that. Vaxlare looks to me like a hidden gem at this spot and will see his player, Lucas Lindberg, be the next big star for a Forge team who will be hunting that next competitive window sooner rather than later. Vaxlare is an amazing user who I had the privilege of drafting back in S62 for Montreal and will give any team a great locker room presence. He’s generally just a good dude.

The Blizzard now get a second crack at the draft board with number Fifteen overall, and they look to add extra talent to go along with Jess here. I believe they will look towards a player like Erik Johnson. User Jagg102 was an undrafted free agent added to the Kelowna roster during the season. He has grown quickly and seems to be another hidden gem here for the Edmonton team to nab late in the first round, making some waves and really showing the league that they aren’t playing around anymore.

Sixteenth we take another long look at the Monarchs, looking to follow up a strong first overall pick with an equally as solid late first round pick. Luckily for them, this draft class is stacked, and they can bring in another winning pick in River Yekaterina Volkova. Baron1898 has made their presence known on the site, and though they may slide slightly in the draft, it only adds to the value that Minnesota gets to bring into their organization to jumpstart the new future.

Seventeen quickly brings us over to New Orleans, looking to finally take a body off the board, and they look towards a player like one William Marshal. User kb.m has come into the league with a storm and made a splash in Nevada, and looks to continue that trend for the Specters, joining a deep prospect class where they will likely, and quickly, stand out as a player not to sleep on. Management of NOLA will be beyond pleased with this pick.

Eighteenth overall, Atlanta looks to add a prospect to their pool, as Z-Whiz looks very alone all by himself in that category. There are several strong prospects still on the board, but the Inferno look to aid their aging defensive core, bringing Mathieu Mathématique into the fray. User Yagoyi has been around the SHL block a few times and has the presence, the bank, and the drive to give Atlanta a shot in the arm of youthful energy.

Nineteenth overall comes quickly now, and see look at the Barracuda, a team coming off a devastating Finals loss, but with very high hopes for the next few seasons. A player like Baldur-Ulysse Söderberg-Tremblay fits the mold here. While their immediate need may be everything, they can bring in a goaltender here safely and allow him to be the backbone going forward, getting a solid user like JURT with a large bank, an active personality, and a positive demeanor adds a lot of character to the already strong Tampa Bay squad.

Finally, we round out the first round with, once again, the Monarchs, having three total picks in the first round. The Monarchs already have a solid pair of picks in this draft and will follow that up with one more. Joe Primeau is a strong right winger that will improve the offensive capability of the future Minnesota squad, giving them a shot in the arm in scoring and also closing out the first round of the season 81 draft with a bang.

Full disclosure, all of my choices for my picks are done with little to no information beyond what I can find in the portal, website, or Discord and should be taken at a very small face value. In the (very likely) event that my media is wrong and influences your mock draft negatively, that is your own mistake, and I will not be held responsible for putting any credence to my awful breakdown. If by some miracle I get any of these correct, it is likely a mistake or sheer coincidence and should not be looked at as anything but. Good luck to everyone in the draft.

(2120 words) (2x Draft Media)

***aleks*** · 01-30-2025, 01:07 PM

Thanks

***Alaska*** · 01-30-2025, 01:10 PM

Didn’t even get mentioned :(

Alex Winters (retired)
Matej Winters (retired)
Dominik Winters
S45 Jesster Trophy Winner
Challenge Cup Winning Goal Club: S52

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us