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dankoa · 09-13-2020, 07:39 PM

The Texas Renegades at the S56 Draft

Last night saw one of the biggest events in the SHL calendar take place, wherein a new group of prospects make their way into the league. This season's SHL entry draft, saw the 56th class in the league's history take their first steps towards greatness, and it was exactly as you'd expect; a night full of highs, lows, twists, turns and most of all, the unexpected. While nearly every playoff team in the draft had made the decision to trade away their first round picks in the S56 draft (and in many cases their second too), the Texas Renegades, who had recently made their return to playing postseason hockey after a long absence, went into the night owning both their first and second round picks and used it to add two more players to a very solid pipeline that continues to support the roster that they already ice. They decided to use both of the picks to select forward prospects. A lot of this I believe was to do with the fact that the Texas blueline looks secure for a long time to come, with none of its members currently in regression and all members having at least two seasons to go before that becomes a concern, the consistent need to replenish and upgrade a teams forward core and the multitude of high level forwards that were available in the draft. Without any further ado, lets get into the picks that the Renegades made last night and give some thought on what might have gone into them, and maybe how we see the players impacting the teams future down the line.

SLAVA PETROV - ANCHORAGE ARMADA
@ckroyal92

The Renegades had opted to use their first rounder last to draft a forward from the Anchorage Armada, Theo Kondos. Kondos has since established himself as a premier talent from his class and is viewed by Renegades management as a franchise player for seasons to come, and so it made sense that they should return to the same well that proved to be so fruitful for them last season. Slava is one of the Petrov brothers that have dominated headlines ever since this class came into view in the SMJHL a season ago, and he has been up there with the very best in his class when it comes to development, commitment and potential in the league. It was rumoured for some time that he would likely be a top 5 or 6 pick in the first round, but mock drafts on the day of the draft projected that he may in fact slide down some ways, potentially all the way to the Renegades at 11th overall. While the teams fans watched on with cautious optimism, they were able to see their team add a high end prospect who will no doubt be someone who stands to bring an incredible amount of value to his team down the line. Slava was the second of the Petrovs drafted, and after being a high pick for the Armada last season, has done nothing but impress those in the know around the league and its believed that he was someone ranked very high on the Texas big board going into the draft. The fact that they were able to select a player that they legitimately coveted with the 11th overall pick is a serious boon for a new management group in Dallas, and will certainly give them some confidence of what it is they're able to do when it comes to putting their own stamp on the team in the seasons to come. I believe that Slava Petrov is a clear candidate to be a first line forward down the line, and the fact that the Renegades are able to carry on what they've done in the drafts since S50 of adding seriously quality forwards is something that should make their fans very excited.

LEMO PIHL - ANCHORAGE ARMADA
@Ronniewalker

I'm starting to sense a bit of a pipeline forming between the Anchorage Armada and the Renegades here, as with their second pick in the draft the team had no hesitation in taking their third Armada forward in 2 seasons in Lemo Pihl. An Estonian prospect who has impressed scouts with his natural grasp of the offensive side of the game, and a strong ability to adapt to the offensive schemes used by SHL and SMJHL teams, Phil was not one of the most highly touted prospects in the draft but is nonetheless believed by some talent evaluators to the potential to develop into a good player at the SHL level. While there remains some work for Pihl to do in order to improve his play to the level that he's ready to play in the big league, there are clear signs that he possesses the requisite physical attributes and hockey IQ to make the jump up comfortably in the future, given that he continues the development he's shown in the SMJHL to this date. Pihl makes for another very solid add to a Renegades forward pipeline that already features a number of impressive talents, and the competition between Pihl and those he occupies that spot with will surely make for an interesting storyline to follow for fans. A pick that could potentially turn out great for the team, Pihl looks to be a quality addition given the position he was drafted and what it's hoped that he can bring to the table.

All in all, another good showing at the draft for the Renegades as they continue to turn up and stockpile talent on the night. With a playoff ready roster and one of the most impressive prospect pools in the league still, the team certainly has improved its fortunes over where it was during the early S50s seasons, and looks set to maintain its spot in the postseason for some time to come. Good luck to all the prospects in last night's draft, and to those who our GMs in Texas managed to snag, I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

Code:
1012 words, double media eligible

Ronniewalker · 09-14-2020, 12:07 AM

Thank you for the opportunity! It’s great to be a part of the Texas organization Cheers

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