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cahtah haht · 01-31-2021, 02:05 PM

Last season I wrote about every player that was picked in my round of the SMJHL Draft. What I wrote was mostly based on arbitrary BS like stats and ratings. Now, I can write about players based on real things. Tangibles, stats, and whatever else I want. To be honest, this is still opinion based and nothing I say should ever be taken as fact, but hopefully we should be able to figure out which players will play above their value. This year, I was picked in the 3rd round, so I will be looking at all of the players drafted including myself.

Pick #1: The first pick of the third round was Gerry Atrick, who was selected 37th overall by the San Francisco Pride. Atrick came from Kelowna, and I played with him in our rookie seasons. Therefore, this prediction about him is based on my knowledge of him. He has many desirable qualities for a draft pick, like dedication, grit, and being a philly fan. He looks quite like legendary NHL player Sean Couturier and he fell a little further than I expected. I believe that he will become a high value pick for the Pride, and when I spoke to him after the draft he agreed. He said in an interview, “I'm really glad to have gone to the SFP, they're getting a steal in my opinion and can't wait to show that to the rest of the league.” Atrick had a good rookie season in Kelowna, scoring 12 goals and 13 assists. He is set up for a strong season in Kelowna as the Knights attempt a cup run, and he will be a player to watch.

Pick #2: The Platoon acquired the 38th overall pick from the Steelhawks, and they used it to select Auston Smith, a left wing from the Vancouver Whalers. Smith did not have the best season, but he wasn’t playing on a great team. In fact, the Whalers were the worst team in the West. This can’t be blamed on any one player, and especially not a rookie. He was selected to the Team USA Red junior team, and he will be a name to watch on that team. As for the Steelhawks, it is clear that they can get a lot out of Smith but the question is if they will. It will be interesting to watch his performance and how he evolves as a player during the next couple seasons.

Pick #3: The Tampa Bay Barracuda passed with the 39th overall pick

Pick #4: With the 40th Overall pick, the Minnesota Royals selected Travis Konecny. TK is the player created by me, @”cahtah haht” and his rookie season was not as good as it could have been, but Konecny has a lot of room for improvement. It took Konecny a long time to net his first goal, and he only scored 7 on the season. He also scored 7 assists, totalling 14 points in his rookie year in the SMJHL. He was very good at getting in front of pucks, blocking 45 shots, which was important as he helped his team on the penalty kill. Konecny entered the league strong, with a media piece and a few graphics, but he has since fallen off and hasn’t gained any significant amounts of TPE since the first few weeks of the season. He has started gaining again and it is the hope of the Royals that he will keep going and become a lethal weapon by the end of his stint in the SMJHL. Konecny is determined to make himself worth the pick, and he is my personal favorite in the 3rd round to become a notable player in the SHL.

With the 41st overall pick, Seattle selected their own Kermit Murphy. Murphy was a member of the Argonauts already and he is a very high value pick. He recently hit the 350 TPE cap, and he only fell as far as he did because he wanted to go the Seattle, and he will surely be an important member of the SHL and the Argonauts. He had a strong rookie season, with 10 goals and 17 assists, but the center was most notable for his defensive performance. He had 234 hits in his first season in the J, and he blocked 59 shots. He had the 3rd most hits on the season, and the second most by a center. He was one of Detroit’s finest this year, and although they were unceremoniously eliminated from the playoffs this year in a series that was not very close, Detroit has a lot to look forward to as they will surely be one of the top teams in the J next year. Seattle has locked in a very strong player who will be a huge difference maker for them when he goes up to the SHL.

The 42nd overall pick belonged to the Toronto North Stars, who decided to use their pass.

The 43rd Overall pick would have belonged to the Specters, but in the biggest scandal in SHL history, they accidentally traded a 4th round pick twice. In accordance with the SHL rule book, their 3rd round pick was forfeit.

The Monarchs acquired the 44th overall from the Wolfpack, and they decided to make that trade worth their while by passing.

The 45th originally belonged to the Panthers, who traded it to the Steelhawks, who passed.

The Specters acquired the 46th from the Dragons, and the Specters passed.

The 47th overall was passed by the Atlanta Inferno.

Ako Zile was picked 48th overall. With 276 TPE, he isn’t bad and he will have a chip on his shoulder considering he was passed on by 6 teams. He went to the Rage, who will be keeping an eye on him. He was by no means a star in his first season in the J, but the areas he will focus on will be apparent. Who knows what his future holds, but he has a lot of potential and he will surely be eager to stick it to the teams that didn’t want to take a chance on him.

Picks 49-53 were all passes. The Stampede, Renegades, and Steelhawkes decided they were happy with their draft classes as they stood, and they didn’t decide to pick any of the remaining prospects.

The 54th pick and final pick of the round belonged to the Winnipeg Aurora, who used it to select LW Max Muller. Muller has a good amount of TPE, and in the SMJHL this season he scored 7 goals and 7 assists for Anaheim. A re-create, he has not had an amazing season although he has been consistent. It will be interesting to see how he develops in his next couple years. It is my belief that he is a huge boom or bust prospect, so he would be interesting to watch.

So there we have it. It isn’t glamorous to be drafted in the 3rd round, but the 7 players picked will have an opportunity to excel with their new teams. The third round is full of question marks but these players have all they need to succeed, now we all will watch to see if they do.

5ympathies · 01-31-2021, 02:33 PM

third round picks are pretty good

@me

MrRuihu · 01-31-2021, 03:04 PM

Subscribe

Fitted2106 · 01-31-2021, 03:31 PM

Michael fitted 39th overall s 50

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