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Smirnov Light · 07-11-2018, 12:18 PM

**Double Media Bonus Draft Coverage**

S43 SMJHL Draft Recap

Man I used to write these articles often -- however coming back to the Simulation Hockey League (SHL) I have to re-adjust and write these in depth articles. I will try my best to recap the SMJHL draft and what each team was able to come out of the draft with and recap a couple of the top prospects who were picked. Now we may as well start from the top and the first overall pick:
[Image: SMJHL-Armada.png]

With the first overall pick the Anchorage Armada selected the top prospect in the draft Jax Aittokallio. Jax comes from a well known agency that has had success throughout both the SMJHL and SHL for many seasons. He is from Canada and is the son of a former Finnish national team member for hockey. On the ice one can expect Jax to be a center who can control the game due to his scoring, skating, and strength. He commands attention and creates a certain gravity for opponents to respect. This "gravity" is beneficial for any team that he is a part of due to the fact that he can overcome the gravity and still finish off plays strong while letting his line-mates have a countless amount of space to work with.
[Image: SMJHL-Raiders.png]

Sticking with the theme of attempting to create a strength up the middle -- the Halifax Raiders selected LeShaun King at second overall. King is a tall and large center who yet again punishes people on the ice and makes his presence known. He is not easy to defend since he is also a great skater. King is not only just a strong fast skating center -- he also has elite goal scoring ability as well as a known defensive presence. Coming into the draft, people who described King noticed that when he is on the ice it is as if there is a third defender as well as an extra attacker for the team he is on. Despite the positives from King it was quite noticeable to see him go ahead of the prospect picked third overall due to the amount of elite players created by the third overall pick's agency.
[Image: SMJHL-Whalers.png]

At third overall the Vancouver Whalers took the easy selection and took Max Mauldin. Mauldin comes from an elite agency with various generational talents -- similar to the type of stature the agency of Aittokallio has. Sticking with the theme of this draft -- Mauldin is another big bodied two-way player who is able to score with ease, as well as defend and skate with the best of them. Our scouting services noted that Mauldin and King are essentially the same player however one plays the center position and thus has to spend time training his face-offs ability. Mauldin is thus able to focus more on his strengths and thus improve at a faster rate that the latter since he is a winger. Mauldin is from San Jose and has already signed a contract with the Los Angeles Panthers for the near future. He may not be selected by any other franchise and will be a generational talent for that organization in the near future.
[Image: SMJHL-Raiders.png]

The Halifax Raiders had the privilege of having yet another high selection in this historic draft and wasted no time in selecting a potential line-mate for their new franchise center. They took a chance on the large winger from Luxembourg Crush Cile. Similar to pretty much every other prospected selected thus far Cile is able to play elite defense, along with being able to score and defend at an elite level. Cile's agency is known for creating "steady" prospects and thus this was a safe pick for the Raiders however they could have been more ambitious in taking someone such as Muerto (more about him later). However Cile will be able to support their new franchise center and thus create a nice young core for this SMJHL team. Look forward to seeing Cile blocking shots and springing odd-man rushes throughout this SMJHL season
[Image: SMJHL-Scarecrows.png]

With the fifth overall selection the St. Louis Scarecrows selected Goku Muerto -- a prospect who I had ranked at third overall. Muerto is not similar to all of the previous draftees. He is "relatively" small at the height of 6'1" and sub 200 pounds. Muerto is a center who plays with finesse and thus creates space for himself with the skill that he possesses. Meurto -- again unlike any of the other prospects is a pass first player and will most likely end up with more assists than goals. He sets up his teammates by either utilizing his elite skating ability to force defenders onto him -- or his puck handling to create space for the perfect pass to get through to his teammates. It is important now for the Scarecrows to surround him with scorers who will be able to finish the picture perfect chances that Muerto will create for them. Lastly -- Meurto has one of the highest floors in this draft and should be expected to be a top six center no matter what.
[Image: SMJHL-Armada.png]

At sixth overall the Anchorage Armada had the privilege of having yet another selection. With the pick that originally belonged to the Whalers they drafted Eero Niemi a safe pick from a well-known agency. Niemi is more similar to Meurto than any other prospect. He is from Finland and stands at six feet tall as well as 176 pounds. He is a right winger who is expected to play alongside Jax Aittokallio in the future. He is more of a finesse player who utilizes his elite skating and puck handling ability to make sure that he is able to score with ease. Niemi finishes chances and that is what the Armada expect when they took him with the sixth overall pick. Not only is he an elite prospect offensively -- he can contribute defensively to his team and make sure that they are not handicapped in their own zone. Expect Niemi to put up a heavy amount of goals this season along with many takeaways defensively.
[Image: SMJHL-Raiders.png]

With their third pick in the first round the Halifax Raiders selected one of the "brothers" Kristof Kovacs. The Raiders are taking a relative risk here as the player's agency is new to the SMJHL however many times when SMJHL teams take that type of risk they end up with some of their most notable alumni. Kovacs is the smallest player taken in the first round at the height of 5'8" and is a scoring center. Kovacs has an elite skating ability and is a rare face-off specialist at his very young age. One risk with Kovacs is that he is a Center with a low strength and hitting ability and thus he may be facing a tough time up the middle of the ice against centers like Jax Aittokallio who will wear him down for a full game.
[Image: SMJHL-Raiders.png]

With the last pick of the first round -- and their fourth first round pick -- the Halifax Raiders selected the second brother Oliver Kovacs. He is slightly larger than Kristof Kovacs however he is still small for SMJHL standards. He is under six feet tall and has a low weight thus he may get bullied around the ice. On the bright side -- Oliver Kovacs is a winger thus it is less important to be big. He is another skilled player in this draft and fits the mold of a Meurto with less height. He fights through every play and has a high effort that was noticed by nearly every SMJHL General Manager prior to the draft. He is a pass first winger who will feed assists to whoever his line mates are. Just like any other top SMJHL prospect he is a great skater -- an attribute most players will need in order to compete at this level. He also has great hands and thus will be able to keep possession for the Raiders whenever it is needed.
[Image: SMJHL-Raptors.png]

The Colorado Raptors selected Philipp Winter at ninth overall -- the first pick in the second round. Winter is a top prospect from another amazing agency -- a common occurrence in this draft. Winter comes from a great family who now resides in the United States (originally from Germany). He is a left winger with a SMJHL ready body who is a scoring first type of player. Winter is a strong player with deceptive hands and speed. You would not expect what he does during the first shift of the game however defenders take note following that shift and notice what type of a threat Winter is throughout the game. Overall I expected Winter to be a top six pick and I felt as though the Raptors got a steal despite using such an early pick.
[Image: SMJHL-Falcons.png]

Following the Raptors, the Detroit Falcons selected Tig Murphy with the tenth overall pick. Murphy was the first defenseman taken in the draft and it is shocking how long it took for a defenseman to be taken off the board. Murphy stands at a solid 6'2" who is potentially more skilled offensively than defensively. Tig Murphy has drawn comparisons to former Falcon Drizzy Drake who was a top defenseman for his draft year who became a core piece for various SHL franchises. You can expect Murphy to lead rushes for the Falcons and create spontaneous odd-man rushes. He is a fairly balanced player with few weaknesses but the only notable one would be his checking ability -- however as a defenseman who utilizes positioning and his ability to lead rushes his checking ability nearly does not matter.
[Image: SMJHL-Raiders.png]

With the eleventh overall selection the Raiders had yet another pick and took Pierre Laroche-Durocher. Pierre was the second defenseman taken off the board and is yet another prospect taken without any other agency connections in the SHL circuit. Pierre is a large defenseman who can be seen as a "rock" for the team. He will not score however his passing ability is till something the Raiders can try to unlock. He is a large player who is able to shut players down with ease. He is 6'4" and weighs 208 pounds and has other worldly strength -- something that the Raiders will enjoy to have on their team rather than a different team. His positioning is unbelievable along with his hitting and skating ability. His hits ring his opponents like how Niklas Kronwalll hits his opponents. He accelerates quickly and feasts on opponents who have their heads down while skating up the ice. Personally our scouting service will be interested in seeing if he can expand his game slightly and become an elite passer to truly complete his game.
[Image: SMJHL-Raiders.png]

With their sixth pick in as many as twelve picks, the Halifax Raiders selected Maximilan Egger. Egger is the third defenseman off the board and another player without any previous SHL connections. He is similar to Tig Murphy however he is smaller and thus has to focus more on his skating ability and positioning. Egger is someone who will have to improve his skating and passing ability to truly impact the game since he has amazing defensive instincts but cannot hit. Egger is someone who we expect to be paired up with Pierre Laroche-Durocher. Egger and Pierre will be able to work well together with high defensive instincts along with secondary skills that complement each other.
[Image: SMJHL-Militia.png]

With their first pick in this draft the Montreal Militia (RIP L'Impact) selected Pavel Pivonka. I am just going to put this out there, but how the fuck did it take so long for Schultzy to get drafted. What the fuck. What a steal for the Montreal organization to get this legend of an agency back to Montreal. I remember back in the day when Roman Schultz was an anchor for the organization and I expect Pivonka to be a stalwart for this team. He is a massive winger who prefers to shoot the puck rather than pass. He has an elite strength, skating and puck handling ability. He is a very raw player however his physical ability and with the skills he already has it is expected that he will develop into a top SMJHL player. I am in awe it took so long for him to be drafted. He is a first round talent taken in the back half of the second round. Congrats Impact (not Militia) on getting your guy back to the organization.
[Image: SMJHL-Raptors.png]

With their second pick in the second round the Colorado Raptors selected Ignatius Blunt, a left winger from Slovenia. Blunt has amazing SHL connections and previous history with his agency and is a relatively safe pick for the Raptors. He is a rare mix for most SMJHL prospects and is the first one with strengths in both scoring and passing. Blunt is a top notch skater as well and will be a dynamic offensive player for the team. He may not be the best defensively for the roster however he will be a player who will make sure his presence is known on that side of the ice. He is of average height and weight and thus he will be able to create space for himself either with his skills or with his stature. He should be atop the points leaders in the SMJHL within a season and should go higher in the SHL draft than the SMJHL draft.
[Image: SMJHL-Armada.png]

With their third pick in the SMJHL draft the Anchorage Armada selected Jonatan Bach -- a first generation Swedish defenseman with a large frame and SHL (not SMJHL) ready body. He excels on the defensive end of the ice and struggles to score. Defensively he is able to rub players into the boards and gain possession for his team with ease. He utilizes his strength and defensive positioning to force said players wide and then separate them from the puck. Bach is also elite with his ability to retain possession of the puck for his team. His puck handling ability is immense and the next step he will need to take in his career would be to improve his passing ability in order to tie in his offensive game to the rest of the roster [Image: SMJHL-Falcons.png]

With the last pick in the second round the Detroit Falcons selected Marc Palicka an offensive center who hails from Czechoslovakia. He has great size -- but not outstanding -- size for a center in the SMJHL. He lacks the ability to punish players and remove them from the puck as he is not great at hitting people however he excels on the offensive end. He makes up for his lack of hitting with his ability to win countless amount of face-offs for his team. He will provide his team with excess possessions and countless easy zone exits due to his ability to truly impact his team via face-offs. Not only that but Palicka is able to score with the best of them. He was drafted early since he can put pucks in the back of the net better than 95 percent of the draft. Expect this center to be a top player in the goal scoring category but his plus-minus may suffer.

That is it for the SMJHL draft recap. Their may be a second part to this which will cover the rest of the draft -- but for now that is it from the Smirnov Light draft coverage agency.

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Smirnov Light · 07-11-2018, 12:19 PM

gonna edit this up, just a pain in the ass in preview and shit. Hate trying to edit appearances here.

King · 07-11-2018, 12:45 PM

Nice write up man.

Keygan · 07-11-2018, 01:15 PM

Love hearing everyone talk about how great Montreal’s draft went.

@Schultzy the legend.

Blues · 07-11-2018, 01:18 PM

07-11-2018, 01:15 PMKeygan Wrote: Love hearing everyone talk about how great Montreal’s draft went.

@Schultzy the legend.

An absolute steal

TML99 · 07-11-2018, 01:58 PM

S42*

Great read !

BaseScoutX1 · 07-11-2018, 02:00 PM

Hold the phone, is a 65 scoring really better than 95% of the other rookies.

Symmetrik · 07-11-2018, 02:41 PM

07-11-2018, 02:00 PMBaseScoutX1 Wrote: Hold the phone, is a 65 scoring really better than 95% of the other rookies.

In the early stages usually yeah. You'll get the odd winger who will raise it into the 70s, but for the most part defensemen & centremen won't really touch it, and then you have a bunch of wingers who aren't snipers or opt for a more balanced start.

Smirnov Light · 07-11-2018, 03:06 PM

also @BaseScoutX1 part of it is the upside/what I saw in the strengths category, playing more of an "upside" part for many of the prospects.

BaseScoutX1 · 07-11-2018, 03:18 PM

Still getting to the 100p mark in my rookie year, don't worry.

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