Claimed: Not 100% Correct but not 100% incorrect Mock Draft [1/2]

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

The VHL Entry Draft, arguably one of the most exciting times in the VHL, the teams look to add future pieces that will add to championship winning teams. While not all draftees pan out, this draft will be more on the hit side than miss. Without further adieu here is my 100% not correct but not 100% wrong mock draft.

 

1st Overall: Toronto Legion select Goaltender Markus King @Kendrick

S54 (BRM) - 72 GP | 51 W | 16 L | 5 OTL | 0.892 SV% | 1.50 G.A.A | 26 SO | 5 A
S54 (BRM) - 10 GP |  6 W |  4 L | 0 OTL | 0.908 SV% | 1.30 G.A.A |  2 SO | 1 A

Everyone is talking about DaaD drafting his own goalie because who better than yourself to build around especially in the goaltending position. Well let me tell you who, Markus King would be one of the better players to build around. Sure you can take yourself and then get your own GM player, but then what would be the point of the 2 player rule if you don't experience it fully like it is meant to be. Plus there is no one more reliable than Kendrick when it comes to making top notch quality players. I'm sure Ironside will be a great goaltender but I don't think DaaD is interesting in building with his own two players and wants to experience playing on a different team with one of his two players and since Bo Boeser is the GM player than makes Ironside available.

 

Plus just look at those stats, King had a 51-16-5 record with a 0.892 save percentage and a 1.50 G.A.A. The save percentage isn't that impressive but when you play on a team that allows less than 10 shots a game your save percentage will struggle. He also had an very impressive 26 shutouts. I mean a Kendrick player, you can't go wrong.

 

 

2nd Overall: HC Davos Dynamo select Center Shawn Gretzky

S54 (SSK/YUK) - 73 GP | 45 G | 42 A | 87 P | +34 | 18 PIM | 120 H | 21 SB | 8 GWG
S54 (YUK) -     10 GP |  5 G |  1 A |  6 P |  -3 |  2 PIM |  21 H |  1 SB | 2 GWG

After listening to the Pajodcast, Advantage said something very interesting. He said that Smarch isn't interesting in drafting a player who does welfare so that leads me to believe that Fook Yu is out of the question at 2nd overall. Fong has always built great welfare players but now with the new update scale it would be harder to have those great welfare players we are so used to seeing from Fong. This would also lead me to believe that Shawn Gretzky or Pablo would be a shoe in for 2nd overall because Davos has no need for a goaltender and I think they want to build from the Center position. However, I am going to rule out Pablo as well because he has been known to do some welfare during his career and isn't a week to week practice person like Gretzky.

 

If you look at the stats they weren't that bad, he scored 45 goals and assisted on 42 goals for 87 points. Not the best you would expect from the VHLM, but he had 42 points in 25 games after the trade to Yukon. In the playoffs he was rather disappointing with 5 goals and 1 assist for 6 points in 10 games. However he was shutdown by the Ottawa defense while they swept their way to a Cup. 

 

3rd Overall: Helsinki Titans select Defenseman Aleksi Federov @Banackock

S54 (BRM) - 72 GP | 19 G | 74 A | 93 P | +26 | 32 PIM | 111 H | 143 SH | 57 SB | 4 GWG
S54 (BRM) - 10 GP |  2 G |  4 A |  6 P |  -1 | 10 PIM |  18 H |  13 SH | 12 SB | 1 GWG

Everyone is pegging Higgins to ditch Astrid Moon because of his bad playoff showing and because of character issues. However, I do not see that happening because Moon will only get better right? Sure there almost won't be a better time to upgrade a goalie than now but Higgins believes in the process and will stick by Moon in hopes of Moon taking Helsinki to the promise land. With that being said, Black Velvet is starting to show his age, Shayne Gow has retired so that makes a need of defense. Defenseman in my eyes are almost at a premium nowadays because so little come in via the draft. That means Federov jumps up to 3rd overall but that doesn't mean he isn't one of the top prospects in the draft because he is right up there with the top TPE earners in the draft.

 

Federov had a very strong season in Brampton with 19 goals and 74 assists for 93 points. He had a decent playoff showing with 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points. He will find it very hard to match these numbers in the VHL but I think in a few years he would be matching them and maybe even surpassing them. Federov has so much potential and I don't think Helsinki can pass on him.

 

4th Overall: Riga Reign select Goaltender Torstein Ironside @DollarAndADream

S54 (SSK/YUK) - 69 GP | 50 W | 16 L | 3 OTL | 0.909 SV% | 1.54 G.A.A | 28 SO | 2 A
S54 (YUK) -     10 GP |  4 W |  6 L | 0 OTL | 0.902 SV% | 2.20 G.A.A |  3 SO | 1 A

Riga gets their goalie after all but it is not who many think it will be. I have Ironside and King switching places as Riga gets Ironside. Riga will be happy nonetheless with a goalie dropping to them as both are good enough to challenge for 1st overall. Riga fills their biggest need with a goalie of the future and Daad is happy to become the Riga goalie of the future while also getting one with King. 

 

Ironside had a very strong season in the VHLM with a record of 50-16-3 with a 0.909 save percentage and a 1.54 G.A.A to go along with a massive 28 shutouts. His playoff showing wasn't as bad as the 4-6 record shows and the 4 game sweep by Ottawa. Ottawa just had more offensive power but Ironside tried his best as his 0.902 save percentage shows.

 

5th Overall: Quebec City Meute select Hudson Abbott @Bushito

S54 (OTT) - 72 GP | 34 G | 78 A | 112 P | +97 | 84 PIM | 112 H | 318 SH | 54 SB | 6 GWG
S54 (OTT) -  8 GP |  5 G | 10 A |  15 P |  +7 |  4 PIM |   8 H |  36 SH |  8 SB | 0 GWG

Frank is such a wildcard, I don't know who he will pick. However, since we are doing a mock I will have to try decipher who he would pick. With the 5th overall selection, I think the Meute will take Hudson Abbott as not bushito is the only other top defensive prospect. As I was saying awhile ago, these defenseman are becoming a rare breed so one with as much potential as Abbott will go in the top 5 picks of the draft. He will form a very nice one two punch with Fabio Jokinen and the defense in Quebec will be set for a long time.

 

Abbott himself had a very fine season in Ottawa scoring 34 goals and assisting on 78 goals for 112 points. That is more points than most of than most of the forwards in this draft class if not all. He also led the Lynx in scoring during the playoffs with 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points. He leaves the VHL a Founders Cup Champion and will look to do the same in the VHL one day, led his team to a Continental Cup.

 

6th Overall: Stockholm Vikings select center Fook Yu @tfong

S54 (OTT) - 72 GP | 37 G | 82 A | 119 P | +69 | 94 PIM | 317 H | 339 SH | 16 SB | 7 GWG
S54 (OTT) -  8 GP |  2 G |  7 A |   9 P |  +4 | 10 PIM |  40 H |  31 SH |  3 SB | 1 GWG

Fook Yu has had a very good season but for some reason, I don't see him going until 6th overall because of practice reasons. Yes he does practice every week but you can tell it is minimal effort on Yu's part and while that is better than those who don't go at all, when other players are going week after week getting better at maximum effort, you take notice of those players and want them more than those who don't put in 100%. However this is not a knock to Fong as he is a great guy and he brings some great intangibles but some teams needs more than welfare and great intangibles and thus Fong drops to number 6. Stockholm has a number 1 center of the future in Xander Finn but Fook Yu would be a very nice number 2 center especially for a welfare player.

 

He had a very fine season in Ottawa as did pretty much everyone who played there. He scored 37 goals and assisted on 82 goals for 119 points. He was also a point per game in the playoffs with 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points. Overall, though those numbers won't stay the same once he gets to the VHL, but he should be a nice point per game player once he reaches his prime.

 

7th Overall: Helsinki Titans select Center Pablo @Pablo

S54 (OTT) - 72 GP | 12 G | 59 A | 71 P | +57 | 32 PIM | 118 H | 195 SH | 8 SB | 3 GWG
S54 (OTT) -  8 GP |  5 G |  9 A | 14 P |  +7 |  6 PIM |  11 H |  27 SH | 4 SB | 0 GWG

Helsinki probably thinks they will make out like bandits after this draft after taking Federov at 3 and then having Pablo drop to 7th. Pablo has a very high potential rating, higher than Fook Yu but he also comes with high risk because of the possibility of him not reaching that potential. Pablo would look very nice lining up at 2C but there are some talks about Pablo not staying at center possibly. Whatever he decides, Helsinki will not care because they have two potential steals in the draft. On a side note this is funny because the player agent of Pablo traded 3rd overall to Helsinki then later declares Pablo for the draft after stepping down from the GM spot only to be drafted to Helsinki himself, some would say this was a big plan by Pablo and Higgins. Higgins is that kind of guy so it wouldn't surprise me because he will do whatever it takes to win.

 

Pablo didn't have that great a season coming in just under a point a game with 12 goals and 59 assists for 71 points. He did pick it up for the playoffs though with 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points. So as you can tell he got better as the season went on possibly and is destined for bigger and better things in the VHL.

 

8th Overall: Helsinki Titans select Goaltender Vernon Von Axelberry @BobertZ

S54 (OSL) - 72 GP | 25 W | 41 L | 6 OTL | 0.906 SV% | 3.09 G.A.A | 10 SO | 2 A
S54 (OSL) -  9 GP |  4 W |  4 L | 1 OTL | 0.894 SV% | 3.15 G.A.A |  0 SO | 1 A

Here comes wildcard Frank, back up to the podium. With the 5th pick he doesn't want to play around and takes Abbott, but with 8th overall, he takes a 3rd goaltender just for the lulz. Axelberry has shown desire to play in the VHLM next season so that would give him a season to decide which one of the 3 he wants to keep. This would be hilarious if it were to happen and chances are very well it happens because Frank honestly doesn't give a fuck what you think about his actions and I like that about him.

 

Axelberry had a very tough season in Oslo because most of the competing teams had a goaltender which meant Axelberry has to spend a season with Oslo who was no where near close to competing. He had a record of 25-41-6 with a 0.906 save percentage and a 3.09 G.A.A with 10 shutouts. He also lead the Storm to a series win and had a playoff record of 4-4-1 with a 0.894 save percentage and a 3.15 G.A.A. Overall this would be hilarious like I said and there are very high chances it happens.

 

9th Overall: New York Americans select Left Wing Rudolf Schmeckeldorf @Corco

S54 (SSK/YUK) - 72 GP | 16 G | 53 A | 69 P | +43 | 28 PIM | 118 H | 199 SH | 8 SB | 6 GWG
S54 (YUK) -     10 GP |  1 G |  8 A |  9 P |  -3 |  0 PIM |   6 H |   8 SH | 0 SB | 0 GWG

New York would be ecstatic to have a player of this caliber drop to 9th overall. He is a top end draft talent but falls to 9th because this turns out to be one of the deepest drafts in recent memory *remember when @Pablo said he didn't see much in this draft* NYA basically takes BPA and that is Schmeck despite the GM's other player being available because the potential of Schmeck is pretty big if you as me. 

 

Schmeck has a pretty decent season with 16 goals and 53 assists for 69 points. He really picked it up in the playoffs leading the Yukon Rush with 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 poitns in 10 games. He would be a welcome addition to a somewhat aging team. 

 

10th Overall: Calgary Wranglers select Right Wing Takshi Fujimoto @HFD

S54 (OTT) - 72 GP | 16 G | 37 A | 53 P | +79 | 38 PIM | 89 H | 193 SH | 0 SB | 3 GWG
S54 (OTT) -  8 GP |  4 G |  4 A |  8 P |  +9 |  6 PIM |  7 H |  27 SH | 0 SB | 2 GWG

With the last pick in the 1st round, the Wranglers get a gift of Fujimoto because it is not often players this close to the VHL 175 + 25 banked cap fall to 10th overall. He is a first gen I believe but he might not be never know. He kicks off the Calgary rebuild 2.0 after brovy gave away 3rd overall. Fujimoto though is a nice piece and will be one to watch now and in the future.

 

Fujimoto played on a very strong Ottawa team so points were hard to come by as he only scored 16 goals and assisted on 37 for 53 points. Although, that isn't a bad total it isn't that high in the VHLM. He picked it up in the playoffs though with 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points. He too will enter the VHL at some point this season as a VHLM Founders Cup Champion.

Edited March 27, 2017 by TheLastOlympian07

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

@Higgins +3 for Gretz

[BluObieZ 1,125]

Well it wouldn't shock me since I outright dared frank to do it

[Baozi 1,635]

I like your reasoning explanation for your picks too.

[Higgins 3,617]

Holy statistics

 

+3 uncapped TPE

[Da Trifecta 1,896]

Wait @TheLastOlympian07, that Helsinki Titans logo at 8th overall looks odd

[Kesler 1,514]

Best skater from this draft class 8 seasons from now goin at #7? wow

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

6 minutes ago, Pablo said:

Best skater from this draft class 8 seasons from now goin at #7? wow

nah he going 2nd

[ASIANBOUBABI 173]

[Kesler 1,514]

4 hours ago, TheLastOlympian07 said:

nah he going 2nd

You're right, Pablo goes second to Davos.

[BOOM 8,408]

Confidence.

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Review:

Your articles are always filled with stats. Love it.

Great explanations for those choices. I have a big decision come draft day.