NAHL 1st Round Mock Draft
The NAHL draft usually takes place during the All-Star Break and has 10 rounds. It is inversely proportional to last year's standings, so that means this year that the Sept-Iles Whalers will have the #1 overall pick. We're going to preview the 1st round of the draft and predict which player each team will select, along with a short bio and possible plan for that player.
#1: Kris Howell (C), Sept-Iles Whalers
Physical stats: 6'3/212/21 years
Bio: Howell is the senior 1st line center for St. Stephen's University in Londinium, leading them to a collegiate national championship last year. He's big, strong, and fast and is the consensus #1 pick among draft experts. More than the physical attributes, Howell is well-regarded as a leader and has a good makeup.
Plan: He will likely join the Whalers immediately after he's drafted. They will be looking to him to come in and make a big impact for the second half of the season.
Physical stats: 6'4/231/20 years
Bio: A junior out of Dalhousie University, Ferguson is a high-motor player who will protect his teammates and especially his goalkeeper, but also has blocking and passing skills as well. He was part of the #1 defensive pairing on Nova Anglicana's World Junior Hockey Championships team, who made it to the quarterfinals.
Plan: He will likely join the Raiders immediately after he's drafted. He'll provide muscle and defense that the Raiders will need after allowing the 5th most goals in the league last year.
#3: Will Flowers (C), Newfield Rangers
Physical stats: 5'9/170/21 years
Bio: Flowers is small, but extremely quick. He's well-known for avoiding hits, weaving through defenders, and finding the right man with the pass. Don't get us wrong, he can put the puck on net and will score his fair share of goals, but he's an assist man more than anything else. Lightly regarded as a high school prospect because of his size, he proved himself at the Universite de Sept-Iles and became a true prospect.
Plan: He will likely join the Rangers immediately after he's drafted. Their offense averaged about 1.5 goals per game last year and they want to pump that up.
#4: Jermaine Roy (G), Aquae Sulis Bears
#3: Will Flowers (C), Newfield Rangers
Physical stats: 5'9/170/21 years
Bio: Flowers is small, but extremely quick. He's well-known for avoiding hits, weaving through defenders, and finding the right man with the pass. Don't get us wrong, he can put the puck on net and will score his fair share of goals, but he's an assist man more than anything else. Lightly regarded as a high school prospect because of his size, he proved himself at the Universite de Sept-Iles and became a true prospect.
Plan: He will likely join the Rangers immediately after he's drafted. Their offense averaged about 1.5 goals per game last year and they want to pump that up.
#4: Jermaine Roy (G), Aquae Sulis Bears
Physical stats: 6'0/215/20 years
Bio: Roy is the best netminder in this draft and, after a season in which the Bears conceded nearly 200 goals, he's an easy choice for them. Out of the Universite de Sept-Iles, he led them to a second-place finish last year. He can be a brick wall as long as he's got an eye on the puck, but needs to be paired with forceful d-men who will stop him from being screened. Netminder on the WJHC team.
Plan: It will be trial by fire for Roy. He'll have about half a season after the All-Star break to really show his new team what he can do. It will likely be a light schedule at first, but he'll be expected to be first-string sooner rather than later.
Physical stats: 6'0/196/21 years
Bio: Chambers, out of University of King's College, isn't the most physically imposing player you'll meet, nor is he the highest ceiling guy. But he is a solid contributor on both offense and defense, a plug-and-play kind of a guy that scouts love for his versatility and work ethic. Vinovium needs help on offense, but their defense could be shored up as well. Chambers will help them in both areas.
Plan: He'll form an integral part of the Lumberjacks from day one. Probably a second or third-line center, but those players are valuable.
#6: Jacques LaFlamme (RW), Labrador Caribou
Physical stats: 6'3/190/19 years
Bio: LaFlamme is a bit of a gamble, having just finished his sophomore season at Memorial University. He's very fast, and an excellent goalscorer. But he isn't sound defensively, and has a tendency to drift out of position. In other years, teams would probably pass on him and wait for him to develop. But two things are driving this pick: LaFlamme was the leading goalscorer for the Nova Anglican team at the WJHC, and Labrador needs to jump-start their second-worst in the league offense.
Plan: He'll play right away. This first year, he'll be expected to be more of a instant-offense "microwave"-type player. But for this to work out, he'll have to develop into a truly excellent goalscorer or a more well-rounded player. He's going to need to adjust to the physicality of the NAHL.
Physical stats: 6'4/224/19 years
Bio: Another sophomore, this time from the Universite de Moncton, Marchand is a quick d-man with excellent reflexes and awareness. Even though he's not the burliest guy out there, he can and will lay a lick or sacrifice the body.
Plan: Marchand will shore up the Sharpshooter defense that has been leaky of late. Sharpshooter management has decided that developing players is more important than a single-minded focus on contention, so they're willing to bring Marchand along slowly. They think he has top-10 d-man potential, though.
#8: Marc Curtis (LW), Londinium Governors
Physical stats: 6'2/215/21 years
Bio: Curtis is a winger who lives on the boards. Whether it's checking opponents, winning the puck, playing the puck around them, or sniping close to them, he's there. His senior season at Cape Breton University saw him contribute on offense (15th in the nation in points) and defense, where his head coach called him "the hardest-working son of a gun" he's coached.
Plan: The Governors missed out on a playoff spot by just two points last year. They will be looking for Curtis to put them over the top. They don't need him to be a star, but they need him to contribute and make a second-half push.
Physical stats: 6'2/226/21 years
Bio: Boulanger is a hard-hitting, physical, give it all you got kind of player. He won't win any awards for pretty play, but he is always effective. He has a dangerous slap shot, but is more likely to be found around the net on offense, where he finds the tip-ins and cleans up the rebounds. On defense, he is a tough guy to get past and has a lot of stamina.
Plan: The Privateers love his physicality and will want him to be an instant contributor on the third or fourth line, with an eye towards an eventual second or first-line future.
#10: Brendan Bryan (D), Pons Aelius Steelers
Physical stats: 6'3/216/20 years
Bio: Bryan is a junior from St. Stephen's who is a converted forward. He's a two-way player, but is still known as more of an offensive player than a defensive one. He's an example of a player that might go higher if he waited a year, but a top-10 pick is hard to turn down.
Plan: The Steelers only scored 71 goals last year, partially by design and partially due to a lack of scoring punch. They will look for Bryan to add some offense and develop on defense, and what better place than the ultra-defensive Steelers to really learn how to be a defenseman?
#11: Jesse Erickson (C), DC Oilers
Physical stats: 6'5/240/20 years
Bio: Erickson is a junior from the University of Reginorum and, more than anything else, he is a big boy. Primarily known for his bodychecking, blocking, and enforcing abilities, he's also surprisingly good at poke checks and is a disciplined player. He's a bit one-dimensional, but the Oilers love his size.
Plan: The Oilers need help on D, so he's going to slot in right away to bring down that 142 goals allowed total from last year.
#12: Zach Gill (C), Isca Town Captains
Physical stats: 6'0/185/18 years
Bio: Gill is a commit to St. Stephen's, but the lure of joining a top team like the Captains as a first-round pick will likely sway him. He still has room to grow physically, but he's already an excellent skater and shooter with good puckhandling skills. He was named to the Nova Anglican Junior Hockey All-Star team, and plenty of people think he's a future NAHL All-Star.
Plan: The Captains will probably loan him to another hockey league for the time being. He's unlikely to break into their second-half rotation, and needs time to grow. If he really shows off, he could join the Captains as early as next year.
