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Pate’s Mock Draft

Quick Hot Take before we get started. This Mock draft is 100% speculative and I’d be surprised if I even get a couple of players right. Either way I hope you enjoy the ramblings of an overthinking goaltender with too much time on his hands.

10 teams, 3 rounds, and 33 players who are looking to play in the Gateway Roller Hockey League. It’s a day where stress levels are higher than certain captains, dynasties are born, and the clock is always running on the fates of the teams’ 2024 season. I’m talking of course about Draft Day.

The teams have done all the research they can up to this point and likely have their phones off to avoid the rabbit holes of injury rumors that may or may not be spread around the draft room or the discord chats *cough* “Watson’ *cough*. Teams will begin to settle into their chairs as players and fans cycle into the back of the auditorium.
We will start off with the 1st 4 picks of the draft, the compensation picks.
Round 1
1. With the 1st overall pick of the 2024 draft, the Moose select forward/defenseman Brent Lyons with a 2-year $18 contract. I like this pick for the Moose, he will immediately be able jump in on either the defensive side or as a forward and start contributing on day 1. I see Brent finishing 3rd in points for the Moose for the next two seasons behind Captains Nick Costillo and Andrew Burton.

2. With the Second overall pick the Venom select defenseman Drew Estes with a 2-year $17 contract. This pick makes a lot of sense for the Venom as they lock down the best defensive defenseman in the GRHL with a 2-year deal. This pick also frees Mearns to play more aggressively on the offensive side of the rink, something he couldn’t do much last season. Drew not only brings his defensive ability to the Venom, but his excellent vision as well. He will be able to quickly help the Venom transition through the neutral zone with tape to tape passing or by using his above average speed to carry the puck himself.

3. With the Third overall pick the Sting select forward Jordan Stradtman with a 2-year $15 contract. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I don’t have to try to stop Jordan and TK twice a year for the next two seasons. This is a monster pick for the Sting. Jordan has great hands and a wicked release. He has been known to cherry pick at times, but when you have Windmiller on the backside to shut the opposing teams down or TK lobbing 120-foot tape to tape passes it’s just water under the bridge and points on the scoreboard for the Sting.

4. With the Fourth overall and final compensation pick of the draft, the Raptors select defenseman/forward/part time goaltender Brad Foiles with a 2-year $9 contract. I really like this pick from the Raptors. Brad may be the best utility player in the GRHL and locks in another backup goaltender to go along with captain Loren Sawyer. Brad’s play is very conservative, and he doesn’t take a lot of penalties during the season while still posting a 1 point per game average over the last two seasons. Look for the Raptors to utilize him as either a stay-at-home defenseman next to Berkman on the first line or the offensive defenseman on the second D-line.

Going forward we are going to be drafting players via auction draft format. It is important to note that keeping track of all teams’ buying power is very important going forward. What I mean by buying power is the maximum contract any given team can offer the current nominated player. Teams must keep at least 1 dollar available for every open roster spot. For example, the Jets have $15 for 2 slots, which means they must save $1 for one open spot giving them a maximum of $14 for the other open spot. The Jets’ buying power at the start of the draft is $14. Keeping track of this is vital if you are hoping to snag a mid to late round player and ensure you have enough cap to outbid everyone else. It’s how I knew that the Moose were able to draft Jon Hemker or Nathan Haselhorst as we had the largest available buying power towards the end of the draft with both players still available. It’s also how I was able to quickly shutdown the Yetis on a trade for Chris Niemeyer, because it would drop our buying power below that of the top 3 teams in the draft at that time. Below is the Cap space, open roster spots, and buying power of all the teams after the comp picks are selected.

5. With the Fifth pick the Jets nominate Brett Lucas. This pick is almost guaranteed to be either Brett Lucas or Ben Kleinschmidt. The Jets will look to drive as much money out with this pick as possible and with 6 teams currently sitting at a max contract of $24+, I see this pick going for at a minimum of $25 in the actual draft. In this case I have the Thundercats picking up Brett Lucas at $26. (Note: the first pick in the draft is a bit of an odd spot for teams as the player market hasn’t been set yet, and we have seen in the past that players taken after the first pick of equal or lesser talent have gone for more money in the following couple of picks. You don’t want to be the team that overpays early and limits your drafting potential, but player values in the draft go through a roller coaster of ups and downs depending on the talent level of the players still available and the buying power of the remaining teams).

6. With the 6th pick in the draft the Thundercats nominate Ben Kleinschmidt. Just like Brett Lucas this Ben will also go for $25+. In the actual draft I wouldn’t be surprised if the player taken in this spot doesn’t go for $30, but the Raptors and Thundercats would both need to have passed on the first player. In the mock draft however, I have the Outlaws taking Ben Kleinschmidt at $27.

7. With the 7th pick in the draft the Wolves nominate Rj Pluhar. The Wolves are not in a position to be able to afford Rj, but like the Jets pick it’s all about drawing money out and RJ should go for $18-$22 in the draft. I have the Yetis taking Rj at $18 and I think they are serious contenders for Rj in the actual draft as well. He has a good mix of size and speed while also not afraid to battle for pucks. More importantly though Rj showcased his ability to move the puck well and find open space in the GRHL defenses last season on his way to score 19 goals and 14 assists. His scoring potential and hockey sense would matchup perfectly with Kyle Gehrig on either the first or second line.

8. With the 8th pick in the draft the Barracudas nominate Nick Moore. If the Raptors miss out on Rj at 7, I believe they will take the player nominated here as long as it’s Nick Moore or Brady Griffin. FOMO is going to be kicking in and teams may get into a bidding war on the next pick as it will be the last pick of tier 2 players. With that said I have the Raptors taking Nick here with a $16 contract even though they could have had him cheaper as a comp pick. I still think that Foiles is the right pick for them with the comp pick, it just so happens that I Nick is the best player available for the Raptors at pick 8.

9. With the 9th pick in the draft the Yetis nominate Brady Griffin. I like the Venom taking Brady here at $17 and preventing the Raptors from buying in. He can play forward or defense and likes to shoot the puck. I’d put him on defense so the Venom d-man rotation would be Estes/Brady and Ranz/Webb, but I’m a goalie so I love stacking the defense in my favor. Or can put Brady on either the first or second line of offense. Either way he is a versatile player and I’m sure Joey will find a way to maximize his output to benefit the team.

10. With the 10th and final pick of the first round the Outlaws nominate Mason Kelly. Speed kills and I think Mason is targeted by no less than 4 teams but falls to the Thundercats at $12. $12 might be a bit low for Mason at this point, but the last time he was under contract he had to step down to waivers and I’m sure the Raptors may still be upset they were unable to retain his contract once he returned. I’m also not sure how far the Jets will be willing to push his salary up, so I went with $12. A $12 bid also prevents the Yetis, Wolves, and Venom from making any more bids.

After the first round every team is still in the draft and the buying power of most teams is relatively close. You may notice that the Sting have been quiet in my mock draft and to me that is by design as I see them targeting a very specific player early in the second round of the draft.

Round 2

1. Starting off round 2 we have the Moose nominating Scott Moss at $5. Scott is capable of playing offense or defense and likes to play a physical game in front of the net on either side of the rink. I’m expecting the Raptors, Venom, and Thundercats to be interested in adding Scott to their roster and I see him going for $7-$9 in the draft. In this case I have him going back to the Raptors to play as a third line forward at $8 a season.

2. The Venom are up next, and I have them nominating Chris Niemeyer for $8. Chris should go for $10-$12 in the draft but in this case, I have the Venom getting a deal and picking him up at $8. This is a weird part of the draft where teams are likely to target specific players in the $8-$12 range, and they may not chase a guy near his salary range with so many similarly skilled players available. Of course, the Sting could see Chris as a solid goal scorer that already has chemistry with their team and be willing to run his salary to $10+.

3. Next up we have the Sting offering up Greg Piper for $7 and getting his services back at $10 a season. Greg is capable of playing forward or defense for the Sting and already has a good repour with the team, so this is a no brainer to me. Greg will likely go back to playing defense though and help anchor this team when Windmiller is off the rink. I see the Sting going after Greg in the actual draft with a salary between $7-$10.

4. Raptors are up next, and they nominate Aaron Gruebner for $10. Aaron is a solid player, and a $10 bid here should ensure the Raptors get their man. It prevents most of the league from bidding and is on par with where I have Aaron’s salary at. The Jets and Sting are the wild cards with this pick and may decide to snatch him up with $11 as I don’t see anyone going higher than that here. But in this case Aaron goes back to the team that originally drafted him in 2022. And with this pick the Raptors are now done with the draft and are free to sit back and watch the chaos unfold for the remainder of the draft.

5. The Jets choose to nominate Jerad Steinmann with the next pick for $7. The Jets are quickly outbid with picks from the Sting and ThunderCats. And it’s the ThunderCats $9 bid that brings in a solid forward that plays a 200’ game and is capable of putting up almost a point per game when paired with the right personnel. I see the Cat’s having Jerad playing on the second line with Mason Kelly or on the third line with their final pick.

6. The ThunderCats look to sneak David Hempen through with a $2 bid. The Yetis and Venom go back and forth until the Venom win the bid to add the league’s Elite Secondary Defenseman to the Venom Roster on a $5 contract. This is unfortunate news for Joe Combs as he will be seeing a lot more of Dave who will be staying in the Show-Me division this season. But instead of Dave sniping corners on Combs this season, I think the Venom will have Dave play near the goal line to give Combs a more personnel experience.

7. Next, we have the Wolves nominate the former Barracudas captain Brady Riechmann for $5. Unfortunately, the Cuda’s can’t afford to reunite with their former captain, but the Yetis are happy to swoop in and grab Brady for $6 here. I see the Yetis using Brady similar to how they utilized Hempen last season and work him in on both offense and defense depending on the matchup. Brady’s versatility and lower salary makes this a great pick here.

8. The low cap Barracudas offer up Jordan Nevels for $3. But are immediately outbid by the Jets, Sting, and Wolves. I’ve got the Sting coming down with Jordan’s contract at $9 to bring another capable forward to this already stacked offense. Jordan had 5 goals and 2 assists in 7 games last season as a waiver player and should see those numbers improve with the Sting. I think Jordan ends the season with 10+ goals if he is playing with the Sting this season.

9. I have the Yetis nominating Aj Flach for $5 here. This pick is right at market value for Aj as he was $4 in 2022 and $5 in 2023. I’ve got Aj going back to the team he has had the most success with when the Jets pick him up for $6. Aj only has 1 point when not on the Jets but is averaging just over ½ a point a game with the Jets. Look for Aj to be playing 3rd line this next season while wearing Jet red.

10. With the final pick in the 2nd round the Outlaws nominate Matt Mumford for $5. The Wolves pick up Matt with $6 after the Jets and Sting both pass on the veteran player that showcased his versatility in the 2022 playoffs by helping his team win the cup by strapping on the pads and playing goalie in the biggest game of the season.

With the second round over we can see the Jets are firmly in control with the ability to outbid every team to pick up the player they want. For the sake of simplicity I’m considering the remaining 13 picks to be the third round of the draft.

Round 3

1. Starting the 3rd round off we have the Moose nominate Mike Whitelaw for $5. The Sting are quick to place a $7 bid, but the hope is short lived as the Jets place an $8 bid no one else can top. Mike had 2 goals and 4 assists last season and should see improved success with the Jets offense this season. I think Mike finishes with more than 15pts if is playing on the Jets all season.

2. Venom choose Nick Ruffini with their nomination at $1. Due to injury concerns I don’t have any other teams bidding, and the Venom win the bid at $1. I think this is a good choice for the Venom if Nick returns from injury early in the season. I see the Venom matching Nick’s speed with Dave’s size on the third line. This is similar to how they utilized Ryan Hall the last two seasons.

3. Next up we have the Sting who nominate and draft Zac rule for $6. This is a solid pick by the Sting and completes their draft. Zach is a speedy forward with good hands. Zach only has 2 goals and 4 assists in his first two seasons, I see him matching that point total in his first 7 games of the season with TK and Windmiller feeding him the puck early and often on the 3rd line of the Sting.

4. The Thundercats nominate Stephen Pipas for $2. The Wolves choose to spend their last $6 on Stephen to secure their last pick, outbidding the Outlaws, Yetis, and Moose. Stephen had 4 goals in 5 games last season and will look to be close to a goal per game player on this Wolves roster.

Half the teams are finished with the draft at this point and things will go quickly from here in the actual draft. Teams with only 1 pick left will nominate the players they like the most with their max cap. A team like the Outlaws in this mock draft, that have $8 for 4 spots will likely get stuck with the last 3 players of the draft so we will likely see them spend $5 one of the next couple of picks to secure one of the better picks left.

5. The Barracudas nominate Brian Shedelbower for $3 but are outbid the Moose at $5 who finally get to draft another player. Brian had 6 points in 8 games and could see playing time on the third line on the Moose.

6. Next up we have the Yetis selecting and drafting Eric Urban with a $5 bid. Eric should average just over .5 points per game on the Yetis. He is another player that can play both offense and defense, and will likely benefit from playing on the Yetis who tend to sustain pressure on opposing teams vs a fast break style of offense employed by some of the Lincoln teams.

7. The Outlaws choose to draft Joe Carnahan with a $3 bid to ensure no one can outbid them. Joe has scored 4 goals in each of the last 2 seasons and we should see that trend continue here.

8. The Thundercats nominate Tyler Ryan with a $2 pick. I don’t know much about Tyler, but he did have 1 goal and 2 assists last season. I’m actually going to have him go the Thundercats with this pick, finishing the Thundercats draft.

9. The Barracudas finally get to make a selection and with it they choose Shaun Patrick Jr at $3. Shaun has found success with the Sting the last 2 seasons with 9 goals. I would see Shaun scoring another 4 or 5 goals on the Cudas if given the chance.

10. Yetis nominate Josh Warren for $1 but are outbid by the Outlaws at $2. Josh had 2 points in 2 games last season, but I think he will find the net a few more times this season now that he will be playing with the same team all season.

11. Outlaws nominated and draft Travis Zobrist at $1. Travis has 4 goals in the last 2 seasons. I’d like to see what he can do with paired with the speedy forwards of the Outlaws. Look for Travis causing havoc in front of the net to create space for the other forwards to operate.

12. Yetis nominate Brett Miller for $1 but are outbid by the Outlaws at $2. Brett has 7 points in the last 2 seasons, and I’m fairly certain 3 of his goals are against me. Brett is not afraid of contact and I can see the Outlaws having him working on goalie screens to draw the defender down. Brett should end the season with a career-high 6pts on this Outlaw team.

13. And with the final pick of the draft, The Yetis select Jason Householder on a $1 contract. Jason has 4pts in the last 2 seasons but no goals… Someone get this man a goal! Jason finishes the season with 2 goals and 4 assists, both career highs.

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