The teams have been consulted, and there are no changes from the previously published lists. A total of 35 picks will be made tonight, redistributing rookies and unwanted players to new teams for the fourth UPCL-organized season of pool, and the third such season with cricket. The first pick belongs to the Expansion Franchise and the darlings of the night...
The Terrace City Knights, who took Oreo, a veteran represented by Solid Core as their first ever player. The Knights management apparently spent a lot of time with this pick, and they didn't mess it up. While Oreo has had two down seasons, she frequently qualifies well in pool and is reliable if not spectacular in cricket. With a new team and a fresh start, the former Blade Oreo should be able to break through this season.
The second overall pick went to the Atlantic Pirates, who selected Americus, previously of the Oceanside Waves, with their compensatory selection earned by the departure of Steven. Americus is a frequently borderline player that tends to seem a lot better than she actually is. After two years by the coast in Oceanside, Americus heads to a team in full rebuilding mode, but she made end up being a bit of a bandage for the Pirates, unless a career resurgence is in order.
With the third overall pick, the Modernistic Union reclaim the enigmatic Chimpy on their compensatory pick from Kiwi's mutually terminated contract. By now, the story is well known with Chimpy, who can show flashes of brilliance and play mind games to no end, but he has recently turned into a bit of a slacker. Still, with his raw skill, it's clear the Union wanted to check out other options. With no rookie tempting them, the Union bring back the known quantity in Chimpy and can't regret that decision at all.
With the fourth overall pick, the Victoria Spurs replace Tori with Kavan, the former Freedom Cascade. Kavan has not had the opportunity to flourish, and he's been indecisive with his future in the league at times, which is why Freedom held on. The choice to return this season and his poor performance led to Freedom letting him go, and now he'll be part of a retooling Spurs team that needs solid depth to continue their high-flying pool. Improvements in cricket would also be nice, but the Spurs can't count on Kavan for that.
With the fifth overall pick, the Diamond Gems fill their only hole created from Olivia's retirement with the first rookie, Pedey. The Brute Force-backed first year should inject new life into the Diamond Gems, although he is an admittedly unknown prospect. Olivia's play remained strong over her two years with the Gems, so Pedey will be filling a big hole, but the young at heart Citrus should help ease his transition, as will fellow Brute Force member Smokey, the Gems' captain and now Pedey's mentor. It's a bold first rookie pick, but it's a good one.
The one team that doesn't need a super-high pick gets the sixth overall, and the Tysini Hummingbirds fill the void left by Allison's retirement with an excellent selection in the former Harrison Specter Leandra. A slightly-above average cricketer and a downright dominant pool player, Leandra had an off season, as did all the Specters. The Hummingbirds, meanwhile, put together a Harrison-esque year of solid effort, and now they will continue their two-year rebuild with a marquee piece. Leandra was one of a handful of controversial cuts, and she'll be out to prove herself here.
With the seventh overall pick, the Pearl Surfers take Cowzart, the other most-recent Cascade. With two years to prove himself in Freedom, Cowzart failed to inspire and should have been out after a single year except for one deep run in pool. The second year saw him slump, and he's out of town with no proof of being a legitimate threat in the league. The Surfers made a baffling choice here, and it can only be seen as a severe downgrade from V. Braun, the retired captain and star. The move does make the Surfers younger, which is the only positive.
Ending the first round, the Eastside Sharks make their compensatory pick to replace Robyn, selecting a rookie, Niki, at eighth overall. Eastside went one for two last year in rookies, scoring the second best rookie and the second worst in a weak class. This move gives the Sharks a situation where every player has been with the team a different length of time, a savvy combination of fresh, young talent and system-groomed veterans. While a non-conformist at times, Niki should work well with Taylor and Chelsea, while Graham continues to be a captain that doesn't fit in but does perform.
The second round (the shortest round) commences with the Terrace City Knights and the ninth overall pick. Again, the Knights impress, taking the ferocious Stripes to complement Oreo with another vocal leader. Considered a borderline cut for the Meteors, Stripes will look to get back at her old team frequently with the newer expansion team. Stripes brings a reckless and aggressive style that should complement the level-headed Oreo wonderfully on a team that looks like it has direction already.
Ending the second round, the final compensatory pick is the tenth overall to the Royal Crowns, who replace the retiring star Sydnee with the former Tysini Hummingbirds Clan Cup hero Marsell. After finally finding success in the Clan Cup, the Hummingbirds parted ways with Marsell for the second time, assuming they could get him back. However, Royal tends to be the home for spurned players, and Marsell reunites with former Hummingbird Nightfur on the Crowns as the team likely seeks vengeance on those who have wronged them.
Leading off the third round, the Terrace City Knights use the 11th overall pick on Kiwi. It appears as if the Knights can do no wrong in this draft, again plucking a proven player out of the draft pool. The former captain of the Modernistic Union vowed not to return to the team, citing management's lackadaisical approach to improving the team. This gave the Union a compensatory pick they used to retain Chimpy, and allowed Kiwi a new direction. Kiwi is a balance between Oreo and Stripes, a cerebral but fiery player that will show more grit than Oreo but more patience than Stripes, and it provides the Knights with a legitimate superstar in their first season.
With the 12th overall pick, the Atlantic Pirates select Dominic. The Delila Enterprises-backed Dominic returns to the Pirates after a year with the Web City Spiders. Dominic previously played with the Pirates in 2014, but did not impress them after coming from the then-Reyes Del Sur. With the selection, Dominic becomes the first player to play for the same team in non-consecutive years. Familiarity with the organization may help Dominic in this case, but it appears Atlantic is not planning well at all.
With the 13th overall pick, the Freedom Cascades select Roxy. A well-traveled player, Roxy has had trouble sticking with a team, just as much as Freedom has had trouble obtaining good players. Roxy has previously been with the Swifts, Flames, and Waves, and expectations are again low for her despite the occasional flash of potential. Freedom has shown no hesitation in cutting loose with players quickly, so a bad season will just mean five teams in five years next summer for Roxy.
With the 14th overall pick, the Oceanside Waves select Pounce. The former Lighton Prestige player felt his cut from the team was undeserved, but vowed to take the high road. Oceanside tends to stay within the Rivalry Clubs for its players, and this move reflects that desire with the Empyre-supported Pounce. Pounce is expected to provide solid numbers and will likely mark a slight upgrade over the previous Waves players, so Oceanside may finally get that little bump they need.
With the 15th overall pick, the Southern Monarchs select a rookie, Kirstin. The Monarchs had a rough season last year, with former captain Shawn leading the tank job to get them to fifth in the draft order with his poor efforts. He took the fall for the team, opening up this roster spot for the team to go young with a rookie while continuing to favor a human presence. One thing to watch will be Kirstin's compatibility with Shannon, the long-time Monarch and fellow human.
With the 16th overall pick, the Viewpoint Sound Meteors select former Westside Rocker half-bid Kelly. Since Kelly did do a split bid with her twin sister Alyssa last season, little is known about them, and they both retain rookie status this year despite the modest experience. Kelly is the more unpredictable of the two, but the Viewpoint Sound Meteors are no strangers to explosive players, having employed Stripes and still rostering captain Mr. Snowman. Remaining in the west will provide Kelly the opportunity to get back at the Rockers if she so chooses.
With the 17th overall pick, the Harrison Specters select highly-regarded rookie Sydney Sierota. Harrison tends to be a team that does not think out of the box, and all of their picks in previous drafts were established veterans, so this marks a new direction for the team. Sydney's clean-cut image and willingness to deflect praise will work well with her team-oriented teammates as well. While not dazzling as the rookie representative at the R&D camp, Sydney appears very much ready to challenge for Rookie of the Year this season.
Ending the third round, the Swordpoint Blades use the 18th overall pick on Shawn. The stories for both player and team are well-known at this point. Shawn steered the Southern Monarchs, his only team previously, into the ground, and was cut for that effort as part of their rebuild. The Swordpoint Blades, a proud team at pool, struggled with Oreo trying to replace possible Greatest of All Time Blade Emily, who retired after 2014. Shawn looks to bounce back, and a team like the Blades provides a good spot for that in a situation where he does not have to be the one. This also spices up the regional rivalry with the Capital City Sharpshooters, which roster Shawn's close friend Chris.
Leading off the fourth and final round, the Terrace City Knights use the 19th overall pick on Jennifer Livilotti. The former Whitewater Shore was along for the ride throughout much of the season last year, and struggled mightily in pool. While far from a superstar or a hotshot rookie, Jennifer provides an interesting unknown variable for the Knights, a lottery ticket in some senses. She could thrive with the team, but if she doesn't, so be it. It's hard to fault a team for taking a chance, and we'll wait and see here.
With the 20th overall pick, the Atlantic Pirates re-select Delila. Atlantic dangled Delila in this draft after two years of underwhelming efforts from their captain. Delila, since she is returning to the team, will return to her captain's role. The Pirates as a whole appear reluctant to branch out, bringing back two players they had cut in different years and adding a no-results veteran with the compensatory pick. Delila can be a good player, and she can motivate others, but this move makes little sense for a team with luck as rotten as the Pirates has been in their two previous years of existence.
With the 21st overall pick, the Freedom Cascades select Nikolai, a muscular rookie. Credit the Cascades for exploring new options, with Nikolai a potential slugging machine in cricket. Nikolai should also bring a bit of an edge to pool. While team captain Jasmine is undersized, the Cascades have a big cat in Stinky, and two big bears in Roxy and Nikolai to bring the beef and at least be intimidating. Bringing on Nikolai also helps to erase the culture of struggles on the road that have haunted the Cascades in cricket most of all.
With the 22nd overall pick, the Oceanside Waves select the other former Rocker split-bid player, Alyssa. A lot of what was said earlier about Kelly applies to Alyssa, the calmer of the twins. Alyssa couldn't find her groove with half of a bid, and the change of scenery should be good for her. Adding to the noise, the Meteors and Waves share an extensive territorial border, which should help to increase the regional rivalry significantly. Alyssa will have a long leash with the notoriously relaxed Waves.
With the 23rd overall pick, the Southern Monarchs retain the services of Nicole. Easily one of the statistically worst players in the league last season, Nicole will get another trial with the Monarchs. Nicole did show talent in her first year with the Pearl Surfers, but she's coming off of two down years, and she may just be a weaker player. She should again pair well with Shannon, but Kirstin could be a less compatible match with her than Shawn was. The Monarchs did little to freshen up a very poor team, so they'll have to hope last year was an anomaly.
With the 24th overall pick, the Viewpoint Sound Meteors select the rookie Zach. Molded in the same style as former Meteor Lydia (who has yet to be selected), Zach players a cerebral game, with good shot focus. His pedigree in pool isn't as strong as Lydia's, but he should combine well with Kelly to bring new life to the Meteors as they attempt to shake the expansion team curse. Zach is viewed as a very solid addition and potentially a steal at this late stage in the draft.
With the 25th overall pick, the Harrison Specters select Brownie. The Specters once had Brownie's sister, Dusky, but she proved to not fit with the team before her success with the Archtown Arrows. Brownie has yet to find a team she truly fits well with, and she hopes the new-look Specters could help her unlock her potential. Brownie is not all bad, as she can play very well at home and was almost retained by an admittedly awful Pirates team. A former Swift, Torpedo, and Pirate, Brownie is hoping to stick with the Specters for more than a year.
With the 26th overall pick, the Modernistic Union select Juno, a rookie. Juno may usurp Ms. Puppy as the de facto leader of the Union by season's end, with her authoritative and no-nonsense approach taking former captain Kiwi's intensity up a few notches into a relentless approach. Juno is expected to butt heads with Chimpy, who will not be getting away with the things he did while Kiwi was around. It appears Union management listened to Kiwi's complaints, but needed her out the door to do anything about them. Expect fiery matchups between the Knights and the Union because of this, as well as the geographic rivalry between the major city of Modernistic and suburb of Terrace City.
With the 27th overall pick, the Swordpoint Blades select Stealth. The Blades appear to have again pulled off a savvy pick, with Stealth constantly qualifying well at pool. He's significantly weaker at cricket, but Swordpoint rarely pays attention to cricket. Stealth, a former Specter, also benefits from playing with family, as Blades captain Snowball is his sister, and they share a similar talent that their other siblings Pounce and Stripes do not display much of in pool. With two solid bounce-back candidates, the Blades appear to have restocked effectively at the draft.
With the 28th overall pick, the Westside Rockers select Midnight. The former Tradewind muscle cat, Midnight will adjust to what appears to be a much more toxic environment in Westside. After moving from the Volcanoes last season to the Tradewinds, she couldn't regain her form. Now, the Rockers will have four players from four of the fiercest members of the Rivalry, as Midnight is backed by Brute Force, which tends to oppose captain Misty's Solid Core fiercely and obtusely with Goatee's Delila Enterprises. The hodgepodge of players will have to come together somehow if the Rockers don't want to be looking at a more extensive shopping list next season.
With the 29th overall pick, the Victoria Spurs select a rookie, Yekaterina Vasilyeva. The Russian rookie is known to be crafty, but little else is known. Vasilyeva may battle with fellow Spur and blonde B. Chapman, the team's biggest playmaker, but Yekaterina is expected to respect authority fairly well. Yekaterina could be the team's x-factor, providing them with enough to get over the hump should she be a good fit, or enough to drag them down if she struggles in her first year. The Spurs are more pool focused, so that's where the attention will be greatest for her.
With the 30th overall pick, the Commerce Tradewinds select a rookie, Lorde. Commerce is a deceptive place, appearing normal on the outside but with a serious dark side, and it reflects in a team that is well-liked but with a mysterious darkness around it. It begins with captain Tigerette and her right-hand man Lionel, and Lorde should fit the culture well in replacing Midnight. Lorde could end up being a huge steal this late in the draft for a team that badly needed a difference-maker to potentially put them over the top.
With the 31st overall pick, the Tysini Hummingbirds select the last rookie, Charli XCX. Tysini is a team on the upswing, and a rookie is a solid choice to continue their ascent out of the depths of rebuilding. Taking Charli this late is another potential steal given that she's an unknown prospect. Tysini addressed the need of a veteran with their compensatory pick, and this late-draft flyer could work out just as well. If not, the depth appears set for awhile behind breakout 2015 star Princess and reliable veteran Bright.
With the 32nd overall pick, the Southridge Defenders retain J. Garcia. A Rookie of the Year nominee last summer, Garcia fell out of favor with a bad sophomore slump in 2015. However, the other teams in the league avoided her, and the Defenders made the fourth retention pick of the draft, a record high. Garcia should average out between her two seasons of data. Southridge knows what they're getting out of Garcia, and with no new changes in personnel, should achieve a similar level of play this coming season.
With the 33rd overall pick, the Whitewater Shores select Wild Thing. The former Blade fell out of favor rapidly in Swordpoint when the shine wore off the team, and now Wild Thing is headed north to Whitewater. While possessing a big and muscular frame, Wild Thing has yet to put together any respectable numbers in the UPCL. Likewise, this particular roster spot has seen three other players try and fail in it for the Shores, so the expectation is simply to be better than Jennifer was last season. That still may be a tall ask for Wild Thing, until he can prove us wrong.
With the 34th overall pick, the Web City Spiders select Shiny. This is a similar situation as the last pick, with the former Spur failing to fit in after coming to Victoria from Westside. Shiny hasn't seen success in the last two seasons in either sport, and the Web City Spiders have had trouble maintaining this particular roster spot in much the same way the Shores have struggled. Shiny can be good, and in this environment she just needs to be serviceable with a very reliable team in front of her. If Shiny can produce like Sugar did this season for Web City, the Spiders will be happy with the move.
Finally, the 35th overall pick falls to the Lighton Prestige, and they select Lydia. A strong pool pedigree has done nothing for Lydia in Viewpoint Sound, so she'll head south to be a more minor player with the Prestige. Lydia has shown skill in cricket, which should help the Prestige to some extent, as they've frequently relied on a low offense. Lydia will get to challenge the Meteors in the West Division in cricket too, adding a bit of motivation.
That's all for the draft! Thanks for reading through this, and if you need a reference to these picks, feel free to check this post at any time. I know I will have to look back at times to remember all the new faces in new places. As for the future, I plan on solidifying the official documents for pool and cricket tomorrow, and then working on the 39 new jerseys (31 for new players, and eight more for the two teams that did extensive color redesign work). Once those tasks have completed, I will work on a Divisional breakdown of team previews, which is a bit of an extended version of what you've seen tonight that will also include the teams who made no changes. I want to start qualifiers on Tuesday, but we'll see what happens with that.
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