[Future sim]Too many European players drafted

[kidhander1983]

Simmed a game up to 2024. There are a few things that are very noticeable right away, one of these is the sheer number of European-born players drafted. And a couple of leftovers from 2007: a very little number of American-born players drafted and an enormous number of Russians. Also Swedish and Finn players should be drafted more often. There are too many players drafted out of exotic nations. I'd say that the game reads too much into CA/PA and doesn't take into consideration other aspects like where a player plays, his production, and so on.

2024:

USA: 38 players (55 IRL in 2015)

Sweden: 12 (20)

Slovakia: 5 (5)

Switzerland: 3 (4)

Serbia: 1 (directly out of the mighty Serbian junior league)

Russia: 33 (18)

Latvia: 1 (3)

Kazakhstan: 1

Germany: 5 (1)

France: 3

Finland: 8 (13)

Czech: 6 (11)

Croatia: 1

Canada: 91 (79)

Europe total: 79 (67)

2023:

Austria 2

Canada 100

Czech 8

Finland 10

Germany 1

Italy 1

Kazakhstan 1

Latvia 2

Russia 29

Serbia 1

Slovenia 1

Switzerland 2

Slovakia 6

Sweden 10 (but 1st overall)

USA: 34

Europe total: 74

2022

Austria 2

Belarus 6 (!)

Canada 91

Czech 17

Denmark 1 (off French league)

Finland 9

Germany 4

Kazakhstan 1

Latvia 1

Lithuania 1 (directly off Lithuanian league)

Norway 1

Russia 28

Serbia 1 (figures)

Switzerland 2

Slovakia 5

Sweden 13

USA 27

Europe total: 92

2021

Austria 3

Belarus 2

Canada 99

Czech 6

Finland 9

Germany 5

Italy 1

Kazakhstan 1

Russia 28

Switzerland 4

Slovakia 8

Sweden 11

USA 26

Europe total 78

2020

Canada 80

Czech 12

Finland 15

Germany 4

Kazakhstan 1

Russia 23

Slovakia 12

Sweden 13

Ukraine 1

USA 44

Europe total: 81

Then let's skip to 2018 where there are more or less real players

Canada 53

Czech 7

Finland 20

Latvia 1

Norway 3

Russia 23

Switzerland 4

Slovakia 11

Sweden 40

USA 46

Europe total: 109

This is for the sheer numbers. Going into more of a quality analysis:

2015 first round: Canada 12 Czech 2 Finland 1 Russia 4 Sweden 3 Switzerland 1 USA 7

2019: Canada 12 Russia 3 USA 10 Sweden 2 Finland 1 Czech 1 Slovakia 1 (don't celebrate yet)

2020: USA 5 Canada 9 Germany 1 Russia 8 Sweden 2 Finland 2 Czech 2 Slovakia 1

2021: Canada 17 Russia 5 USA 2 Sweden 3 Czech 2 Slovakia 1

2022: Canada 10 Russia 4 USA 7 Sweden 3 Finland 1 Denmark 1 Slovakia 1 Belarus 1 Norway 1 Czech 1

2023: Canada 11 Russia 5 USA 4 Sweden 2 (but 1st overall) Finland 3 Czech 1 Slovakia 2 Latvia 1 Austria 1

2024: Canada 11 Russia 5 USA 6 Sweden 2 Finland 1 France 2 (both off French junior league...) Latvia 1 Slovakia 2

As the years go on, there are more and more European taken high. There is no evidence that the NHL will draft European players at a higher pace than what the teams are doing today.

I think that the game simply takes too much into account the sheer CA/PA numbers and not enough the league and the level of production. German players get drafted out of Germany third league. One of the Swedish players drafted in 2024, a goalie played only two games in 2022. The rest of his career he didn't play. Too many players are drafted out of European junior leagues without players having played at pro level and in many cases without a substantial production.