The draft is finally here! In this post, the JHL Insider will shed light on who the captains will be most inclined to pick. With player lists now confirmed, JHL Adults Division has taken a new look. Captains are furiously perfecting (or for some of you, starting) their player lists and now let's reveal what we have in store.

With the first pick in the first round, Omar Khamissa and his Ansar team will be looking to capitalize on this great oppurtunity. Omar's teams usually are very defensive, and I feel that that's not going to change. With Omar's leg not at 100%, he should be looking for a good defenceman to help anchor the blue line. But that first overall pick won't be a defender, it will most likely be Zainali Esmail or Shane-Ali Kara.
VERDICT: Omar picks Zainali because he fits in with the defensive mentality. Shane-Ali is a sniper, which means he would want to spend his energy in the offensive zone rather than the defensive zone.

The second pick belongs to Tahir Jaffer and Ar-Raad. Tahir's team last year stumbled out of the gate, as his draft strategy seemed to be to draft the best goalie, and then draft all forwards. Tahir is looking forward to a bounce-back season, and with the second overall pick, he should do fine job of doing so. Tahir's use of that second overall pick is solely based on what Omar does with his first overall pick. If in fact Omar does select Zainali, then Tahir should select Shane-Ali.
VERDICT: Tahir selects Shane-Ali and then picks players who can feed Shane-Ali the ball. Of course, there is always the outside chance that Tahir does the reverse of last year and picks all defensemen...

Hasnainali Walli and Masumeen currently holds the third pick in the first round. In the last two years, Hasnainali has picked defenders, and I see no reason why that should change. He has a choice between Aamir-Ali Panju and Hasanain Rashid. If he decides not to go with the "defence wins championships route", then he can pick Akber Rawji or Safder Jaffer.
VERDICT: Hasnainali sticks true to his belief and picks Aamir-Ali. Aamir can instantly become a fourth attacker with his ball-carrying skills, but Hasnainali will need to draft a "stay at home" defender to compliment him.

Riaz Khimji and Zuljana have the fourth pick. Although he is a new captain, don't be fooled by his knowledge of the league. He previously coached ad refereed this league from its inception, and he knows many players, having attended most of the exhibitions but mostly because he has a cousin who knows all the players. Riaz should be looking for someone to help balance out the team because of his offensive style, and similarly to the first two picks, this pick is strictly related to that of Hasnainali's.
VERDICT: Riaz selects Hasanain Rashid, much to the chagrin of his brother and more importantly, captain Mustafa. Hasanain is capable of holding down fort in the defensive end, and that is why Riaz will select him.

The fifth pick belongs to Mustafa Rashid and Al-Wahed. Last year, Mustafa took a big gamble and picked two rookies, more than any other team. That strategy turned into a championship, so I don't see Mustafa changing his strategy. With his first round pick, its a tossup between Akber and Safder. They both can play in the dirty areas, Akber has the long reach, and Safder has the slapshot.
VERDICT: Since Mustafa can't select his brother, he turns to Akber Rawji. Akber can bury rebounds and snipers are available all over the draft, like Alijawad Tarbhai. If he picks Akber, then he needs defence to back up his strong offensive core.

The last pick in the first round went to Muhammad Kara and Al-Zilzal. Last year, Muhammad went to the draft with a strategy, and that strategy was to pick his family. He not only picked his father and his two brothers, but he picked two of his cousins and his uncle. I feel Muhammad will change up that strategy, as he has a new knack for celebrating and will look for someone to assist him both for goals and for the post-goal celly. All jokes aside, Muhammad should look for an assist partner, but he can't look pass Safder Jaffer with all of his abilities.
VERDICT: Muhammad eventually picks Safder, and the two mesh to create a dynamic duo that scares defenders. In all honesty, I don't see Safder as a celebrator like Muhammad.

There you have it! Make sure you tune in to Twitter on Thursday Night @ 9:00 and to the Rosters page afterwards to see updated teams.