The SHL’s two newest franchises took a step closer to reality this week, as the league held an expansion draft to fill the rosters of the new clubs in Baltimore and Salt Lake City. In previous years, the draft had been a low-key affair, with the teams’ front offices meeting in a conference room in the league office to pore over spreadsheets and make their picks. This time, however, the league turned the draft into a wild, over-the-top TV spectacle, apparently funded by an anonymous benefactor.
“The expansion draft is a big moment in the life of a new team, when the fans get to find out who their new heroes will be,” said new SHL Commissioner Frank Driscoll, who replaced Perry Mitchell during the offseason. “So why not make a big splash with it?”
According to league sources, the extravaganza came to pass after a wealthy SHL fan saw the NHL turn the Seattle Kraken’s expansion draft into a televised spectacular. Determined to top the NHL’s show, the fan contacted the SHL and offered an unlimited budget for the league to stage a similar production. With the SHL adding two teams rather than one, the league decided to stage the event in three locations: Driscoll and league officials emceed the proceedings from New York’s Radio City Music Hall, while the teams held rallies for their fans in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Salt Lake City’s Washington Square.
Both teams used the event to officially unveil their name and logo. The Baltimore Longshoremen chose their name to honor the city’s long history as a major port. Owner Ralph Lannicone and GM Ace Adams made the announcement while standing on the deck of the USS Constellation, a historic warship that is permanently docked in the Inner Harbor. When Lannicone pressed a button, the Longshoremen’s logo unfurled from one of the Constellation’s masts, to an enthusiastic roar of approval from the crowd. 
“Baltimore is a blue-collar city,” said Lannicone, “and our name reflects that. Obviously, we’re proud to be one of America’s great port cities, but we’re also honoring the hundreds of thousands of folks here who work hard for a living. This is your team!”
The announcement was greeted by the blast of cannons: blank charges from the guns on the ship’s sides, and T-shirt cannons firing Longshoremen merch into the crowd.
Salt Lake, meanwhile, named their team the Utah Blizzard, with a logo prominently featuring a cartoon walrus. Owner Hirum Matthews said that the walrus is his 6-year-old granddaughter’s favorite animal. “Hockey’s a winter sport, and this is a big winter sports city, skiing and snowboarding and everything,” Matthews noted. “We’re not afraid of a good snowstorm here, so the name is a great fit!” The Blizzard unveiled their logo in an even more dramatic fashion than Baltimore, projecting it on the side of the Wasatch Front, the mountain range a few miles east of the city.
The teams then proceeded to announce their draft picks, via a series of pre-recorded videos similar to those done by the Kraken. The Longshoremen involved a number of Baltimore-area celebrities in announcing their picks: Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., filmmaker John Waters, and others. They announced the picks in a variety of dramatic fashions. One was pulled out of the ray tank at the National Aquarium. Another was projected on the side of the Pratt Street Power Plant. A third was run up the flagpole at Fort McHenry, the site where Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Another was announced at Edgar Allan Poe’s gravesite; a holographic projected of Poe “emerged” from the grave and unveiled the selection.
Not to be outdone, the Blizzard invited some local celebrities of their own, including former Jazz player John Stockton, figure skater Nathan Chen, actress Roma Downey, and Killers front man Brandon Flowers. They also had some dramatic pick announcements: one delivered by a skier who came down one of the mountains along the Wasatch Front, another deployed from the parachutes of skydivers, another trailing behind a car that raced across the Bonneville Salt Flats.
In one particularly popular moment, Blizzard GM Clint Hoxie stood on the stage in Washington Square with a giant-sized version of the “duck pond” game often found at carnival midways. He reached in and pulled out two ducks, bearing the names of the Blizzard’s picks from the Saskatchewan Shockers.
Because the official picks had been submitted the night before, the teams were able to fly several of the chosen players out to meet the fans. Baltimore introduced LW Dave Yaughn, D Thor Dalmgaard, and C Phoenix Cage. Utah had G Jesse Clarkson, D Chris “Lightning” Oflyng, and LW Misha Petronov. The fans were thrilled to be able to meet some of their new heroes in person.
The draft revealed a stark difference in team-building philosophies between the two teams. The Blizzard’s roster contained a number of solid veteran players, many of whom had been left exposed by their teams for salary-cap reasons. This focus suggests that Utah may plan to be competitive right away, in defiance of the standard expansion-team plan. Given the fact that the SHL’s playoff field is doubling from four to eight teams this season, the plan may pay off. On the other hand, many of said veterans are on short-term deals, suggesting that the Blizzard could quickly flip them for younger players and picks if they don’t prove competitive in the short term.
“We definitely aren’t planning to wait around for years and years to have a good team here,” said Hoxie. “We took a look at the available talent in this draft, and we saw a unique opportunity to go big here. I think we have the potential to be good, and quickly.”
The Longshoremen, meanwhile, followed more of the traditional expansion blueprint, focusing on acquiring young players, with more of a defensive focus. There was one striking exception, however: Baltimore selected star RW Rick “The Stick” Nelson, who was left unprotected by the New York Night.
The upside with Nelson, who has historically been one of the SHL’s top scorers, is obvious. On the other hand, he is not famous for his defense and his prima-donna personality has rubbed teammates the wrong way in the past. It’s not clear whether Nelson will even play for Baltimore: he has reportedly refused to return the team’s contacts, and he is rumored to be talking to his agent about his options, including demanding a trade or even considering retirement. Sources closed to Nelson described him as “stunned and hurt,” both by the Night’s decision to expose him and Baltimore’s decision to choose him.
“I’m confident Rick will come around,” said Longshoremen GM Adams. “We picked him because we want him on our team. He has a chance to be a star and a leader here, and we want him to join us.”
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