Renomitsu

Titans 4-3

Review - Nice preview of what the 6'9" (nice) Theismann can bring to the Bulls! Be careful with capitalization - it's a little inconsistent (VHLm <=> VHLM, He's vs. he's with the first quote). There are a couple of apostrophes missing too ("Bulls' defensive corps," "he's") but neither set of errors is much of a deterrent when reading. Also, 'future considerations'? What future considerations? I need to know! Nice work either way.

Review - A nice recap of Halifax's performance in the middle of a fast-paced season. There are a number of small grammatical errors mostly relating to articles (e.g. 'with a +32 goal differential', consistent formatting when discussing save percentage & goals (either use 'Save Percentage' and 'Goals' or 'save percentage' and 'goals'), 'expecting' vs. 'excepting'). The message you're trying to get across is clear - just make sure you're picking those out!

Review - A pleasant retrospective & 'what-if' on a series of GM moves - including a huge trade that sacrificed one's team future for a chance to win immediately. I'm appreciative of the reasoning you gave for each individual trade, and it's clear that each move (even in a single player/pick exchange) was very carefully considered. A couple of minor grammatical errors (e.g. 'Skye's looking pretty good now, eh?//...turned out to be a dud for me) that I don't blame provided their frequency compared to the length of the article. Even as a returning player I can appreciate deep dives into franchise history.

Review - A brusque, honest, stream-of-consciousness review of recent trade shenanigans. I'm a fan of the style - plenty of swagger and few cares given. I'm appreciative of the linked references to trades, especially since not everyone may know the inner workings of both the VHL & VHLM. I was a little confused with the bolded phrases in your first paragraph; did you mean to write: "No more trades happened between me an' 'Cock after that" or "No more trades happened between me and 'Cock after that" ? There are also a couple of tiny errors, e.g. "How it turned for Seattle?" that interrupted your flow in the Seattle summary of the trade. Other 'errors' were a nice little stylistic touch. Either way it's nit-picking - like I said, I'm a fan.

Woof. Give me some time to get back into writing media spots! It's been a little while, and quality will return with experience. Looking forward to working on these in the future!

SASKATOON, SK - Apollo Hackett is used to being ahead of the game. A year ago, Apollo was speeding along to his college degree, intending to finish his undergraduate degree in three years and moving on to graduate work in the life sciences. Life was predictable, in spite of being ahead of schedule – but let’s save the character-building bits for later, shall we? Somehow, some way, this young defenseman endured and was motivated by the career of his uncle Saul – a defenseman who failed to live up to his ‘destiny’ and flamed out of the Victory Hockey League some twenty seasons ago. In spite of the considerable trials overcome en route to the professional league, Apollo considered his uncle’s few seasons to be squandered potential – a road block to be overcome in scouting. “I’m proud of Uncle Saul for making it to the majors in the first place – don’t get me wrong, it’s an incredible achievement,” the nineteen-year-old stated in a press conference last year. “But I think our family deserves a chance at redemption. A shot at a legacy he wanted rather than the one he achieved. My uncle has a lot of lessons for me to learn from; a lot of wisdom to dispense.” For some, the younger Hackett’s remarks may be construed as a slight against his relative – but the two defensemen have nothing but respect for one another. “I’ve always been told failure is the greatest teacher,” the senior Hackett noted, “and I’ve a lot to teach my American nephew.” In spite of Apollo’s apparent academic acumen, he has a lot of development left to do. A pair of American scouts have posited that he has only a handful of years on the ice under his belt – and at times, it shows. He’s occasionally less than graceful in tight space, and some of his fundamentals – passing, handling, basic scoring skills – could use some work. “Frankly, he’s a long-term project for any team, even in the minors,” one of our sources stated, “there are a lot of rookie – even worse than rookie – mistakes he makes; it’s not always pretty.” “He’ll be riding the bench for a while, but a proper mentor will be a significant boon for him.” On Friday, Hackett was offered a short-term contract with the Saskatoon Wild – a couple of weeks into a grueling season that has seen the team from Saskatchewan jump from third to last, with a rebound up to seventh in the league’s most recent games. The defenseman has had a chance to ride the pine for a pair of games and has shown rapid adjustment over just the last few days. “Access to training facilities and a chance to shadow some of my teammates has been really important,” Apollo noted in a brief interview on Saturday. “Honestly, just adjusting to the schedule of the league – with or without time on the ice – has been something of a challenge.” Hackett’s current contract – and the Wild’s current depth at defense – suggest that he may see play time sooner rather than later, but it’s hard to levy judgment on the team with such an unpolished prospect. Will the American teenager have to learn on the fly with opposing minor leaguers, or is the team even sure he’s ready to take the ice at all? It’s a fast moving league, and Apollo’s not exactly ahead of the game.

When Saul Hackett entered the VHLM, talking heads looked no further than his agent to begin projecting the young defenseman’s career path. A seemingly-meaningful association with Hiro Renomitsu, who (once or twice) appeared at the periphery for ‘best defenseman’ at the peak of his career, fast-tracked Saul for stardom some twenty-five seasons after Renomitsu’s retirement. A few seasons of trial-and-error for Hackett eventually showed that simply wasn’t the case. It’s hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice, and the still-unnamed agent learned that the hard way. “As I’m sure those in the major leagues know, even the most promising prospects don’t always pan out,” he remarked from the safety of anonymity. “With Apollo [Hackett, a relative of Saul’s], we’re taking things much more conservatively. He has potential, yes, but we’re hardly proclaiming him a world-beater. Undue expectations tend to result in ascension to stardom or horribly flaming out. We’ll start with ‘promising’ and see where we can go from there.” It’s unclear exactly what kind of experience the younger Hackett’s agent has gained in his long time away from hockey – but the media will certainly keep a watchful eye on this defenseman.

1. How would you describe the locker room atmosphere after Saskatoon’s rough start, then compared to the atmosphere now after the Wild’s win streak? As a brand-new signee, I'm pleased with the level of communication in our locker room but am not sure I can make a fair judgment on that right now. 2. Saskatoon currently sits third overall in the standings, are you satisfied with that position after a terrible start? We've had a pretty rough week insofar as I can tell - it seems like there is still plenty of work to do; that starts with players understanding their level of motivation and, by extent, how far they see their career going. I'm hoping I can help set the pace just as much as the leaders with the most ice time. 3. The top lines have been extremely productive, in fact Saskatoon’s offense is ranked first in the VHLM, so who would you say is the greatest offensive weapon for Saskatoon? Based strictly on numbers, Shawnomir or Nethila would have to be our greatest offensive weapons - but cohesion within a line is much more important than a small or moderate difference in skill. 4. Defensively, however, the team is struggling. How would you change - if you could - defensive strategies to reduce Juandice’s workload? Hopefully I can help establish a strong example for defensemen to improve themselves. Ultimately it comes down to me and those in my position to reduce the workload. 5. For a team that didn’t draft in the first or second rounds, is Saskatoon’s position in the standings surprising? I guess not - but we should spend more time improving and less time worrying about excuses for placement in the standings. 6. What do you think of your managements effort in developing you as a prospect and an individual? I only made my return a couple of days ago, so I don't have any complaints. I've had all of my questions answered by more experienced individuals thus far - it's really up to me to make sure I'm asking the right ones.

snipsnip Sorry, this was a double post

Player Name: Apollo Hackett VHL/VHLM Team: Saskatoon Wild Cash you have: $1,500,000 Purchase Name: The First Generation Cost of Purchase: $500,000 Cash Left: $1,000,000

There's a team I recognize! I'll take this contract.

Glad to hear there are still a couple of people who remember me! Hopefully I can make a little splash over the next few seasons.

Currently in med school, but figured I'd try making a comeback for nostalgia's sake. Can't be as active as before (for obvious reasons), but here's to hoping I can make a positive second first impression, hah. What's new?

Player Information Username: Renomitsu Player Name: Apollo Hackett Recruited From: Other (Old player making a return) Age: 19 Position: D Height: 74 in. Weight: 215 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page @VHLM GM

Hamilton did a number on us today. GG Bern.

Holy offensive output, Batman. Defenses were sleeping on this one! GG Bern.

4-2 Riga

3-2 Wild

Oslo Moscow Saskatoon

Nice effort by Tom Lincoln - too bad we couldn't bring it home.

4-3 Red Wolves

Saskatoon Ottawa Brampton