Renomitsu

Toronto 4-2

Close game yet again. I'd love to see a series between these teams - gg Halifax!

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Questions surrounding VHLM newcomer Apollo Hackett’s agent’s non-hockey related activities have been asked under the table by a few league officials. “Yeah, I’ve gotten plenty of questions about it,” the amorphous, still-unnamed manager stated in a recent press conference, “and I don’t blame GMs for asking. It’s an important question.” “I’m going to be very busy outside of my role as an agent, and I can’t promise I’ll be in the game forever, frankly. I do have a failsafe or two in place should I need to sneak off for a few weeks. Apollo will be appropriately supported, that's for sure." It has been suggested that Hackett’s agent is pursuing a second career in health care, although these rumors have thus far been unsubstantiated. He previously disappeared in the formative stages of defenseman Saul Hackett’s career, eventually leading to his descent out of the minors after just a season or two. “The focus shouldn’t be on me, however,” the agent stated, “and my main priority is making sure Apollo gets the attention he needs. I think there’s a chance he forges forward with a high-quality career. Let’s make sure we’re paying attention to the work he puts in on and off the ice, and the results should begin to speak for themselves. He’s been very happy with Saskatoon so far and is looking forward to seeing which teams obtain his rights with the Dispersal and Entry drafts this season.” Hackett has played a handful of games for the Saskatoon Wild, but because of his late entry it is unclear where he will play in the minors next season. Regardless, some wonder if his agent's imperfect track record will affect his position in either draft.

Lots of goals in this one. GG Yukon!

First lines pouncing on the Lynx today!

Thanks for the feedback! I'm hoping to do some similarly-lengthy articles in the future. I feel like so much of the spotlight gets put on the guys in the top 5 TPE spots that it's easy to lose track of possible stars with a later start or without a long player legacy. Here's to hoping you guys get the attention you deserve.

1. The Saskatoon Wild just made a blockbuster trade, but what do you think of the value spent vs the value received? (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks for Strong, Gruber, Parkey and Champ)? As a current member of the Wild - I'm a big fan. I think we'll be competitive for a top-three spot in the league with the possibility of going deep in the playoffs, and the recent wins have reflect positively on that. 2. Since that trade the Wild have won four straight games, although some have needed overtime or were tight in regulation - do you think the Wild are a playoff team now, or do you think they'll sputter out just shy of a guaranteed playoff position? The middle of the table is very tightly packed. I think we're a playoff team, worthy of a seed somewhere in the middle (3rd through 6th seed); the early season hurt a little bit so we may not catch up to the 21st or Lynx, but we'll give them a run for their money.3. We just signed Apollo Hackett and Ty Steel, what do you think of those signings? My player aside, I like the Ty Steel signing. Any chance to add depth and remove a default player is a positive signing for me!4. How many points do you think the Wild will earn before loosing in regulation? Note: This doesn't include overtime losses, as those are still worth a point! Not sure. We have a good shot at winning another couple of games without a loss, but hockey is a fickle game; there's a good reason playoffs are played ins eries. 5. Who won the SSK/PHI trade? For this season? Us, certainly. I think a number of the traded players will stay on with us and make the Wild formidable next season, but it's hard to point out the possible effect of the loss of draft picks without knowing how the traded players will pan out.6. GM Peace gives loyalty points to Saskatoon players in the draft, so look beyond the VHLM season towards the dispersal draft... would you like to return to Saskatoon by being drafted back to the club? If Saskatoon will have me, I'd be more than happy to come back.

Saskatoon Wild Scouting Center, Saskatchewan – Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Shane Mars. Kari Jurri. Long ago, the four nations lived toge – uh, wrong intro. My bad. These three prospects are ostensibly the most talented and highly-sought after players in a draft that is nearly (if not already) 90 players deep. As expected, they (among maybe a half-dozen other prospects) have received plenty of airtime and speculation: we’re used to hearing the pro comparisons and possible career trajectories, fans clamoring for lower-ranked teams to ‘tank’ their season to get the next most valuable prospect, and so on. To put this in perspective – the last several dispersal drafts have had between forty and seventy draftees; aside from last season’s dispersal (67 players) the next most comparable was a 51-man dispersal ten seasons ago, in Season 56’s draft. When compared with Entry drafts, it’s still potentially the largest field of selectable players in recent history. The lowest TPE pick from S65’s entry draft was Billy Kimber, the thirty-first (although not the last) overall pick of the draft, who had 32 TPE with the season’s live draft rankings; there are 87 players this season with at least that many points waiting for their chance at the pros. Overall, the Season 65 draft had 38 drafted players – this season’s pool would have half of its players go entirely undrafted if the same were to happen this season. Make no mistake – recruiters have been putting in their work and it’s been paying off. But because this season’s draft pool is so apparently deep, players with the potential to make it as World Juniors, World Cup players, or first-round fantasy picks may go without being mentioned until draft time. “We’ve got enough first-round quality wings alone to make up most Entry drafts by themselves,” one anonymous scout commented at a Week 2 VHLM game, “Mars and Jurri are the obvious, but Aaltonen, Volosenkov, Freeman, Sigurdsson, Jagr, Meyers…” “That would have been your average first round in most previous entry drafts. This year? Those are just the top eight prospects between two positions.” General Managers and AGMs make it their job to look into each year’s eligible player list – so let’s take the dive for ourselves and try to find a few hidden gems, why don't we? Inclusion Criteria (1) S66 Draft Class; currently included in @Tagger‘s most recent Scouting Center rankings. (2) As of the Week 2 VHLSC rankings, currently ranked below rank 20 (based strictly on TPE, likely to be drafted in Round 3 or later of the current draft) (3) Early bird gets the worm – draftees with large TPE claims this week will be more highly considered. Last three weeks’ TPE gain will be the main inclusion criterion. (NOTE – some of these TPEs may be reported several hours before article posting, and may not match current TPEs) D Jerry Garcia – Houston Bulls Current Projection – Mid-Late 3rd Round (23/88) TPE – 144 (+56 after 3/3) Garcia is a hybrid of the old-school defensive defenseman with a new-school prototypical skillset. He’s one of the more skilled defenders on a VHLM roster, with the ability to make it to loose pucks and stop many forwards in their tracks. In recent weeks, he’s been hitting the gym and working on his playmaking skills, but he’s still certainly most effective on his team’s half of the ice. The defenseman’s agent (@GustavMattias) has experience in a number of arenas – the most recent being a stint as Team Asia’s World Juniors GM. He’s been cited as an “incredible force for good” in the locker room by his own GM, and one of the prominent voices interfacing with the media for his minor league squad. Perhaps most importantly, Garcia has been putting in plenty of work on the ice and in the gym; many scouts have noted diversification in the defender’s skills in the last couple of weeks alone. His plethora of proficiencies leave him most likely to continue along the defensive defenseman or enforcer route – but we’d be remiss to count out the possibility of development into a two-way defenseman. Regardless, Garcia’s rapid and recent improvement is a sign that GMs in the majors ought to take note of – he’d be a steal in the fourth round and wouldn’t be out of the question for the early third. Scout’s Notes “He’s well-rounded and is a threat on both sides of the ice because of his passing ability. Something of a black hole for errant passes and chasing the puck down after a big hit.” “[Jerry] has a penchant for making big hits and blocking big shots. He’s probably your goalie’s best friend.” “He played guitar for the Grateful Dead and has an ice cream flavor named after him, I mean come on.” “If I’m a team in need of multiple positions, I’m looking to steal Garcia in the late third, or pick him for value as early as the second.” ABOVE - Hans Gruber, seen here definitely not scheming. C Hans Gruber – Saskatoon Wild Current Projection – Late 3rd, early 4th round (29/88) TPE – 125 (+46 after 3/3) This promising young forward from Germany was traded from Philadelphia in exchange for picks just last Saturday (3/16) with teammates DWin Championship, Cody Parkey, and Brian Strong. Wild GM @Peace made the massive exchange of picks – including what may be over half of the team’s S67 dispersal selections – for a chance to win now. Some suggest Gruber’s something of a grinder or playmaker – and this early in his career, he could probably opt to go either way. It’s hard to pick out one specific strength for the winger, who has shown glimpses of excellence in defense and puck handling in addition to the positional mainstays of passing and scoring. In 34 games in the minors, he’s accumulated 6 goals in 68 shots, and a total of 24 points. He’s presently second on the depth chart – which means he’s quite likely to run into other more-developed forwards and defensemen whenever he’s on the ice. Though his performance does not yet top the league, the Wild GM can rest easy: the young German scored an overtime-winning goal just earlier today in one of his first games with the team. Scout’s Notes “Sure, I see why he could be easy to sleep on. Plus-minus isn’t too flashy – but take a look at his last couple of games and tell me he can’t at least hold his own with the best.” “That screamer to clinch today’s game against the Reapers should at least catch your eye.” “Didn’t this guy steal like $640,000,000 or something?” ABOVE - Clayton Park playing goalie for the Vienna Thunder, Midget AAA team (per biography) G Clayton Park – Yukon Rush Accolades – 1x WJC Team World (S65) Current Projection – Early 4th round (32/88) TPE – 119 (+68 after 3/3) Buried underneath the (well-deserved) hype for Kandee Cain (@SlashACM) and Owen May (@FacebookFighter) is Austrian netminder Clayton Park, a top-four prospect for this season’s draft. Taken 49th overall (7th round) in the S65 Dispersal Draft, Clayton has stepped up his game considerably and may merit consideration for a pick as high as the early third round depending on how the rest of this season plays out. He sits only behind the newly-reinforced Juan Jaundice in shots against but has managed an 86.6% save percentage in spite of the volume of shots against him, good for third in the minors behind the aforementioned Cain (89.2%) and S65 New York draftee Chase (90.0%). He’s currently in the bottom half of the table for goals allowed (3.39) – but many scouts believe that’s simply a function of the number of shots he’s had to defend this season. Park takes on the style of a classic butterfly goalie; though slightly undersized at 5’ 10” and just 150 lbs. (68 kg), Park has shown solid reaction time, positioning, and rebound control. And don’t worry, even when he’s not playing hockey he finds a way to keep in the cold: he has a long history of downhill skiing in his free time. Scout’s Notes “Second-best butterfly goalie behind Cain… probably won’t see a ton of ice time in the pros next season but has potential through the roof.” “Excellent support system, a lengthy history on the ice; if he sticks around he could be pretty good.” “Clayton Park, eh? You talkin’ ‘boot the one in Halifax? RW Mat Tocco – Philadelphia Reapers Current Projection – Early 6th Round (43/88) TPE – 98 (+68 since 3/3) We’re fourteen games (sort of) into the young career of Czech/Italian forward Mat Tocco, and in spite of limited ice time (19.7 mpg, 67th in the minors) he’s racked up a nice plus-minus of +9 with 9 points – not too shabby for a brand-new entry. He has elements of the prototypical sniper-style forward, but with a nice added bonus of being able to skate around slower defenders. As with many of the prospects on the board thus far, Tocco is very moldable – but his strengths right now are mobility and scoring. Though he’s recently had to move to the States, Tocco comes from humble origins. Born of an Italian immigrant and a butcher’s daughter, he’s proven throughout his life that hard work is just part of the process for him; his rapid improvement on the ice over the last few weeks certainly corroborates that. He faces an uphill battle, with nearly twenty wingers above him on most draft boards. If his past is any indicator, however, he’s ready for the test. Scout’s Notes “Pretty raw, but the scoring potential is there. We can always use another high-quality sniper in the league; the sky’s the limit for him.” “Built like a brick sh*thouse for a guy his height. Not surprising to see the number of hits he’s laid out so far.” “Glad to see all of his hard work pay off. Seems like he’s in for the long haul.” “I’d like to see a GM reach a little for him. Might not be out of the question to see him late third, early fourth round by the time all’s said and done. Guys that improve as fast as him go on to either have damn good careers or flame out.” Other unlinked references in this article: @Sonnet, @TheFlash, @leafssteen, @Matmenzinger [if possible, I'd like to use this for three weeks' worth of media spots (weeks ending 3/24, 3/31, and 4/7); currently sitting just under 1,700 words.]

Ooh, I'm okay with this.

S65 Player: Apollo Hackett Transaction ID: 25418818606942625 Reward: Doubles Week (Wk. Ending March 24) Doubles Week (Wk. Ending March 31) 5 Uncapped TPE $1M Player Store Cash (@Josh.; currently on Saskatoon)

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?