Julien_Bernier

1. First and foremost, welcome back from the Christmas break! Did you have a good Christmas? My Christmas was good despite having been on COVID protocol. I’m now fully recovered and ready to keep contributing to the team’s success. 2. Alex TheGreat has had a tremendous season for us thus far, with only two players in the VHLM being within 20 points of his 114 points scored to date. How do you rate his award chances heading into the final stretch of the season? I would say his chances are quite high, putting up numbers like that is certainly quite impressive. 3. Thomas Price has also been one of the best goalies in the league this season, sitting second in the league in save percentage and GAA. How much confidence does it give you heading into a game knowing that we have a goalie like Price between the sticks? I always have the utmost confidence in my goaltender. I know if we do our part he’ll give us a chance to win every game. 4. We've recently had to release a couple of players for reasons beyond our control, but if you could name one VHLM player you would have loved to replace them, which would it have been? I’m not entirely sure I think our team is quite solid, but new additions would always be welcome, I’m sure there a some good free agents out there. 5. What is your VHL New Years resolution? My New Years resolution is to consistently improve over the course of the season in hopes of making the jump to the E next season. 6. What is your real New Years resolution? I want to start eating more cleanly again and hitting the gym with better consistency.

1. If you got a Christmas present of getting an automatic upgrade of one of your VHL attributes to 99, which one would you want and why? I would upgrade my defense to 99, because defense wins games. 2. We're almost in the final quarter of the regular season now, what are your thoughts on how the Aces have done as a whole this season? We've been solid all season long, maybe we've dropped some games we shouldn't have but we're still high up in the standings 3. What are your thoughts on your players performance this season? I would say I've performed well, I've been a plus player all year long. I'm definitely improving statistically, not as fast as I'd like but we'll get there. 4. Name a player on the Aces who maybe doesn't get much attention on the forums but who you think does a lot of good work for the team, either in TPE earning or performance in the sim. I would say likely Mollieraf Kendcruz,, he's solid on defense and has the +/- to show for it. 5. If you were to make a player in the VHL with a Christmas-themed name, what would you call them? I would name my VHL Christmas themed player Santi Claus. 6. Since this press conference is (depending on when you do it), either the last one before Christmas or the first one after it: i) (If you're answering these before Christmas) - What are you hoping to get for Christmas? I wasn't hoping for anything if I'm being honest.

1. Theme Week is upon us this week, which allows you to double a Media/GFX/Podcast if it fits the theme selected by the league i) If you're submitting answers for this before the theme is revealed - What theme would you like the league to use for theme week? Well given it's hell week in school right now, anything hell themed for me but holiday themes can work too. ii) If you're submitting answers for this after the theme has been revealed - What do you think of the theme the league chose? I'm no sure, hope it's good. 2. The Christmas Charity Auction Drive is live this week, which of these do you think is the most interesting items up for auction? I have not seen what is up for auction so I cannot comment. 3. As for Vegas, we're currently tied on points for first place in our conference, which player do you think has been the MVP for the Aces this season? Gotta say Alex the Great, he's been our top scorer all year. 4. Who would you say your favourite member or player outside of the Aces is and why? I have friends on the reapers, so probable Dylan Powers 5. What would you say is the best thing about being a member of the Las Vegas Aces? Winning for sure, and taking chances on our lower rated players. 6. They aren't doing this, but if the league were to offer you one of the Player Store items for free this Christmas, which one would you want? Something that doubles my TPE

You guys ever drink water at 3AM…it’s bussin

1. Las Vegas is 1st in the Western Conference! What has been a reason to our success? I think our success comes from defense, we don’t seem to let in many goals which allows our offense to do their work. 2. Is our success temporary or will we be a competitive team all season? I think we’ll have success all year long. We have a really solid team so I don’t see us faltering. 3. Who has been the MVP of our team so far? adeline belle donne has been a solid contributor all season so far. 4. How has your player been performing? I’d say pretty solid, more balanced than last season. Hoping to keep improving. 5. How has your time in the VHLM been so far? Loving every minute of it so far. Allows me to develop at my own pace. 6. Is their any way that myself or AGM @MubbleFubbles can make your VHLM You guys are doing great.

1. With the VHL Draft complete, Nico Pearce joins the team. He's expected to enter the line-up right away. How do you think this kid will do his first season? “I had the pleasure of playing against nico last season, I’m glad he gets to step up and play in the big leagues, I think he’ll have a decent rookie season.” 2. Are there any VHL Drafted Prospects you think would have been a good fit in Moscow that didn't end up here? “I am a new draftee myself so I can’t say anything here.” 3. Our other picks Preobrazhensky (15), Bernier (33), Charlie (42), Skambraks (47)and Moss (63); do you think we hit any hidden gems that will make the Menace roster at some point in their career? ”I suppose it would be biased to say that I think I could be a hidden gem of the draft, but only time will tell. I know I’ll take time to develop. And I have high hopes for my other fellow draftees.” 4. With captain Stein being shipped off to DC, we have an open vacancy for the job. Who will be the next Moscow Captain? ”Ultimately that’s the GM and coaches decision, I could see a situation where we go into the season with four alternates.” 5. Why does Spartan always ship his captain off, will this happen to the next player? ”Who knows, maybe he gets a good return for them in hopes to build up in future seasons.” 6. How is everyone feeling leading into the last week of November? We are entering a stressful time of year; how is everyone doing on a personal level? ”Personally, I’ve had my struggles, school is kicking my butt, and personal relationships are breaking down because of it.”

1. With the VHLM Draft concluding, what are your thoughts on the players Las Vegas drafted? ”I know we picked up a few players that will need some development but at the end of the day I think the core we have now is still good enough to keep up competitive.” 2. With Riga Reign getting re-branded recently, what are your thoughts on the current Aces Logo? ”I like our logo, it’s simple but elegant, if we were to rebrand I would be fine with it as well.” 3. If your player was to have a graphic, which NHL player(s) would be the one(s) you would want to see used for your player? ” if I were to have a graphic compared to an nhl player, I’d put me along the lines of a JG Pageau.” 4. It's been quite a while since Las Vegas last won the Founders Cup, have you ever had any lengthy sporting or sim league winless streaks where luck just wasn't on your side? ”I have had a few, while playing sim based games like FHM or the soccer management games, I know it’s frustrating especially trying to build that chemistry.” 5. In your opinion, what is the best song that is played at hockey games? ”I’m not a fan of music during hockey, but I can understand the need for it.” 6. What would you consider to be your favorite hockey video game of all time? ”favourite hockey video game of all time is probably nhl 14.”

1. The VHL/E/M all have drafts coming up this week, are you excited for some #drafthype? I’m always excited for the draft, with myself staying in the M for another year, it’ll be nice to see what kind of players we get in. And see where my old teammates end up drafted. 2. What was your reaction when your player was drafted? i was drafted last season, I was a late pick and it didn’t surprise me as to where I was drafted. 3. After the VHLM, where do you see your player going? Ideally I’d like to spend another year in the M and then move on to the VHL. The league is definitely competitive. But if no one takes me then I’m fine with spending my career in Europe. 4. How do you think Las Vegas will perform this season (S81)? The hope is that we are in a playoff spot, but not fighting for one. Like one of the higher seeded teams. 5. What's your favourite food? I’m a big fan of butter chicken, or really anything with spice. 6. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be? I’d like to backpack across Europe some day, the plan is to do so after school.

1. How excited are you to play for the Las Vegas Aces? I’m very excited. Looking forward to another season in the M, my rookie season went well, if I can avoid the sophomore jinx, I’m hoping we can push for a deep run into the playoffs this year! 2. What are some goals for your player? I’m always trying to improve my defensive game. I believe the foundation of any good player is off the puck, and in your own end. If you can take care of your own end then the offence will come. 3. The off-season is now upon us, what does your player do during this time? (vacation, train, visit family) I’ll do a mix of visit family and train. Obviously it’s important to stay in peak shape, you don’t want come to training camp unfit. 4. How are you liking the VHL so far? It’s been an interesting experience so far, I’m a late pick and was lucky enough to be given chances in my team last season, they also let me grow at my own pace. 5. As a new GM, what could I do to make your VHLM experience better? I don’t recall how the GM of this team did with his team last season, but I think we should be building from our defense up, obviously we need quality forwards but we have to be good in our own end too. 6. How has your week been? My week has been pretty solid, I’m keeping busy for sure whether that’s school work or not.

1: Today is game 7 of the VHML finals. Which team do you think will win? I think likely Ottawa, they’ve been strong all year and have a very deep team. 2: Which team are you hoping to be drafted to? To make this interesting let's say Reaper's are not an option. Honestly I do not have a preference when it comes to teams, whatever team will allow me to develop properly and set me up for success down the line. 3: Were you chosen for a WJC team? If so, how do you think you will perform? I did not see my name or get the call for the WJC. Maybe next time. 4: Which aspect of your game are you hoping to improve this off season? The hope is to continue growth defensively, defense wins championships after all. 5: How many goals are you hoping to get next season? Well I scored 32 this season so sim for 40? 6: Which WJC team do you think is the strongest? (World, Asia, Canada, USA, Europe) I have seen the rosters so I really can’t say. 7: What's your favorite video game?Favourite video game at the moment is probably F1 2021 8: What song could you listen to on repeat? I’ve been listening to a lot of Aitch lately - safe to say is on repeat right now. 9: Will Arizona have the worst Regular Season record in NHL history at the end of this season? They’re certainly on track for that kind of season. This comes down to what kind of moves they make through the course of the season.

+10 Julien_Bernier currently at 100TPE

1: The Trade Deadline has passed and we've acquired multiple players from Free Agency. How do you feel about our recent sim with our new players? 2:What have you enjoyed most about being a Reaper? 3:We're not far from the end of the season. Who do you think has been our MVP so far? you can say yourself if you'd like. 4:Would you like to see the Reapers awards return this off season? If so, which Award do you think you'll be nominated for? 5:Do you think our end goal of finishing as the 5th place team is realistic? 6:We recently beat Ottawa who were ranked 2nd in the league. How do you feel? 7:After seeing them play a few games. Are the Seattle Kraken a good team? 8:Which NHL team would you like to watch in person? If none then which Player? 9:Does Ovechkin finish his career with more goals scored than Gretzky? 1.) The players we have acquired seem to be fitting in well. They have certainly kept us in the playoff hunt. Many of them seem to be productive, which is nice because I believe in scoring by committee. 2.) I've enjoyed being able to improve at my own pace as well as being given an opportunity to play on the top line in some games. All our players get along and we don't let a bad game get us down. 3.) In terms of an MVP for the team I have a few choices. Cadmael Ixazaluoh has been our leading scorer all season, He may only be a minus player due to playing the top players each night. His shot blocks are nothing to laugh about. He gives up his body each night and probably needs ice packs to help the bruising. The other choice would be Alessio Simeoni. He's been a consistent scorer through the 55 games we've played so far. 4.) Those awards are definitely something to look forward to as it gives players something to strive for. The awards can be varied from year to year if we want to reward different things. 5.) It would certainly take a lot of work. Not something I'd shy away from. We need a lot of things to go right in order to get fifth, we have Vegas and Halifax ahead of us, teams we need to start beating more. 6.) That game was huge, definitely a confidence builder. To know you can hang with the best teams in the league and beat them is a credit to our system. 7.) Seattle will definitely be a good team. I don't think necessarily they'll be a playoff team. If they do make it I can see them making it as the last wildcard team. Brandon Tanev has been the biggest surprise on that team. 8.) I've been an Ottawa Senators fan as long as I can remember. But I've always wanted to watch them play Toronto in person. I hear the atmosphere is quite something. 9.) It'll be close. If he does beat Gretzky's record it'll be maybe by one or two goals.

1. In the last week we've added several players from waivers, what impact do you expect them to have this season? i expect they’ll help us with either our defensive game, or if they’re offensively minded I expect our shots will go up. 2. Currently we sit in 9th place in the league and are trending in the right direction, are you happy with the team's performance? yeah given we weren’t expected to contend for a playoff spot, especially with our start I expected we’d have players with great stats but we’d miss out on the playoffs, now it’s looking like we could make it. 3. We're officially 1/4 of the way through the season, what player on the roster has impressed you the most? i think mason jones has been quite solid, you could argue that Ixazaluoh has had the more impressive season given he’s on defense. 4. What team do you think is our biggest rival and why? It’s got to be Halifax maybe even Mississauga, I think they’re pretty close to us in the standings and I think it’s important for us to continue to beat them while also getting points on a continuous basis 5. What team has been the biggest surprise to you this season? I’d have to say us. We started out so poorly I figured it would be one of those seasons where I get used to the league and then next season we’d compete for top of the league but we’re in the playoff hunt which has been a pleasant surprise 6. How has your player been performing so far? I’d say I’ve been pretty solid, was at a point a game pace at one point but 32pts in 37 games is solid, I think my scoring will only improve from here 7. What song should be our goal song? kernkraft 400 by zombie nation, good song and we know it can be disheartening to hear especially when you watch the bruins play and the song goes hard. Seems to sap morale for the other team 8. Is water wet? water is a liquid that makes people wet, but on its own it’s just a liquid, so maybe? 9. What is one thing the VHLM or myslef could improve upon? i think, I can improve on my discipline, and puck handling, but right now I’m trying to help the team and so defense is my main focus.

After the VHLM Draft, where do you see the Reapers landing in the standings? Do we make the playoffs or not? 2. Who is the biggest steal of the draft in your opinion? 3. How do you think Reapers management did for this season's draft? Be honest. 4. Tell me your favorite vacation spot. Why does that place appeal to you? 5. Le me know about your favorite kind of food and why. 6. Are you a dogs or cats person? Why. 7. Who do you think our biggest rivalry is in the league? Why that team? 8. Movies or TV shows? Why that kind of media? I like more movies than TV shows. 1. After our draft, and looking over the results it’s seems we must have traded a few picks away, which leads me to believe we’re a contender. I hope we push through this season and end up 2-3 in the division. 2. Biggest steal of the draft? I mean it’s too soon to say as of right now, we haven’t played a season yet so on that front we’re all kind of even. I’m hoping this team has one of the steals though. 3. Based on the number of picks we had I think we picked the best we could. Likely it will take some time to develop someone of us but I’m sure we have future stars in the making. 4.I’m from Canada and Southern Ontario, so I tend to stay there, we have nice beaches and so it’s quite relaxing being so close to home and also having a vacation destination like atmosphere. 5.I’m big on sushi, it’s a nice clean food and you can never have too much of it. 6.I actually don’t have a pet nor do l want one, I find it’s a commitment and you have to be prepared to put in that time, if you’re not around enough it’s not fair to the pet so. Yeah. 7. I haven’t had a look at our division so I’m not sure. Being so new to the league you don’t really know a rival until you’re told. 8.big on tv docu series. Right now my go to is drive to survive, I’m a big formula 1 fan.

1.First round for us is @ Saskatoon, how do you think we stack up ? Saskatoon is a deep team, I mean they were at the top of league for a reason, but I think it’s possible for us to take the fight to them. Who knows maybe we shock the pundits. 2. The best player on Saskatoon is Duncan Montana, how can we hope to contain him? Duncan is great yeah, but we can’t stay focused one guy, it’s a team game as we know and if we aim to shut one player down others will step up. But it’s imperative we stay agressive. 3. Is this your first postseason in the M? Any pre-series jitters? this is my first post season, obviously as one of the new guys it’s harder to jump right into action, at the end of the day I’m just trying to help the boys win. 4a. (New Waiver Players): How do you feel your "welcome to the league" has been? It’s been a rude awakening for sure, so many talented players and the speed of the game is different from what I’m used to. It’s going yo take some time to truly sink in. 4b. (Drafted Players): Have you been interacting with our new players ? What do you think of them? i was a free agent signing but I’ve been trying to get the know the boys. 5. Who is your pick to win it all, to make it more fun you can't pick Halifax. I think with the tough draw we have in Sask, I think they have the ability to win it all, of course we’d like to play spoiler to that. 6. Finally, what adjustments do you think coach should make to the lines if any before we start game 1? we need a more defensive approach with a team that is high scoring we need to be on our toes and not our heels and try to dictate the pace.