Pifferfish

@Lemorse7

Hi, @ThatCasual, I'm Pifferfish the AGM of the Philadelphia Reapers. We are one of the hottest teams recently with one of the top offenses in recent weeks. That said we have a lot of forwards so currently we only have bottom 6 minutes available. Special Teams time will depend on your play style but it's certainly available to be earned. Especially if you stay very active in the locker room. We are trying to build a good locker room culture and give you the help you need to grow. I'm extremely active and mostly available to answer any questions you have to get you to the top. Reply with #fearthereaper and our GM can write up that contract offer. Good luck on your journey!

Hi @YujiShoto, I'm AGM of the Philadelphia Reapers. We are currently one of the higher scoring team in the league with serious needs on defense. We have a cool team with the GM and I readily available to help to get you started. If playing time matters to you, you instantly will get top pairing minutes and some special teams work. Especially on the Penalty Kill. Say #fearthereaper so we can get you to Philly! Ps. I just noticed LEMORSE already sent something but I typed this whole thing out so F it I'm sending it.

Hi, @mrdicknurballz, I'm AGM of the Philadelphia Reapers. We are currently boasting one of the most high-power offenses right now. Currently we are stacked up at Forward but we can certainly get you bottom 6 minutes with the possibility of earning Special Team playing time. We have a pretty cool team and the GM and I are quite friendly fellows willing to help you every step of the way. reply with #fearthereaper and we will be sending an offer!

Week of 10/09 Press Conferences! (Answer all 6 for 2 TPE.) 1. The Reapers have been on quite the run as of late. Who do you credit with the offense's ability to get on the board early and often game after game? 2. After a 9-2 run in your last 11 games, what changes if any does this team need heading into the final playoff push? 3. The team as a whole has only given up 23 goals over that same span. How much credit does starting goaltender Evan Bihler deserve for these victories? 4. In four games the team will be at home against the best ranked team in the VHLM, the Las Vegas Aces. What will be the key to victory against the stiffest competition in the league? 5. How do you currently feel about the Philadelphia Reapers' approach to practices in the middle of the season? 6. What NHL team are you expecting or hoping to see make a big leap from their performance last year?

not automatic to go to the E, just the option to immediately go to the E and be a 4th liner... idk not even sure thats a good idea.

They figured you are holding out for MIS job.

No no, no need to apologize. I'm just merely responding to the ideas put out there, I think first gens being under prioritized is an issue, and I don't think this rewards letting them fizzle. It's better to have a first gen work hard and be a good active member of your team. Not every GM may feel that way but then they simply aren't worthy of the job. I think a lot of fizzling issue come down to two factors, tough navigation on the forums (which if you are someone who doesn't use forums at all can be kind of a lot to learn) and poor LR environments. I think more principally these two areas need to be addressed aggressively. But it also it's kind of frustrating to see the priority put on recreates by a lot of teams. Like as a first gen I would be annoyed if teams took recreates over me just because they are recreates. I think overall this a is a more nuanced discussion that I'm not totally qualified to speak wholely on but I will offer observations as a new member to this community to kind of give some perspective on the experience of a new player today. I think maybe it would just be better to allow recreates to instantly go to the VHLE? Which may sound shitty but idk, just an idea that I thought of while typing this. Totally no thought into the outcomes of that literally just came up with it. Sorry this was long... TLDR I think what you are saying is valid just I'm responding to the idea of splitting the two groups being a somewhat bad idea and if this were an issue then this is a solution despite its own issue.

How about to off-set the risks of drafting first gens we instead institute compensatory draft picks. Not even sure that possible. But the idea would be if a first gen player is picked and doesn't reach certain TPE benchmarks in their time with the team, you get an extra pick after the round in which they were drafted. So a 1st round FG that fizzles would net the team another pick I'm between round 1 and 2

Hi @kelvi, I'm piffer the AGM of the Reapers. We are one of the best scoring offenses as of late but only have 3rd line minutes immediately available. Special teams playing time would be based on how you play at this present juncture. If you are down to join up reply with #fearthereaper and we'd be excited to bring you on board.

I'd love a chance up top.

Try harder

@AstalabohameI'm Piffer, the AGM of the Philadelphia Reapers. While we sadly cannot offer you a starting job we certainly have a backup role available where you can learn and grow into a top tier tendy. Reply to this message saying #fearthereaper if you are interested in joining a great team culture.

Hey @Brandan8. I'm AGM for the Philadelphia Reapers. We have one of the best offenses in the league currently and would love to add to that. Currently not much top minute time is available so we could only really offer 4th line time at best. But if you are willing to join a good culture and improve, reply saying #fearthereaper

Hey @v.2 I'm the AGM of the Reapers and we have some great opportunities in Philly. We boast one of the best offensive team as of late and could probably find you a role on the third line and maybe some special teams work as well! say #fearthereaper if interested.

I apply harder than the rest of these non red panda appreciating individuals

I apply

week ending 10/09

i just realized im such a bot... i forgot the best interview of the 5 i did!!!! omg omg... i might just release it for no points... such a waste. ill be better in the future.

Halifax Times Sparks Flies Off the Rails? Written by Todd Ripley Hello again readers, today in sports news there is some trouble afoot for your Halifax 21st. The team has been on a good run as of late with hope to contend for a playoff spot. However, in recent weeks there has been reportedly locker room drama concerning team discipline and the special team units' efficiency. In their last two contests Halifax's powerplay was able to course correct and go a really solid 3 for 11. The concern comes in when the penalty kill only makes a stop just 3 of 7 attempts down a man. That said it is a good sign to see that two-game total down to a seven, so overall a mixed bag on these fronts. The main thing that sunk our 21st is goaltending these two nights. Igor Vezina took the net for Halifax in both contests and only managed to stop 46 pucks on 55 shots against for a save percentage of 0.836. To say the least it wasn't the best that we are used to from Vezina but it's not all his fault. Igor had started the previous two games for his team and played pretty well. The problems came when it was reported that Ash Sparks, the team's star goaltender, was reportedly suffering from a strained groin. Many fans have speculated as to origin of the injury, but the team released the following statement after the win against the Philadelphia Reapers. - "We have concluded an internal investigation into Sparks's activities outside of the usual team functions and determined he did not violate any team rules. Our medical staff will continue to monitor how he progresses over the next few days. He will be suited up for our next couple contests. As for whether or not he gets the starts remains to be seen. We are taking this day to day. He is the heart and soul of this team so even having him behind the bench will be a hug boost for our players and staff." When asked what actually cause the injury, the Head Coach had this to say: "Ash is a smart kid but like many of us he likes to have fun, he went out on the water to do some off-day fishing and took a dive which we have determined was unintentional. He is a big-bodied guy and once he started going over the railing it was going to be tough to stop him. Luckily this isn't worse, and we are just hoping to get him back on the ice where he belongs. We told him he should stick to the frozen water from now on." Here at the Halifax Times, we wish Ash a speedy recovery and hope to see him continuing his dominance in the VHLM. Thanks for reading. 473 words week ending 10/2

Hello readers, my name is Todd Ripley of the Halifax Times and welcome to my independent blog. This week I wanted to take a quit step away from just Halifax sports news and take a deep dive into the minds of the VHLM’s General Managers. The following is a series of quick three to five question interviews in which I attempt to get their thoughts on topics such as the trade deadline, the rise of skilled defensemen, and their duties. The first interview I conducted was with the general manager of the Mexico City Kings. This was on the heels of a big time move for their franchise and I wanted to be the first to get a word from coleh. ----- Ripley: Your team recently made a trade (barring action from the league) with Houston in which you brought in two players for two picks. What about those talents' games made you reach out to Houston for them? Coleh: They're currently the leading scorer in the M and for the Mexico City Kings, we really need someone who has an elite shot and can put the puck in the net. Our team currently struggles to score and adding someone of the caliber is a huge boost to our team's offensive potential. Ripley: Many would have considered the Kings one of the lower teams in terms of strength and a likely sell candidate. What led to the decision to get aggressive with your draft capitals at the deadline? Coleh: I can for sure see that some teams think that we are a potential selling candidate. However, if you look at our beginning of the season schedule, we actually only played the top teams in the league, which led to our record being worse. I think our team as of right now is a playoff team, and we are making a push to potentially go far in the playoffs. [Redacted upon Coleh’s Request] Ripley: Nanashi Mumei is one of the most dominant Defensemen in the league right now. He is top 10 in points, hits, and shot blocks at the position. How valuable do you as a GM find elite two-way players? Would you rather have elite defenders mixed in with elite offensive weapons? Coleh: Two-Way players are super valuable to a team. I currently also have a TWD in the VHL and it's the nicest thing to have to be honest. I personally think that elite defenders, especially this season, can go a very far way. I also helped my friend on his build, and it seems to be working pretty well for him since he's top 10 in multiple categories. Ripley: What goes into the GMing of a team for the readers who might not know what it takes to run a team? Coleh: Yep. I would say a lot of things go into GMing, draft, trading, player management, strategy, there's so much that go into this. I would be here forever if I tried to explain every single thing, but I would say the best thing that I like doing as a GM is being able to help new players and get them invested in the league. I really like meeting new people and sharing the same joy with them, that being hockey! ----- Enlightening chat with him as his team made the somewhat surprising move to go for it this year despite having been last in their division recently. We wish Mexico City the best of luck in its quest for the Founders’ Cup. We are going to stay in that warm, sunshiny weather as we make our way to South Beach to continue our “GM Round Up” with Nurx from the Miami Marauders. ----- Ripley: Your team was one that many analysts picked out as a buyer at this deadline. You finally struck with a deal to send two picks to Mississauga for Justin Lion and Ben McLaughlin. What about these players and their games made them ideal targets for your team? Nurx: Ben McLaughlin is my AGMs player. I think that McLaughlin is a huge player with a possibility of being a strong piece in the puzzle in expanding those goals scored numbers. Justin Lion is a wild card. They could become a starting goalie quickly or they could continue tandeming. It all depends how they continue to develop. I love seeing the first gens put the work in though! Ripley: Many have said no roster is ever perfect, do you feel this way about your current team? If so, can we expect to see more moves in the coming days? Nurx: I do believe that we have weaknesses. I do expect to make a move, but not how you would expect. I do want to continue to work towards this season, but also secure a strong season with a strong draft next season. Currently I sit with only 3 draft picks in the first 3 rounds which isn't ideal in what appears to be a weak draft class. Ripley: How large is the impact of having two top 5 scoring Forwards in Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes? What about their games specifically makes them so good at finding the twine night in and night out? Nurx: Well, they have very good builds. The meshed very well on a line with the playmaking Swinsola allowing for the three to be likely the most dominant trio in the league where the 3rd player isn't even known. They are both shoot first forwards which leads to a lot of shots with a [defensive core] behind them who are pass heavy defenseman. Ripley: That perfectly leads into my next question. Hockey as a sport has moved away from stay-at-home defenders in favor of pure puck movers combined with a 2-way guy on the other side. For you as a GM building a roster, what composition of skillsets do you prefer your defensemen to fill? Nurx: I prefer to have 2 different types of defensemen paired together. The defense first and a two way. This gives me a scoring threat on the offense side while continuing to allow for good defense with the other defenseman. ----- You love to hear that from a confident GM; he/she knows there is work to be done still and is keeping at improving the team little by little. Best of luck to the Marauders in the rest of the season. Can't stick around long, however, as we have to make our way to Houston to talk with their general manager, AJW! ----- Ripley: Houston had boasted four of the league's best scorers heading into the deadline with four player top 10 in points. What led you to be a seller at the deadline with this fact in mind? AJW: It is tough to see how great your players are performing while thinking about rebuilding. The reasoning for the trades was because our position in the standings didn’t match the success of our player’s scoring abilities. Before the trades were made Houston was 8th in the league standings with most wins coming against Mississauga, who is win-less halfway through the season. I realized I didn’t have the right assets right now to go for it all, so instead we will try to bring in more players next draft to buff up the team with the players who will be returning next season. Ripley: At the deadline you moved the league's top point scoring forward and defenseman. With that capital what types of players do you plan to bring into you roster at the draft as far as player archetypes? AJW: I plan to bring some of my waiver players from this season back next season. They are working hard to earn TPE and should have break out seasons in S86. Our locker room is a lot of fun right now too even with not having a great record. Everyone is still positive and still wanting to win, so my goal is to get this squad back together as well as bringing in more defensemen since we currently have none. Player builds don’t really matter to me as I’d rather have active members over good players. So, if you’re an active player, you’re at the top of my draft list. Ripley: Reno Reinhold appeared to be a part of the at large movement in hockey to have puck offensive weapons at defense while still being able to lock down their own zone. Do you feel that an increase in offensive production out of defenders is a net positive for hockey as a sport? Is this now something you will specifically target in future draft classes aggressively? AJW: I mean look at real life NHL, Cale Makar is arguably a top 5 player in the league right now as an offensive defenseman. In our sim league I feel like it’s the same too. Having a top defenseman to work your power play as well as even strength is a massive bonus for your team. This especially helped since we didn’t have the strongest goaltender this season, so Reno really stepped up on the back end of our roster. ----- We appreciate Houston's AJW for his time and wish him the best in his rebuild. Definitely looking for big time draftees to turn this team around next year. Speaking of turning around, we need to turn our attention from the South to the North as we fly on up to my hometown of Halifax to end our journey with most our reader's current favorite general manager, Shawn from the 21st! ----- Ripley: One of the most important parts of any GM's season is upon us. With your team rolling in recent weeks, do you plan to acquire assets for a potential cup run? Shawn: I'd like to, but it's always tough when some teams beat me to the punch and offer something better than I would've. I guess we'll have to see where the chips fall but it's something I'm interested in. Ripley: As far as your present roster is concerned, it's been mostly built through the draft. In an article, written and edited by yourself, you highlighted your mindset during the draft that's lead to a lot of this team's talent. Which of those players has been the biggest surprise thus far? Have any been a disappointment? Shawn: I'd say Anssi or Paard has been the most surprising. Both were thoughts to be role players when I picked them, but they exploded to be my most producing forwards out of nowhere. I wouldn't say anyone has been a disappointment, everyone is playing as good if not better than expected. Ripley: One of the most easily noticed strengths of the Halifax 21st is its goaltending tandem. Your team boast 2 of the top 3 goalies in save percentage. How important is it to have not only a great starter, but a quality backup in the modern, high-scoring game of today? How do you decide when to get Igor Vezina playing time? Shawn: Those two have been awesome. Ash Sparks has been the heart and soul of this squad winning us as many games as he has, and the locker room loves him. Vezina is a beast in his own right, and I want him to be the future goalie for this team. I want to ease him into playing time to get his legs under him and get some action but also playing him when Sparks needs rest or whatever and he's been awesome when we need him. Ripley: One of the things your team has struggled with, despite the recent successes, is a great disparity in the plus/minus between your units. We've noticed some tweaks to the lineup in your most recent games. About how big of a sample size do you personally need to make changes during the year and what other factors do you consider when making such adjustments? Shawn: I try and look at 5-10 games before making lineup changes usually. With 72 games in a season, you can't afford to go 20 or 30 games with a bad lineup because that could ruin your season. Factors I consider are definitely TPA and who's allocated into what. I want to give everyone a meaningful role on the team and luckily some guys allocate their TPE perfectly for me to do that. Ripley: A recent acquisition, defenseman Elias Lampi, has been quite outspoken regarding his displeasure with the amount of time the 21st has spent on the penalty kill since his arrival. Is Lampi's concern valid? Furthermore, do you as a general manager encourage your players to speak their minds no matter the place or has Elias's behavior been seen as problematic by your front office? Shawn: It's valid. Our special teams this season have been abysmal to say the least. I encourage players to speak their mind, this is their team and I'm just the one pulling the strings, right? I wouldn't like it if someone was telling me to do but I don't have an issue with players bringing ideas to me. ------ Thank you to all of the GMs who gave me their input on league related topics. I hope my queries were to their satisfaction and they had a good think about some of these questions. Thank you to the readers if you made it all the way through this piece. Have a wonderful hockey season! 2,229 words weeks ending: 10/10 | 10/17 | 10/24 | 10/31

Interested fo sho.... Supa gud riter... I'm just kidding, I'm actually interested, I swear.

+10 Elias Lampi