jfaly

REAPERS PRESS CONFERENCE WEEK ENDING 02/07 It's that time of the week again! Welcome back to the Press Conference. Answer 3 for 1 Capped TPE or all 6 for 2 Capped TPE! 1) We're absolutely dominating the competition at the moment, what do you think is the biggest contributing factor to this success? 2) Ottawa are finding themselves in a bit of a slump, do you think they'll turn it around at any point this season? 3) What's been the biggest surprise so far this season? 4) Who do you have winning the Mitch Higgins so far? 5) What player on an opposing team are you most impressed with? 6) How'd your team do in the NHL Entry Draft today? Looking forward to hearing from all of you as per usual! Go Reapers!

1. Honestly, I'm pretty happy with the haircut I have currently. 2 guard on the sides, slight trim on top. Works with my head shape and it's easily managed. 2. Bartending, it's just the adult version of what I do currently. Night shift is GOATed, and hospo is a solid industry for how I like to live. 3. Cat. I like just doing my own thing, and I think that cats get to do that a lot more than dogs do. QUESTIONS 1. What VHL/E/M team would you say you're kind of a die-hard fan for? 2. Which player in the VHL/E/M, other than your own, do you enjoy stat-tracking if any? 3. What are you predictions for the upcoming NHL season?

Tobias Weiss found himself drafted to Bratislava, which is certainly a city he never imagined he’d end up living in. Of course the young German had heard of Slovakia, it was a fairly large Slavic country in Europe with a storied hockey history. However, knowing of a country and finding yourself living in it for at least a year are two very different situations. After getting the call that he was moving from the hot and humid Houston climate to the frigid Slovak weather, Tobias found himself slightly more at ease if he was honest. Being closer to home in Europe was certainly a plus of making the jump to the VHLE after a one-and-done VHLM season. Everything about the E was different to the M, as far as Tobias was concerned. The players were tougher, the competition was fiercer, and everybody was vying to prove themselves much harder to VHL teams. Tobias loved it. He found himself working harder than ever, putting in more hours at the gym and carving his effort into the Watchmen’s home rink. If he wanted to compete at this level, he needed to step up his game and he was going to make damn sure it happened. All the hours of practise clearly paid off, with Tobias recording his first ever professional hat-trick against the Vasteras Iron Eagles. Tobias vividly remembers all of his teammates clamouring around him and the hats raining from the stands. It was a feeling that he never wanted to let go of. If that was how it felt to be a winner, then he’d give Bratislava every opportunity to continue to ride that feeling.

REAPERS PRESS CONFERENCE WEEK ENDING 25/06 Welcome to the first presser of the season! Apologies for missing last week, will not happen again! Let's get to the questions, answer 3 for 1 Capped TPE or all 6 for 2 Capped TPE! 1) What are your expectations for your player this season? 2) Who do you think will lead the M in scoring this season? 3) Where do you think the Reapers will end the season in the standings? 4) What team are you most looking forward to competing with this season? 5) What are your goals for your player this season? 6) Where do you think your favourite NHL team will finish in the upcoming season? If you don't watch the NHL, feel free to tell me about your favourite pro-league team in anything else!

Bzzz Bzzz. The phone buzzing next to Tobias Weiss’ head was driving him crazy, although the phone call that followed wasn’t even close to what he had expected. “Hello?” The gravel of just waking up was still incredibly present in Weiss’ voice. Kris Rice was on the other end of the line, laughing softly. “Tobias! Sorry, did I wake you? I’m in Korea, World Juniors duties call.” Weiss shakes the sleep out of his system and tries to focus on making Rice’s words make sense. “Of course, Mr. Rice. It’s no problem. What’s this call about?” There’s a beat of silence, where Weiss can almost hear the grin on Rice’s face. “I’ll cut to the chase so you can get back to bed. We’ve decided to name you captain of the Mercenaries in the upcoming World Juniors. Congratulations, T.” It’s a shock to the system, and an immediate (and literal) wake up call. “I’m captain? I’m wearing ‘The C’? Holy shit.” Another laugh, quick and sweet. “Indeed. Congratulations again, Tobias. You deserve it, and we’re excited to get that ‘C’ sewn on your jersey.” They make slight small talk, before the call ends. Tobias Weiss is a captain now, will he step up to the task?

I'll apply for the AGM position. Looking forward to hearing back!

I'd be interested in AGMing for the Redwolves. Looking forward to hearing back!

1. Tough call, but I'm going to say Lundqvist. A phenomenal goaltender who never got what he deserved. Made me develop the love for goalies I have to this day. 2. I don't know if I hate any hockey team just because of the city. There are definitely hometown rugby league teams I hate for the city. Sydney Roosters is a good shot for that. 3. I've got the battlepass for TFT if that counts. I don't really commit to any IRL loyalty programs otherwise. Q. 1: What has the offseason looked like for you so far? Q. 2: How do you think your player looks going into the next season? Q. 3: What's your opinion on the Apple Juice/Orange Juice debate?

STEEL PRESS CONFERENCE We're back with another press conference to keep the updaters in a job! Answer 3 questions for 1 Capped TPE or answer all 6 for 2 Capped TPE! This press conference is for Week Ending 04/06. Looking forward to seeing your answers for this week! 1. The Steel have been an absolute WAGON so far. What do you think has been the biggest contributor to our success so far? 2. The Royals are catching up to us in the standings, are you worried about the Royals come playoff time? 3. If you had to play for any of the other teams in the JST, which team and why? 4. Draft Day is approaching, are you excited for the draft or are you a little indifferent about it and just focusing on the JST at the moment? 5. How do you like to split your TPE gain? 6. I'm riding the Panthers bandwagon at the moment, but who are you rooting for in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? GO STEEL!

Review: This is a really nice graphic! The multi-player graphic is super solid, and neither of the renders take away from the other. The fade on the upper image is super nice, and the smoke/vapour surrounding it looks almost heavenly in nature. The geometric background was an excellent choice, and draws attention to the render at points of focus which is an often overlooked part of composition. A critique I have is that the contrast on the renders is a little too high, it makes the players faces look oversaturated, and the visor on the background render is cloudy and unclarified because of it. The jerseys would also look nicer with yellow highlights, like the Marlins logo, but that's more of a nitpick than anything else. Overall: 9/10, all the issues are nitpicky and personal preference. Incredible graphic!

Jackson Fall and Jacob Carson spent long nights in the office of the Steel, putting together the draft board for the Junior Showcase Draft and attempting to figure out which players would be the best choices to lead the Steel to a championship. It took lots of spitballing, and a few picks that were forced choices from the other teams, but eventually the roster came together in a perfect harmony that has led to a phenomenal 13-1-2 record thus far. Clearly, Carson and Fall have been making a great team. Jacob Carson is a 5 time Junior Showcase Champion, aiding teams from the second chair effectively. There’s not a bad word about Carson when it comes to the JST, and Fall is expected to be added to the list of GMs who have benefitted from the incredible Carson Masterclass. Fall has been watching the team he drafted with great interest, especially after the resounding success through the first 16 games. The JST is primarily a place for the front offices of the VHL and VHLE to get a good look at the prospects they could be taking in the upcoming drafts, and it’s a sureshot that the Steel are drawing attention. From an ownership view, it’s not unlikely that teams would be willing to look at Fall for an AGM position down the track, especially if the Steel go on to win from now. Fall is intently watching VHLM and VHLE teams, waiting for an opportunity to pounce into an upper management role for either league. With how the Steel have been cooking the JST, it’s not unlikely that Fall’s recipe for success will come to fruition sooner rather than later.

Hey @shinoa! I'm Faly, the GM of the Steel in the Junior Showcase Tournament. Our team is shaping up nicely, but your player would make an excellent addition! We need another RW, and would love to have you. If you would like to join the Steel, just quote this comment with '#StrongAsSteel'

1. Looking at the stats, hard to pass on Booberry. Tied for most wins by a starter, only .001 behind first place for SV% by a starter, a solid 2.39 GAA. I think it's the easy pick, but probably also right. 2. I'd bet on Seattle. They look real good for the Cup and I reckon they'll take it all with relative ease. 3. Rugby League. Being from Sydney, it's a popular sport, and it's a good watch when you're emotionally invested in it. Go Raiders! Question 1: Who do you think will be a favourite for the Continental Cup next season? Question 2: Who's taking home the Mitch Higgins Trophy? Question 3: Who is your favourite hockey player of all time?

The Junior Showcase Tournament is underway! Through the first 2 days of sims, the Steel and Royals look to be the clear favourites this tournament, both teams only dropping one game so far. The Steel dropped their one game in a shootout against the Warriors, and the Royals lost their game in regulation to the Steel. Now that we’re caught up, let’s talk about the Steel in depth. As the General Manager, I’m uniquely qualified to discuss what makes the Steel work so well as a team. So, let’s take a look at 2 of the top players in each area for the Steel! 1. Viktor Jensen - Center I can’t talk about the Steel without first talking about captain Viktor Jensen. Through the first 6 games, Jensen holds a hefty statline of 6-9–15. Jensen plays on the first line, the first powerplay unit, and the first penalty killing unit. He’s the type of center that teams want to build their teams around, and getting the first overall pick was a lock to pick Jensen. Jensen is the player I trust to outskill the opponent and decimate defenses, and he’s exemplified that already. 2. Shubham Anand - Right Wing Anand was an absolute steal as pick 20. I’m only slightly affected by bias when I say I think he’s the top offensive winger in the tournament. Anand had a 5 point game against Team Clue, and he’s rolling with a statline of 3-9–12 in 6 games. Anand is one of two players I’m double shifting, and I’m yet to see a negative to it. He’s elite offensively, and I have him on the ice for tight defensive games. Anand is a reliable player overall, and he’s only going to go up from here now that he’s capped out on TPE. 3. Marty Byrd - Defenseman Forwards are the guys that get a lot of the credit, but no championship team is complete without an elite defenseman. Byrd does a lot of that for the Steel, absolutely laying the body with 15 hits over the last 6 games. He also leads all defensemen in scoring, with a statline of 4-5–9. Byrd is one of our assistant captains, and he’s a great 2-way D with a lot of promise in this tournament. We took Byrd with pick 10, and I suspect a lot of teams will regret letting him fall to the Steel in the draft. 4. Reginald the Dodo - Defenseman On the topic of defensemen, how about one of the top 5 defenseman in the whole draft? Reginald was our 11th pick in the draft, and despite not showing out offensively, he’s been integral to the team’s defensive play. Reginald leads our team in shots blocked with 12. Averaging 2 shots blocked per game is likely a reason that we’re able to win the games that come down to the wire, and Reginald’s defensive prowess is what we picked him for. 5. Ryan Artyomov - Goaltender We’ve only got one goaltender, unlike most of the other teams, but when it’s Artyomov in net, we don’t need a backup. Artyomov has faced the most shots of any starting goalie with 131, boasting a solid 117 saves. Artyomov has backstopped us to 5 wins, making him the winningest goalie in the tournament so far. Artyomov has the best GAA and SV% of all starters so far, boasting a 2.27 and .893 respectively. Artyomov was a gem to pick up with pick 21. And there you have it, a quick analysis of some of the Steel’s top players on the roster. There are players that weren’t talked about, but the Steel is a deep team with talent in every position waiting in the wings to run the tournament. Go Steel! (623 words)

Steel Press Conference: Week Ending 28/05 1. The JST is underway! What are your expectations for your player in the upcoming few weeks? 2. What team do you think is going to be the biggest competitor in the JST and why? 3. How do you feel about where you ended up in the draft? 4. What player on the roster are you most excited to play with? 5. How are you finding the locker room so far? 6. Favourite music artist of all time?

Hey @Jayrad28! I'm Faly, the GM of the Steel in the Junior Showcase Tournament. Our team is shaping up nicely, but your player would make an excellent addition! We need another RW, and would love to have you. If you would like to join the Steel, just quote this comment with '#StrongAsSteel'

Hey Cejayz! I'm Faly, the GM for the Steel in the upcoming Junior Showcase Tournament! I'm here to tell you to come join up with the Steel and win a tourney with us. We're going to bring a competitive environment to the tournament, but also a good place to learn how to navigate the VHL and all the ways to build your player from the ground up. To join up with the Steel, quote this message and reply with #STEELSTRONG

1. All things considered, the season went better than expected. I joined about halfway theough, and my player showed pretty solid impact once the TPE started adding up. First of many productive (hopefully) seasons! 2. I hope to stay in touch with the teammates. The Bulls LR was popping more often than it wasn't. It was a good time! 3. I think it just came down to the Marlins having a wicked goaltender. We got goalied, and you just can't control the sim. The sim REALLY didn't like our top guys. 4. I don't think I'll play in the ProAM, but I am GMing for the JST! Gotta start somewhere. 5. Long term, I'm excited to see everybody on this Bulls team in the VHL/E, but I definitely think locking down Viktor Jensen is going to be a fun matchup down the road. 6. Tobias is going back home to Berlin to recoup for the draft and spend time with his family. Houston's a little too warm for his taste.

The phone rings in the empty office of Sydney Ice Dogs GM Jackson Fall. Fall’s contract with the Ice Dogs runs out after this season, and there’s no guarantee that the team will take him back after the lack of success they saw. Fall picks up the phone, and is nothing but shocked to hear the voice at the end of the line provide a golden opportunity. There are the regular pleasantries, confirmation of identity and the like. It’s the big question that has Fall almost make like his namesake and fall out of his chair. “How would you like to manage the Berlin Steel in the upcoming Junior Showcase Tournament?” Jackson can hardly say ‘yes’ fast enough. The next plane to Berlin leaves with Jackson Fall on it, and when Jackson lands he finds himself in an office sitting across from an established VHL presence, Jacob Carson. Finding out that Jacob will be the Assistant General Manager is terrifying, but exhilarating all the same. The pressure is on, with a 5 time JST champion backing Jackson this tournament. Well, you know what they say. Pressure builds diamonds, and Jackson Fall is determined to shine brightly. Solid. Strong. Steel. Those three words now rest heavily upon Jackson’s shoulders, and he’d have it no other way.

Tobias Weiss - What Kind of Player Will You Be Drafting? Tobias Weiss is a promising defensive prospect from the S89 Draft Class, but what kind of player is Weiss exactly? Looking at his stats, there doesn’t seem to be much to be frothing at the mouth for. Joining the Houston Bulls roughly half-way through the season, Weiss has played 40 games with an average statline of 12-16–28. His plus/minus, although a stat that is now heavily criticised in the era of advanced stats, is also nothing pretty with it sitting at -7. However, delving deeper into his stats, you can see the physical presence that Weiss brings. As a second pairing defenseman, Weiss averaged 1.45 shots blocked per game and 2.28 (Rounded up) hits per game. When asked about his style of play and the type of player he aims to become, Weiss was quoted as saying: “As a bigger body, I do intend to be out there throwing hits and blocking shots. I think of myself as a two-way defenseman, capable of quarterbacking the offence but also being a guy that coaches can rely on in our own zone.” Weiss failed to mention his nose for the net in the interview. Despite playing only 40 games, Weiss managed to put up 96 shots on goal, thus leading the Houston defence in SOG/GP with an average of 2.4. Weiss also has 3 game winning goals to his name, no doubt a product of his ever developing cannon of a slapshot. There are certainly areas of Weiss’ game he has to improve, as with most prospects. The biggest flaw with Weiss is his tendency to take penalties in crucial moments of games. Weiss racked up 38 PIMs, which doesn’t seem like much at first, but there were multiple penalties that just didn’t need to occur. It’s no doubt a byproduct of Weiss’ more physical style of hockey, but it’s certainly an area that needs to be coached out of him. Despite his flourishing skill, there are question marks around whether or not Weiss is ready for playoff hockey in the world’s top league, but Weiss seems to believe he is ready for it. When asked about the playoffs, Weiss gave this quote to the media: “Playoff hockey is different. There’s no doubt about that. I have faith that my work ethic will help me produce for our team, and I think we have a real shot of going far. As long as I keep working hard, putting in the time and getting better, there’s no reason to doubt me or the team.” Tobias Weiss is certainly a prospect teams should keep an eye on going into the draft, especially if they want somebody who can be relied upon in their own zone as well as provide bursts of offence when it’s appropriate.

Happy to apply. Looking forward to hearing back!

Tobias Weiss tries not to think about life after Houston. He’s happy in Houston, he loves his teammates and he loves his front-office. He doesn’t actually want to leave, but it’s looking like he’ll outgrow the VHLM sooner rather than later. He worries about what draft-day will look like, and whether any team will actually call his name. Logically, he knows he’s a player that teams will be looking at. He sees the scouts in the stands, but he also knows that some of his teammates are more attractive assets. This year’s draft is saturated in defensemen, so it’ll be hard for him to break away and make a name for himself. Tobias tries not to think about the draft, but it’s hard when that’s all the reporters want to talk about nowadays. ‘Do you think you’ll see your name called come draft day?’ Tobias just wants to talk about the playoffs. Houston is looking at making a Cinderella run this year, and they might end up playing Mississauga in the first round at the rate everything is going. Draft day makes him nervous. So Tobias doesn’t think about the draft, or life after Houston. He locks in on the playoffs. That’s the least he can do for a city he loves.

1) Out of the last 10 games, we've got 2 meetings with Mexico City and Halifax, so those'll be a tough set of games. I'd reckon we end with a record of 6-2-2. Hopefully the sims prove me wrong and we go on a tear! 2) I love a good underdog story, I think it's more fun. Having the target on your head is good, but clawing your way from the basement to the top makes for a better headline. 3) Honestly, I kinda forgot the draft was upcoming. As a S89 player, I should probably be more concerned about it, but I'm also just trying to do my own thing. I've been pretty happy the whole time I've been in Houston, but I do look forward to grinding my way through the ranks. 4) Hopefully we see Jensen go on a tear in these last 10 games, I'd love to see him succeed. Hopefully he ends up #1! 5) Unfortunately I don't have any pets at the moment, but I am my friend's dog's favourite person, so I'll call that a win. 6) I don't exercise a heap, but any time me and my friends go out we end up walking around all of Sydney until we want to go home, so I guess that kinda counts.