Claimed:Time for a promotion? [Reviewed]

[Banackock 8,045]

Most people know that the VHLM is a different breed of management when compared to those in the VHL. The turnover rate is much more rapid, thus placing a much more significant priority and importance on draft picks and players. Most teams are unable to hang on to success for extended prior of times due to the turnover rate and the use of picks as trade assets. A period of 1-3 seasons would be safe when it comes to a teams "dynasty" and we have seen it a few times. Now, a VHLM GM is vital to the league and it's community. They're the stepping stone to the big leagues and are the ones who guide and mold our young, new members into some dominant, daily contributors that help this league thrive. They're jobs are similar to those in the VHL. In some aspects they're easier, others it's safe to say they're more challenging. A lot of poor, average, good and great GM's are come through the VHLM. Some posting great records, winning championships and multiple GM of The Year awards. Whether it be their records, experience or what they bring to the table, a lot of the GM's are able to make the jump to the VHL with a big promotion. Currently under the radar for a potential jump is Bratislava Watchmen's GM, Blake Campbell. Campbell was hired on as the Watchmen's head GM for the S44 regular season campaign. 

 

S44 - First Year, First Run

 

Campbell was hired onto the Watchmen during a period where management was a struggle in the organization. With constant shifting and changing of GM's, Bratislava was in pursuit of some stability. Once hired into the organization, Campbell quickly went to the drawing boards to make out a plan for his team. By midseason, the execution had begun and the Watchmen started firing off on all cylinders. With multiple moves bringing in activity and depth, it was evident that the Watchmen were looking to make a run for it. Surely enough, the team climbed up the standings and turned their average record into a winning one. Campbell and the boys finished 2nd in their conference with a record of 45-25-6.

 

Playoffs came and the Watchmen faced Moscow in the first round. As quick as their turn around during the regular season was, their first round followed in similar fashion. In 4 short games, the Watchmen sent the Red Wolves packing and they quickly danced on into the 2nd round of playoffs where they'd eventually face Oslo. During this series, the Watchmen were looked at as the underdogs despite all their recent success. Speculations aside, the Watchmen made it to Game 7 of the Semi-Finals prior to losing a heartbreaker 4-3. 

 

Although no cup was in the hands of any Watchmen that season, Blake Campbell won GM of The Year for all his hard work, dedication and spectacular efforts in pursuit for the cup.

 

S45 - Second Year, Different Outcome

 

This season was the complete opposite for the Watchmen and was not an enjoyable one for the fans to watch. Campbell knew that by going all in for a chance at the cup a season prior that the following season or two were going to be tough. By pulling off the big moves during his rookie campaign as manager, Campbell was under the realization that the organization would be heading into a rebuild. Every asset the team had, they shuffled out for trade picks. Eventually the shelves were stock full of assets which would potentially lead to success in the future. The Watchmen finished the season sporting a record of 20-42-10, placing 3rd last in the league. Although the fans maybe couldn't see it, the trip was nowhere near over. 

 

During the season ending presser held by Watchmen's GM, Blake Campbell, he expressed gratitude and a promise of success in the future to the fans. He was quoted as saying "The pain of this season was long to endure - especially after such success we shared in last season. Next season will be another tough one. We plan to do this rebuild properly so that we can maximize our future success. No rebuild is ever easy, but if you do it right, it will always be worth it. I can promise you this rebuild will be worth it. So thank you for sticking by us. We have the best fans in the world".

 

S46 - Year 3, You've Hit Rock Bottom

 

As Campbell stated in his year end presser, the worst was yet to come. The team was in full rebuild mode and was gaining youth players and assets for the future. Expectations were low in Bratislava and in the VHLM for the club to perform well. Anyone who thought otherwise was either delirious or was a fan of soccer pretending to like hockey because he wanted to impress a guy at the local gay bar in Denver, Colorado. Now, again as Campbell stated, the ship had finally sank. Last season they hit the iceberg and were slowly sinking to the bottom and this year the team and grounded and now sat at the bottom of the sea. The team finished with the lowest amount of wins during his tenure with 19, while losing 46 regulation losses and 7 in OT. It was a tough season and it was finally time for the management to do something, but could they pull it off?

 

"It's been a painful 2 seasons for the organization, myself and for the fans. As a spectator, no one understands that at times, rebuilds are inevitable. You can do all the perfect planning you want, you can try to avoid them and have a secret little plan, but I like to call that average or mediocre. You have to suck a lot of dick to get good at sucking dick. By that I mean, you have to hit rock bottom before you can shoot to the stars. The lower you become, the higher you can go. You need to really build yourself and sometimes that sacrifice is the best thing for a team. We did it and we're extremely hopeful for our future heading into this offseason.

 

S47 - Year 4, Probably The Closest Thing To A Cinderella Story

 

The Watchmen entered the season with a significant amount of skill compared to the last 2 seasons all thanks to the rebuild process and the amount of picks they had stock piled. During the first part of the season, the team was on fire and weren't looking like they were going to slow down. Then, out of nowhere, the team came to a halt. No matter what they did, it seemed as though it was impossible to pick up a win. They could buy one, nor bribe the officials or league management. The team continued on this struggle and after sometime, you could tell in the stands and in the locker room that those involved with the Watchmen (both fans and players) were getting tired of losing. 

 

Then, it happened. Campbell walked into the Locker Room following a loss and said "boys, things are going to change around here. We have the pieces to make an extremely strong, effective run and I promise you over the next following week or two, you're going to see some heavy, big changes that are going to push us forward and make us contenders". Sure enough, Campbell did just that. Making numerous of trades, he strengthened his forwards and arguably built the best defensive core in the entire VHLM at the time. His depth was strong, front end talent was fairly elite and their goaltending was one of the best in juniors when it came to overall ability. Things were starting to look up and the team got rolling again. Win after win after win, the team was flying high, climbing the standings and eventually claimed first place in their conference - winning the 1st round bye. The team finished with a record of 37-28-7.

 

During the 2nd round, Oslo put up quite the fight and managed to hang on as long as possible, however, they could only do so for so long. After a Game 6 defeat, the Watchmen were heading to the Finals for the first time under GM Campbell's control. There they faced the Ottawa Lynx and saw themselves up 3-0 in the series. With the best chances now at winning, people surely thought a new champion would be crowned. However, game after game the lynx slowly clawed their way back and pushed a game 7. During the game, the Lynx were heavily outshot and the Watchmen clinched the game and the cup with a 2-0 victory.

 

Unlike last time when Campbell won the Jack Reilly (GM of The Year) without winning the cup, he took home both this season.

 

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Campbell may not be the most winningest GM in the history of the Watchmen, but there's enough evidence to say that he knows what he's doing. He places large efforts into maintaining his locker room and is organizations ability to win. He WILL bite the bullet in a rebuild if it means that he can win a championship for his players - EVEN if it also means ruining his overall win/loss record. Campbell has won 2 Jack Reilly awards in 4 seasons, with 1 cup to match with that. Currently, he's 2nd all-time for longest reigning GM in Watchmen history as he's over half-way done his 5th season. Here, he looks to add his 3rd Jack Reilly trophy and his 2nd championship. Campbell has an overall record of 164 - 148 - 32 (344 Games) in the regular season and 15-9-0 in playoffs (24 games).

 

 

[Victor 10,940]

You've done a great job restoring Bratislava back to relevance and greatness. If you want a promotion, I'm sure you'll get it.

[Smarch 3,153]

If they asked us i'd back you as a vhl gm. May not see eye to eye but can't dispute that you do a good job.

[evrydayimbyfuglien 600]

Review:

Good stuff here. Not sure anyone would question your ability as a GM though. Love it or hate it, you know what you're doing and are, shall we say, persistent with trades.

 

As for the writing itself, it's very well done. Didn't notice any grammatical issues so if there were any, they weren't distracting. Keep up the good work, I'm not sure I've seen too many articles from you...

[Tim 182]

Claimed