Claimed:Blake Campbell - GM Scouting Report [1/2]

[Banackock 8,137]

 Blake Campbell - Seattle Bears Head GM 
January 3rd, 2017

 

Blake Campbell has had a fairly successful career in the VHL and it comes on many levels. For starters, he was an excellent goalie who managed to have some pretty good seasons and managed to get a cup lifted over his head by his own heads in both leagues. He was a member of the Wranglers, Vikings and New York American's during his career before being pretty much forced into retirement. While also playing as a goalie in the VHL, Blake Campbell managed to find time to do some side general managing where he led the VHLM organization, the Bratislava Watchmen. During his tenure with the Watchmen, he netted himself a record of 174-153-34 in 5 seasons and while that record doesn't stand out for himself, his many of accolades tell a different story. With 2 championships in a row in S47 and 48, he also found himself the winner of the Jack Reilly trophy, awarded to the top general manager in the leagues during 3 of his 5 seasons (S44, 47 and 48).

 

After his strong managing career in the VHLM, word circulating the league was that there was potentially two openings for VHL teams and Campbell's name was one of the top candidates. After some wait and lots of anticipation from the young manager, he was named Head General Manager of the Seattle Bears organization in S49. Throughout his slightly 3.5 season career with the Bears, there's been highs and lows just like any other team. He has fallen and then helped build the team back up where they belond. He's made some excellent moves - done some amazing things and has put in a lot of hard work, but has also made some mistakes along the way and felt a few bumps and hiccups every now and then. 

For our first General Manager Scouting Report, we're going to break down each VHL season individually and take a microscope to the GM's career. What were some of his biggest moves and some of his worst? What direction has he taken the team and how has the tream down under his reign of power? From where Seattle was to where they've been along the way to where they are now - what kind of handle has Blake Campbell had on the team? We'll answer all of this and then at the end, break down everything and give the manager himself a final grade. 

 

 

"I had known for a while that my name was in the hat to potentially be pulled as a new General Manager in the VHL. Where or what team it was though, I had no idea. Waking up to a phone call one morning from Draper instructing me where to go, what to do and that I was officially the Seattle Bears General Manager, there's not a feeling like it. I guess each moment in my career has been on a different level. As a junior GM, a professional player and now this. It opened up a whole new field of limitations I couldn't wait to push through".

 

Blake Campbell Career GM Statistics

Seattle Bears GM S49 to Present

 

Season 49 - The meltdown

Campbell clearly frustrated with how things were turning

 

During Campbell's first year behind the Seattle Bears organization, a lot of change came to the team - not once, but twice. Initially, Campbell decided that the roster they currently had was well enough to build around, but not in a season or two, right now. With Free Agency signings in Bobby Boucher, Biggu Kyanon  and Jeff Hamilton, along with acquiring Simon Valmount via trade, the team looked like they had everything they needed to become a contender. Strong forwards, strong defense and great goaltending, the team was on their way. So they thought, anyway. With a stacked North American conference, as the season went on the odds of them truly contending pushed further and further away. Although they had a strong record, eventually they found themselves always short and barely looking into the playoff window. Campbell made a tough decision, however, followed through with his word to the Free Agents. If they were out of the race, he promised to accommodate those who wished to try their luck elsewhere and that's exactly what he did. Say good bye to Shawn Muller, Mengsk, Clegane, Kyanon, Hamilton and Skovgaard and hello to a bunch of younger future assets and future star goalie Jakab Holik. The only notable staying? Bogdan Podarok. Safe to say, the rebuild had begun. 

 

Regular Season Stats

• GP - 72
• W - 40
• L - 30
• OTL - 2
• PTS - 82
• GF/GA - 183/155

 

Playoffs Stats

N/A

 

Season 50 - The Rebuild Begins

Campbell with Draftee Sven Wolf

 

Season 50, his 2nd year behind the reigns, was a lot different than the year prior. As witnessed by the VHL hockey world, Campbell ripped apart his team and decided to build from the ground up.  During which, he managed to draft multiple keys pieces in Sven Wolf, AK-47, Guntis Petenis and Max Von Hohenzollern.The team's stock pile of youth was growing but the team took a large step backwards when it came to their chances at winning a championship or competing competitively during the regular season. Aside from the youth added through the draft, very minor players were added through the Free Agency period and the team was essentially destined to end the year near the rock bottom. While this was the prediction, they actually managed to give a few of the teams a run for their money and ended up missing the playoffs by 14 points, finishing with 62 on the season. 

 

"I think we as a team knew that it was going to be a tough season. We moved a majority of our talent for younger pieces and hadn't the strongest team on paper. In fact, we didn't have much of one if you want to be honest. It was a tough bullet for myself and the guys to bite, however, it was something that I felt needed to be done. When playoff time hit and we missed it for the second season though, wasn't at all enjoyable watching from home and talking to the guys when we could be out there playing the game we love".

 

Regular Season Stats

• GP - 72
• W - 28
• L - 38
• OTL - 6
• PTS - 62
• GF/GA - 144/179

 

Playoffs Stats

N/A

 

Season 51 - A Step in the Right Direction

Seattle Bears celebrating a victory against the Wranglers

 

For both Campbell and the Bears, Season 51 was a step in the right direction. The team had seen strong progression in development from Petenis, Wolf and AK-47 and Jakab Holik was coming into form very nicely. Podarok was handed the leadership role and the team seemed to be finally turning the page in the rebuild chapter and headed to a stronger path. Scoring on the team was up very slightly but the goals against were down by 23. The team also managed to add defender Fillipe Rodriguez from the Quebec Meute, along with Shayne Gow via a trade made with Helsinki later on in the season. Podarok lead the team in points, with 78 in 72, Wolf and AK-47 struggled to find a consistent game and young blue-liner Petenis had a strong performance during his rookie campaign. While the team was nowhere near being strong enough to contend, the team managed to make the playoffs. There they faced the Toronto  Legion where they would lose in 6 games. While this isn't too impressive, they managed to last one more game longer than the Contending favorite Wranglers did against the eventual champions. 

 

"A step in the right direction is what we like to look back on it and call it. We played a good year and seen a lot of development from a lot of our bigger assets. While the finish wasn't anything to great, it was progress and shows that we had been successful with the path that we chose. Numerous players were stepping up on the ice and a majority of them were also doing so in the locker room and around the VHL community. Everyone was signed long-term minus a few and the following season looked extremely appealing".

 

Regular Season Stats

• GP - 72
• W - 37
• L - 29
• OTL - 6
• PTS - 80
• GF/GA - 162/156

 

Playoffs Stats

• GP - 6
• W - 2
• L - 4
• GF/GA - 11/20

 

Season 52 - Let's Prove Them Wrong

Jakab Holik and company have been on FIRE this season so far!

 

Season 52, the team loaded up with some more talent in the off-season. Old time Bear and a member of the S49 meltdown Biggu Kyanon decided to call hsi career quits in Seattle and signed a one year contract with the organization. The team seen Shayne Gow leave for bigger and better opportunities, but the team had the depth currently to handle the situation with Petenis, Rodriguez and Kyanon standing tall for them on the blue-line. The team then managed to add Joel Jarvi in a deal from the Cologne Express and Thor Odinsson from the Quebec Meute. Both would turn out to be huge players for the team this season, however, the team hit a road bump when it came to Odinsson as he decided to hang up the skates after barely half a season with the Seattle organization. While this will put a hole in Seattle team future wise, the team currently is flying high in the regular season, sitting in first place with a 10 point lead on the New York Americans with 5 games remaining for the Bears and 6 for the Americans. 

 

"Always feels good to turn things around so strongly, but feels even better when the entire community for the most part was against you or doubting you. This season has been full of so many things - from triumph, to disaster - from good times with the team rolling on fairly lengthy winning streaks to drama circulated around myself, my managing ways and the organization. Looking back on it all? I'm fairly okay with how things turned out. I mean, some unfortunate happenings like Odinsson retiring will set us back, but I don't think the Bears will be ready to go back to sleep after this season. We're pushing really hard and there's no one who deserves it more than the guys I've sat with since my tenure pretty much began. Who have stuck by my side through the good and bad. They deserve it all and more".

 

Regular Season Stats

• GP - 67
• W - 55
• L - 10
• OTL - 2
• PTS - 112
• GF/GA - 241/112

 

Playoffs Stats

COMING SOON

 

Overall Statistics

267 Games Played - 160 Wins - 107 Losses - 16 Overtime Losses

 

While his career hasn't been full of shiny accolades or being in the spotlight for being a contender up until this season, Campbell's career has been fairly successful when it comes to being the bench boss for the Seattle Bears organization. With the numerous challenges they've faced, the team seems to have come out on top and were completely up to the challenge. While not all of this can be credited to the General Manager, he was the works behind putting together the roster and throwing in the lines. For future purposes, we expect Campbells career to carry on in the same direction.

Overall Grade:

B

1,895 words - for Aleksei Federov - DOUBLE TPE - 12

 

[Da Trifecta 1,902]

Trash tier GM is trash

[Jericho 917]

Claimed

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

Review:

I think you've done a good job at the helm. I would definitely play for you.

I wouldn't mind playing alongside Pods either.