Apollo Hackett Press Conference

[Renomitsu 934]

Apollo approaches the mic in a navy blue Wild cap.

 

"Dunno what you'd ask me, but let 'em fly."

 

Index Below:

Spoiler

lol i haven't answered any questions in this thread yet sorry

 

[nethi99 39]

Which team would you want to go to in the VHL?

[Renomitsu 934]

2 hours ago, nethi99 said:

Which team would you want to go to in the VHL?

Great question, but it's hard to answer at this point.

 

@Advantage made a great point in a radio interview I listened to on the way to practice this morning about how Malmö is a franchise undiscovered. Any players joining the Nighthawks have a chance to be the first in something great - to set a strong tradition for the team from the get-go. That definitely appeals to me, even as someone who doesn't take in a ton of headlines like HHH or Kari.

 

My agent knows Jasper Canmore @Bushito from a long, long time ago. He's very explicit and direct in the way he addresses his players, the press, and other executives in the league, and I'd like to think (based on that) that he runs a tight ship. I'd probably be more likely to butt heads with him than other GMs, but if that makes me a better player then I'm all for it. Calgary has a history that pre-dates my uncle Saul, and re-affirming that tradition would be a great experience.

 

Riga, like Calgary, is a long-standing franchise. They have a lot of capital in this season's draft. I'd have to see who they pick before my name is called, but if Kallis Kriketers @hedgehog337 drafts wisely, he could be set for the next few seasons in this league. I think it'd be an incredible experience to grow with a team largely made up of players from my class.

 

Otherwise, I either don't have a strong history with other GMs or I haven't had a lot of opportunities to talk to them, so it's very hard to have a grasp on how their teams are run.

[oilmandan 688]

1 How would you rate your current season in the VHLM?

 

2 Any VHL teams youd like to avoid in the draft?

 

3 Are you in any other sim leagues currently?

 

4 Who is the most underrated player in the S66 draft?

 

5 For a new member curious about the VHL,what would you say to try to get them interested?

 

6 Favourite NHL team 

[Renomitsu 934]

8 hours ago, oilmandan said:

1 How would you rate your current season in the VHLM?

 

2 Any VHL teams youd like to avoid in the draft?

 

3 Are you in any other sim leagues currently?

 

4 Who is the most underrated player in the S66 draft?

 

5 For a new member curious about the VHL,what would you say to try to get them interested?

 

6 Favourite NHL team 

1. In terms of performance? Not so great. I wanted to help Saskatoon into a clear playoff spot, and we're not quite there. I've taken a few more penalties than I'd like and probably played a bigger role in losses, especially early in the season.

By enjoyment? It's a privilege to be here. @Peace took a chance on offering me a contract and we haven't really looked back since. This community has a lot of interesting characters - and, based on what I've been hearing, a lot of new faces - which I'm happy to be a part of.

 

2. Not in particular. I don't have a good feel on the 'pulse' of the majors yet. I will say, though - if you're a GM not willing to reach out assess my interest by the time the draft comes (still plenty of time), don't draft me. I'm not interested in being a team's consolation prize because of a number or strictly due to hype.

 

3. I stepped into the EFL about a week and a half ago. It's a little harder for me to maximize point-earning there since it seems a slightly higher proportion of the TPE you earn there is based on sims/luck than here (9 vs. 12/wk here), but I am a fan of their 'career PT' segments.

 

4. My manager wrote a bit on this a while back. Big, big fan of Clayton Park @leafssteen - seems more and more likely each week that he'll be drafted before Wendy. Since that'd make him the #2 goalie prospect, we could see him gone as early as the top of the second - or drafted by the Nighthawks in the first, depending on how Dispersal and Expansion picks go. My teammate Hans Gruber @TheFlash has also grown a lot since the start of the season, but I'm sure there's a little teammate bias in there too. There are a handful of others, but I don't think people would take too kindly to me re-writing my article in this space, hah.

 

5. For one single person that I can talk to for a minute or two? I'd ask them what 'feeling' they like about sports the most. Is it the media narrative surrounding major league drafts? A chance to grow from (essentially) nothing and become a star? Play in a best-of series for the title? A little locker room drama here and there? Participating in discussions that change the rules of the league they play in? A chance to go from player to manager, or maybe a chance to publish official/semi-official league graphics or articles? The VHL already has all of that and more, but not every member will be interested in all of it. Recruitment to the masses is about appealing to a broad audience with generic interests. Finding a single person is about determining what appeals to them specifically and having a conversation about it.

 

6. Caps. Lived in the DMV my entire life and, while it pains me to root for a DC team as opposed to a Maryland team, it's pretty hard (for me) to root against Ovechkin.

[StamkosFan 72]

1. What are your strengths as a player?

2. How strong do you think your draft class is?

3. Who are your best friends so far in the league?

4. What do you see as your biggest strength as a player?

5. What is one thing you'd like to work on in training?

6. Do you think Saskatoon can make it into a playoffs spot?

7. What do you think is the biggest gap Saskatoon needs to fill in their roster?

8. What are your thoughts on upcoming VHL expansion?

9. If you could've played for any other VHLM team, who would you have chosen?

10. What are your goals for your career?

[Gustav 6,469]

1. Who do you see taking home the Founders' Cup in the VHLM this year?

 

2. You've gone through a lot of the draft's mid-to-late-round prospects. Tell us about a player from that field that you haven't mentioned yet that you think could end up being a legitimate steal.

 

3. Going off of that, are there any players that you think might be picked as a bit of a reach? Not necessarily too early, but surprising in placement?

 

4. Is Sonnet's profile picture waifu trash? 

[Renomitsu 934]

24 minutes ago, StamkosFan said:

1. What are your strengths as a player?

2. How strong do you think your draft class is?

3. Who are your best friends so far in the league?

4. What do you see as your biggest strength as a player?

5. What is one thing you'd like to work on in training?

6. Do you think Saskatoon can make it into a playoffs spot?

7. What do you think is the biggest gap Saskatoon needs to fill in their roster?

8. What are your thoughts on upcoming VHL expansion?

9. If you could've played for any other VHLM team, who would you have chosen?

10. What are your goals for your career?

1. Defensive technique, checking, physicality. Everything that's required in a pure defender is what I want to excel in, and it's what I've put the most work hours into over the past few weeks. There's still a lot of progress to make even among my strengths, definitely, but I'm most comfortable on my half of the ice. I completed my first intentional pass this week - uh, just don't ask about the other ones.

 

2. From a player's perspective, no idea. Hunter @Beaviss and Shane @Spade18 are going to be great, but I think they know that as much as any of the General Managers do. It's an incredibly deep class on top of the stars. I think some drafts before this may have had better top-level talent - the GM of Moscow @Victor did as good a job as pointing this out in a press conference of his own a day or two ago - but you have to go a long way back before any draft is competitive depth-wise with this one. I think Victor pointed out Daisuke Kanou's class as the closest competitor and they had six Hall of Famers. I think it'll be hard to judge from a league perspective, since most every team is going to get a little boost from the sheer size of the class so it'll even out to an extent.

 

3. Huh, I think Nethila [Dissanayake, fellow Wild] @nethi99 has been a huge positive influence in the locker room, and is pretty likely to go in the second round even as stacked as the draft is at wing. I'm not going to count @Peace because he's a superior - gotta keep professional boundaries, you know? Juan @Jus has also been great at keeping us afloat after really tough losses, even when he's going through a rough patch himself. I almost feel like I know @Tagger as well as anyone since I read his articles basically like a religion. There are a few others but I don't want to tag the whole league in here, yeah?

 

4. Physicality. I want other players to be scared of being hit by me. I might take a penalty a game (probably a little less), but there's little more satisfying and motivating for a team than seeing a star forward laid out.

 

5. Passing. I like to talk about hitting players and blocking shots, but I'd like to get all of my fundamentals rock-solid before I hit the pro scene. I can't hit a puck straight right now, and it's frustrating - definitely something I want to work on while shoring up my defensive techniques.

 

6. Yeah. We were a solid 7th in the league at when I joined the team, and my General Manager has made some moves since to gear us up for the second half of the season. We're a single point out of first place, though we've played a game more than most of the league, and now we have five games left to man up or shut up. I think we can do it.

 

7. That's a hard question to answer, because we have a couple of players' depth at every position and arguably too many good wingers - which is a problem I love to have. Maybe a center to sit under Hans @TheFlash and learn a little from him. He's an excellent set-up man with good passing and loose puck skills, who doesn't rely exclusively on scoring to get his paycheck. Works great with Shawnomir.

 

8. Expansion means the league is probably moving in the right direction - not just because of this year's draft class, but because it indicates there's an area with sufficient financial, social, and political support for a major league team. It'll also even out our teams since the addition of the Wolves brought us to 9, and may bring about conversations about playoff expansion.

 

It also means most players in this ridiculously large draft will have a home and some ice time in the VHL in their future, which is great for fanbases from smaller countries.

 

9. I don't know. I like the idea of playing for an underdog, so the Reapers @BladeMaiden or Lynx would have been an interesting choice. But provided how things were going when I first joined the league, I don't know if either team would have been interested in taking a chance on me. I'm quite happy playing for the Wild, and am more than satisfied with how the season has played out so far - lots of opportunities to learn and grow.

 

10. I've always been told to 'set your sights high,' as even if you don't achieve your goals, you'll push harder than if you are satisfied with being 'good enough.' I want an all-star game or Rookie of the Year in my future. If I can reach one of the Best Defensemen of the Year awards, you bet I'm going to aim even higher than that. I need to be able to look back at the end of my career and understand that there's very little, if anything else I could have accomplished.

 

38 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

1. Who do you see taking home the Founders' Cup in the VHLM this year?

 

2. You've gone through a lot of the draft's mid-to-late-round prospects. Tell us about a player from that field that you haven't mentioned yet that you think could end up being a legitimate steal.

 

3. Going off of that, are there any players that you think might be picked as a bit of a reach? Not necessarily too early, but surprising in placement?

 

4. Is Sonnet's profile picture waifu trash? 

 

1. Minnesota and Halifax look great. But Minnesota is hitting its stride at the right time - especially after that crazy trade they pulled off - momentum is worth its weight in gold in the VHL. Doesn't mean we won't give them a scare or upset in the playoffs, though.

 

2. chattering from the back; Apollo briefly turns around to face his agent.

 

My manager says I need to mention Jerry Garcia @GustavMattias before going any further. Love the way he plays and don't mean to bother him, but my manager's pretty insistent. Anyways, Edgar Tannahill @gregreg is a sneaky-good sniper who's got the chops necessary to succeed at a high level. He's a little lower than I am on some mock drafts, but if you see the amount of work he puts in, it's all there. And that's not just because he's my teammate.

 

3. Some teams desperate for a goalie after Owen [May, goalie for Houston] and Clayton [Park, for Yukon] are gone are going to reach, a lot, for a solid netminder. I'm obviously going to espouse my guy Juan for the next best available - and I do believe that - but I'm not going to name any names for who I think might disappoint. Don't want to burn any bridges, you know?

 

4. You know, uh, a lot of people have very strong opinions on this, but I'm not about to fight the powers that be. I have to ask @Sonnet one question: are they responsible for problems with my computer? This video has me very concerned because I don't know enough about these cartoon children or computers.

 

(claiming for weeks ending 4/14 and 4/21)

[Jus 35]

On ‎4‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 9:35 PM, StamkosFan said:

1. What are your strengths as a player?

2. How strong do you think your draft class is?

3. Who are your best friends so far in the league?

4. What do you see as your biggest strength as a player?

5. What is one thing you'd like to work on in training?

6. Do you think Saskatoon can make it into a playoffs spot?

7. What do you think is the biggest gap Saskatoon needs to fill in their roster?

8. What are your thoughts on upcoming VHL expansion?

9. If you could've played for any other VHLM team, who would you have chosen?

10. What are your goals for your career?

 

1. Work Ethic. Rebound Control. I try to keep my self balanced and adaptable.

2.Very strong. Even the Goalies make fierce competition.
3. @SparrowLTD got me into the league, so he's defaulted in. @Renomitsu and @K1NG LINUS always keep the locker room in good spirits. They've made the process easier, for sure.

4. Adaptability and my Mentality. Very much a clock in, do your job, and clock out kind of player.

5. I'd like to raise my overall performance. I know some people like to focus on one or two key stats, but I think there's a place for a solid all-arounder.

6. Nooooope.

7. A lot of high level players are going to get scooped in the draft, so depth at forward and defense will be key.

8. It's exciting! Being around for growth like this is really cool.

9. Honestly, probably Philly. I hear their lockerroom is a blast.

10. I need to get better. Hands down, that's my goal. I want to make a long, tried and true classic goalie. Hard work, dedicated. I want to make Juan Jaundice into a respectable name.

[Renomitsu 934]

Claiming my second week of the above post here!

 

Ask me some more questions!

[SlapshotWrangler 864]

1. What would you say was the highlight of your season this season?

2. What number do you wear and why?

3. How are the fans at Saskatoon? Still fiery and energetic as ever?

4. What are your thoughts on the Wild logo?

5. Would you rather play with wet gear or no cup?

[Renomitsu 934]

12 hours ago, SlapshotDragon said:

1. What would you say was the highlight of your season this season?

2. What number do you wear and why?

3. How are the fans at Saskatoon? Still fiery and energetic as ever?

4. What are your thoughts on the Wild logo?

5. Would you rather play with wet gear or no cup?

1. Probably when @Tagger said I could go in the mid third round. I want to be taken seriously as a player in spite of my relative newness to the league, and I got a tremendous confidence boost when a relatively-reliable source like the VHL Scouting Center sends you some love. Another is when my agent was used as a source for a recent GustavMattias article on defensemen - always feels good for someone you hold in high esteem to be recognized by someone you respect.

 

2. 22. It's the number my uncle wore, and you bet I'm going to do him (and the rest of my family) proud within the next few seasons. It's a number that has a decent amount of history, and my agent and I both agreed pretty quickly on it. I wore a few different jersey numbers in college because I wasn't one of their high-priority scholarship players early on, so I don't have much of an established history in that respect.

 

3. Yeah! I'm pretty sure one guy jumped through the arena walls and onto the ice and tried to hug Nethila @nethi99 mid-way through our last game of the season. I mean, he was a big dude but I've never seen anyone just casually crash through the walls like that, maybe aside from the Kool-Aid Man.

 

4. Personally? I like it. It leaves a tiny bit of ambiguity as to what animal the 'wild' are supoposed to be, but communicates ferocity without too much edginess. I feel like it's pretty easy to make a team logo too edgy with black and red while trying to look 'cool,' and our logo is far from that.

 

5. Wet gear. Other players try to get me back for hard hits way too often to not wear a cup. It's not like they're aiming for the family jewels, but if I've hit them five or six times in a game they're definitely going to try to return every one. I remember falling in the pond once or twice when playing hockey in Ithaca, and yeah, wet gear is rough, but at least it doesn't sting days later like a player in pads going full force into your balls.

[Gustav 6,469]

1. How offended are you that nobody has said anything in your press conference lately? Who do we kill first?

2. How do you feel about the performance of your predictions in our recent group mock draft? Who ends up nailing it in S70?

3. Hackett is finally moving up to the top line with the trade of Joseph McWolf to Malmo. Is an award on the way? Why or why not?

4. Who does better this season, Jerry or Apollo?

5. Why do you love me so much?

6. Malmo and Riga come together in the playoffs for a rematch. Who wins and why?

 

@Renomitsu here you go

[Renomitsu 934]

8 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

1. How offended are you that nobody has said anything in your press conference lately? Who do we kill first?

2. How do you feel about the performance of your predictions in our recent group mock draft? Who ends up nailing it in S70?

3. Hackett is finally moving up to the top line with the trade of Joseph McWolf to Malmo. Is an award on the way? Why or why not?

4. Who does better this season, Jerry or Apollo?

5. Why do you love me so much?

6. Malmo and Riga come together in the playoffs for a rematch. Who wins and why?

 

1. Kinda offended but I'm also not controversial enough to ask questions on a regular basis. Can we kill Matt Thompson (@Beketov) just to see if his angry ghost is even better at hockey than the real thing?

 

2. Oof, I did pretty poorly - probably should have put more thought into our picks! I think we go rogue in S70, collaborate with @Nykonax to do a mock draft, and he goes a solid 19/24 (~80%) in the first two rounds. Don't let me down, Nyko - the bar is set.

 

3. I already miss @McWolf tbh. I don't think an award is on the way for a lot of reasons: because I can't score like some offensive defensemen can - and if the award voting is any indication, that's what gets a majority of the awards and all-star positions. I think I'm a candidate kind of at the periphery for a Wylde, but unfortunately there's a predilection for that award to go to good defensemen on worse-than-average teams, particularly because more shots against lead to more shots blocked (contingent on defense, puck handling, etc. of course).  I'm hoping Riga or whatever team I'm on is consistently good for my career, so it's not impossible (I thought Jerry had a great chance this year in spite of being on a Finals team) but it is less likely.

 

4. Stats wise, or in terms of team success? I think the Nighthawks made some great signings this off-season, and even with the retirement of Thompson have a strong shot at the cup. Apollo will be facing the same level of competition as Garcia this season - and I lost out stats-wise even when facing second liners. I'll give the advantage to you.

 

5. Well, you like defense, write long-form articles, and should have been at the top of the VHL Cute List. I think that's a good start.

 

6. This will depend on home-ice advantage in my opinion. You may have taken McWolf from us, but we're still a deep team with excellent first-liners. The difference will be which version of Kriketers shows up - STHS likes to mess with us and give Kriketers random terrible games interspersed with shut-outs, and I don't like our chances if we throw McGee to the wolves (not the Wolves wolves, just the figurative wolves) in a high-stakes playoff game. 

[McWolf 3,116]

i miss you too

[Banackock 8,141]

Bana's Quick Q's

 

What are your thoughts on your season?

What are your thoughts on how your team is doing?

Who do you think wins MVP?

Who has been your teams best player?

If you were to drop the gloves with any other VHLer, who would it be and why? don't be afraid to tag a bitch. 

Who makes it to the finals out of North America?

Who makes it out for Europe?

If the VHLM were to move Mexico but keep logo/name, where would you rebrand em to?

What are your thoughts on 12 days of Christmas?

What are you doing this year for the holiday season?

What are you hoping to get for presents this year?

Tell the league and those who lurk creepily reading these... a fact about you as a member.

 

[A few for your to pick and answer etc]

@Renomitsu

[Renomitsu 934]

Hey @Banackock, thanks for the questions!

 

If you were to drop the gloves with any other VHLer, who would it be and why? don't be afraid to tag a bitch. 

@GustavMattias I'm tagging you here just so I have a place to tag you. Jerry and Apollo need to duke it out at least once in their careers, right?

 

If the VHLM were to move Mexico but keep logo/name, where would you rebrand em to?

The Mexico City Kings. What? They already exist? Oh well.

 

What are your thoughts on 12 days of Christmas?

I think it's a nice little event to promote some holiday spirit. I also haven't won a lotto in quite some time, so it would only make sense if I did now. Right? Right? Isn't that how math works?

 

No? Oh well.

 

What are you doing this year for the holiday season?

Spending time with the family back in the States, at least for a day or two. The international VHL schedule makes travel a bit of a nightmare, so any time I can carve out with them is what I aim for.

 

What are you hoping to get for presents this year?

I never try to set expectations for gifts. I could get a home-made gift or one worth $1, and so long it has some genuine thought behind it I'm happy with it.

 

Tell the league and those who lurk creepily reading these... a fact about you as a member.

Well uh, those of you who know me a little or see me in Discord know I'm a medical student and, more intermittently (and unwillingly) a fake blue.

[Renomitsu 934]

What are your thoughts on your season?

I have a slightly different role than I thought I would at this point in my career, really. I expected to be a bit more of an enforcer, but unfortunately it isn't generally compatible with team success. It's a little odd to see where I am in terms of scoring defenseman points - especially with my goal-scoring total this season - but I more relevantly, I want to see my team succeed.

 

What are your thoughts on how your team is doing?

I think it's going reasonably well, but there's always room to improve. Riga isn't number one, and we still take a handful of losses we shouldn't. Our young pros are playing fantastically, stepping up against players with years of experience and hype around them. @Cxsquared, @diacope, @Tate, and @SweetMike666 - you're killin' it in the big leagues.

 

Who do you think wins MVP?

Depends. If you don't factor in team success, I think Mikko Aaltonen is the obvious answer for MVP. But in spite of Randoms's and Julius Freeman's stellar point totals, I think Julian Borwinn @Jubo07 and HHH @Beaviss have incredibly strong arguments for MVP. They're point leaders and goal scorers for their teams, and while Kronos Bailey and Julius Freeman have been all-star level this season, both Borwinn and HHH have over 200 hits and about 20 blocked shots to their name apiece. HHH likely gets the nod for overall better team success.

 

Who has been your teams best player?

Oh, man. Hard to say. Kallis @hedgehog337has been fantastic in goal, and he's a huge reason why we're the #1 defense by goals against this season. Elias (Dahlberg) @Nykonax plays a really physical style and, even though I'm sad he'll be retiring at the end of the season, he has a lot to be proud for this season.

 

Who makes it to the finals out of North America?

Front-runners right now have to be Seattle and Vancouver, no mistaking that. I might give the edge to Seattle right now, if only because Rayz Funk is a smidge above Greg Eagles.

 

Who makes it out for Europe?

I like our chances. That's all I'll say.

 

(part 2 of the PC questions - will be claimed at earliest 12/29)

[Gustav 6,469]

41 minutes ago, Renomitsu said:

@GustavMattias I'm tagging you here just so I have a place to tag you. Jerry and Apollo need to duke it out at least once in their careers, right?

Jerry prefers to make peace, not war.