Expansion Success – The Philly Reapers

[Jubo 1,839]

A franchise surrounded by an expectation of success; this is the mantra the Reapers have earned over the last two seasons. @BladeMaiden, the architect of the franchise has provided Philly with all the tools required for continued success. After receiving an expansion team just three seasons ago, Philly has been put on the historical map in the VHL landscape. A team in Philly was heavily promoted within when expansion discussions were at the forefront of league discussions at the end of season 64. Philly was soon awarded the Reapers who scooped up a highly motivated Katherine Blade as GM. Blade realized early on that an expansion team has little chance to compete against existing teams who brought in returning players and a plethora of draft picks. She did the sensible thing in season 65 and stockpiled assets and picks for what would become a promising 2+ seasons for the franchise. 29 draft picks combined through the season 66 and 67 drafts allowed the Reapers to become a powerhouse. Through strong drafting and devotion to creating a tight knit group within the Philly locker-room, the Reapers went on to a dominant season 66 campaign capped off with a Founders Cup championship. Season 67 has thus far been as threatening of a club if not more than season 66. The Reapers have just 10 games left on the season and have only lost nine games in regulation. The playoffs are just around the corner which should be a highly exciting venture for the Reapers. The Reapers have the deepest roster in the VHLM for the second straight season which give management the spoils of running almost four unique lines and defensive pairings.

Season 66 and 67 combined numbers;

134 GP – 105 W – 21 L – 8OT/SOL – 534 GF – 274 GA

Blade has only been around in the VHL for 10 months and has created a ripple effect that has populated the VHL with countless motivated skaters and goalies. Her willingness to help those that are new to the experience and dedication to user retention should lead her to earning a VHL franchise in the very near future. Being the best of the best in her current role should not hold her back from moving up the ranks. We need more people like Blade in the VHLM to keep our retention numbers heading in the right direction. Adding a GM of her caliber to the VHL would offer the professional league another desirable manager to strive to play for. Working alongside Katherine as her assistant general manager has been an absolute joy. Watching how she communicates and devotes her time to the Philly community is something words cannot show appreciation for. This is more than a minor league team to her. This is a thriving community of promising VHL draftees that will go on to represent the values learned in their formative season(s) in the VHLM. The VHLM has improved drastically since I joined in season 62. We owe a lot of this drive for improvement to the recruitment crew, league commissioners, team management and each individual active player in the league.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Jubo07