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From the Shadows to the Spotlight: An introduction to Philadelphia’s GM [1/2]


DMaximus

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At the end of season 67, the VHLM franchise the Philadelphia Reapers had a tumultuous offseason that culminated in the resigning/removal of their previous GM, BladeMaiden, followed by the VHLM commissioners creating a job posting for the newly opened GM position. In an announcement made only 2 days before the S68 VHLM Dispersal Draft the VHLM commissioners announced that a new GM was hired. Since that announcement, little additional information has been provided by the VHLM or the Reaper organization about the identity of the new GM.

 

In a wide-ranging press conference today, the Reaper GM reveled her identity and put a face and a name to the manager of the squad. Domini Maximus, a 38-year-old self-described “sports junkie” shared her thoughts on getting named GM of the Reapers, their previous season, and her hopes for the future of the franchise.

 

 

Domini_Maximus_GM_Sig.png.00fa5f2c8cb5e13394c02bdb27bd0e67.png

(Credit to @enigmaticfor the amazing picture)

 

Born in Saginaw, Michigan Domini has been a sports fan her entire life, playing, watching, and studying “every sport ever and even some I made up on my own.” This passion for sports led her to major in sports management at Michigan University and complete the sports management master’s program at Georgetown University. Since then she has been working her way up the ladder to this moment. “I’ve worked so many different jobs in the sports industry. After graduating, I started hawking hot dogs at the Great Lakes Loons games. Sure it was demoralizing to have a master’s degree and to have to tote around a big case of hot dogs and beer at a single A baseball game, but that got my foot in the door.” Since then Domini hasn’t stopped working. After a short stint working for the Loons, she was hired to work in the hockey program for her alma mater, Michigan. “Hockey has always been my main passion. Growing up in Saginaw, hockey was everywhere and everything. My dad played it, my sister player it, I played it. It’s in my blood. It was great to be able to join Michigan’s prestigious hockey program.”

 

At Michigan, Domini helped with scouting and recruiting. Here is where her use of advanced metrics and statistics helped her excel. Current Michigan head coach, Mel Pearson was an assistant coach under Red Berenson when Domini joined the program. “Every meeting Domini would come in with charts and stats. She really blew everyone away. Her knowledge and drive is unlike anyone I’ve ever worked with.” Miss Maximus spoke about her use of statistics, “Back when I started, people would look at me like I was talking crazy when I would bring up something like Corsi or Zone Start statistics. People used to think their eyes could see everything and you could trust your gut. But we all have biases and our mind will trick us into seeing what we want to see, confirmation bias. Numbers tell the ultimate truth and that’s why I use them so much.”

 

Domini had tried to break into the VHL, applying for any open position for the last couple of seasons. Her first job was to be the Assistant GM for Minnesota. “You know I can’t thank @Rayzor_7 enough. He took a risk hiring me and I’ll never forget that.” That experience and recommendation from Rayzor put her near the top of the candidate list for the Reaper position. Still, she was surprised and elated when she received word of her hiring. “Initially I was in a bit of shock. I mean this is something I’ve spent my life working toward and now I got it. It was an amazing day.” Unfortunately, due to the fact the draft was only 2 days away, she had very little time to bask in the announcement. “I hung up the phone, smiled, gave a little fist pump, and then got right to work.” Domini was sure to mention how helpful others were in getting her on board, especially @BladeMaiden. “You know it was so nice that she took the time to show me around the Reaper facilities. She was a great help in getting me started. She didn’t need to do any of that and I really appreciate it.”

 

Domini’s face turns more solemn when the conversation turns to season 68. “Things didn’t work out as I had hoped.” She said in reference to the Reapers missing the playoffs by one point. “I learned a lot from our losses and can only hope to be a better GM moving forward.” Domini continued “Of course losing makes me unhappy, but it really breaks your heart when you have to face your players, who work so hard day after day. They gave me more than I asked for. They’ve deserved to have a playoff run. They earned it. But we just fell short. I had a great group of players and it’s my fault we didn’t make it. It’s on me to put our team in the best position to win game and I failed last year. Never again.”

 

When asked about her GMing style Domini mused “hmm, I like to try to place value on everything and make moves that are worth it. That increase value. Sometimes that means making lots of trades and moves. Other times that means staying put and doing nothing. It just depends on the situation. Just as I use advanced metrics to monitor the on-ice performance of our players, I use it to monitor all the teams and players in the league. That helps me build a database of value that I can use to my advantage.”

 

Her answer to what her goals are as Philadelphia’s GM were short and to the point, “Win championships. Period.”

 

With the confidence she displayed at this press conference, it a wonder why Domini took so long to make a public statement. But it seems like now that she’s arrived, she’s here to stay and hopes to keep the Reapers on top of the VHLM.

 

Her actions leading up to the S69 draft indicate she is ready to take charge. Philadelphia has made 3 pre-draft trades, moving back multiple times in the 1st round, accumulating additional picks in this draft and in future drafts along the way. While once in the shadows, Philadelphia appear ready to emerge onto the main stage in the VHLM. Led by their GM, Domini Maximus.

 

 

1051 words, claiming for weeks ending 11/10 and 11/17.

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Great look into one of the more overlooked aspects of the VHL in general managers; I always like hearing something of an origin story. Glad to hear things are still pretty active in the Reapers LR too! Remember to use a comma after a "city, state" combo, e.g.

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Born in Saginaw, Michigan, Domini has been a sports fan her entire life

 

There were also some pretty rare isolated grammatical errors, e.g. one instance of plural/singular agreement here:

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...value on everything and make moves that are worth it. That increases value.

I felt it was well-written overall! Nice work.

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  • DollarAndADream changed the title to From the Shadows to the Spotlight: An introduction to Philadelphia’s GM [1/2]

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