Philadelphia Reapers S74 Season Preview

[DMaximus 1,046]

Philadelphia Reapers S74 Season Preview

 

As season 74 of the VHLM begins, we asked Philadelphia Reaper GM Domini Maximus to discuss the Reaper roster for the upcoming season.

 

We’ll start with our two veteran players that remain from last season:

 

Darius Marimoto @dariusmarimotoman– A winger who plays hard both on offense and on defense. His strong frame allows him to throw his weight around and work himself into good position in front of goal. We’ve seen his skills grow considerably since last season and expect to see that growth increase or even accelerate this season. He displays natural leadership which has earned him the captain role for his 2^nd straight season.

 

Carson Walkers @Cwalker – Our best waiver pickup last season, we were lucky enough to be able to pick him with our 2^nd round pick in the draft this season. Carson has become more familiar with how hockey is played at this level and has really adapted him game to set himself up to succeed. He’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades on the ice, which means he likely will always have a place on any team’s roster. If he’s able to find a unique talent and harvest that, he could become a very special player.

 

Going into the draft, we only had a couple of picks. We were able to make some trades to land additional picks, which helped us fill out our roster with these draftees:

 

 Shawn Andrei Zyuzin @TheLastOlympian07 – I’ll be honest, I’m absolutely shocked we were able to select a player from this historic agency in the 4^th round. They go all the way back to the beginning of the league. That dedication shows in Zyuzin’s play and confidence. While Zyuzin may still be raw talent wise, his physical prowess is undeniable. He skates, hits, and plays with a ferocity unmatched by most. If he’s able to unlock some hockey talent, we could have an all-time great defenseman on our hands.

 

Thomas King @Duddy – Another player who comes from an agency ripe with history. They may have gone silent for a while, but they announced their return in style with Thomas. A supremely talented winger who is sublime in his movements on the ice. Of all the players on the Reapers, he can pull off the most jaw-dropping moves. Continual training and focus on his craft will surely lead to success in this season and future seasons.

 

Jacob Carson @jacobcarson877 – If there weren’t a surplus of goalies at the moment, there is no doubt in my mind that Jacob would have been a first round pick. Lucky for us, he was available in the late 4^th round and we grabbed our goalie. At 6’6” Jacob has size every coach dreams of.  He may be lacking some experience, but he has all the opportunity in the world to work hard and make himself into an elite netminder.

 

Rantheman @Flyguy28 – The single name enigma surprised the world by declaring for the draft only a week or so before the draft. He’s a fast-skating, hard-hitting winger who makes his presence known out on the ice. The speed of the game may take some time for him to adjust to. But he has all the required tools to become a star in this league.

 

Breeze Ladrian @Kelsier – Breeze’s agency is known more for their role in the basketball community, but they’re smart enough to know they need a great player to make the jump into hockey. Breeze is exactly that great player. This kid was born with an elite level hockey sense. His knowledge of and feeling for the game are amazing. He seems to know where everyone is on the ice at all times. Add those smarts to his gargantuan frame and you have the makings for an unstoppable player. Sure his physical talent could use some improvement, but there’s no doubt Breeze is up to the task.

 

And then we had two great waiver/FA signings:

 

Liam Fischl @linsangeles – Another player from a historic agency based out of Latvia. After taking some time away from the VHL they announced their return with Liam Fischl, an extremely talented winger. With Fischl being so new we’re still getting a feel for his game and he’s getting a feel for the fast-paced life of professional hockey. We’re just as excited as all our fans to watch Fischl become a star of the league.

 

Richard Fitzwell @Tomato Soup– We’re so glad we were able to get Reaper fan favorite Fitzwell back into a Reaper jersey. This talented defenseman was the heart of Philly’s defense for multiple seasons and seeing him return after a couple of seasons away from the game is great. Based on initial inspection, he hasn’t missed a step. He came back and started performing at the same level he was at when he left.

 

We still have a couple of spots open to fill out the roster. We’ll continue to scour the waiver wires for new players looking to contribute to this organization. At the moment, this team may be young and may not match up to some of the top teams in the league, but watch out come the end of the season. By that time our roster will have had the necessary time to grow together and gel. I wouldn’t want to face us in the playoffs this season. If some of these players remain on the roster next season, watch out! We have a whole slew of picks for season 75. If we’re able to combine the talent of the current roster with our draft picks next season, we may be unstoppable. Even if we graduate all our players to the majors this season, we still have enough picks to have an extremely strong team next season.

 

The trajectory of this organization is upward, which is amazing considering our floor has been making the playoffs for the last 5 seasons. Our success is all due to how hard working and dedicated the Reaper players have been over the past couple of seasons. It makes my life as a GM such a joy when we have such great players who work so tirelessly. Thank you to all the Reapers on this roster, all the Reapers on previous rosters, and to all Reapers on future rosters! You all are amazing.

 

1,048 words, will claim for 2 weeks.

[DMaximus 1,046]

Week 2 claim

[Bobo 514]

Nice article, man! We should collaborate on a media spot or article. That would be fun.

 

[Xflexz 179]

Having the names of the players a different color made it easy to look at. Having botht he name and @ might be overkill in the way you have it. That part does look slightly clunky. If you wanted both like you have now maybe having the name be a headline and their @ be below it then on the next line you can start writing the info about the player. 9/10

 

EX...        

Markus Emerson Jr. 

@xfexz

     oneroifunwroiufrweoufghwerougfwheouge player info sjbnfiuashfpiasbfpiauwsbdfi nf.

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by Xflexz