The Long & Short of It: Jiggly Gumballs

[IamMOOSE 361]

 

            Our featured spotlight for The Long & Short of It is Jiggly Gumballs (@JigglyGumballs), Los Angeles Stars Defensemen and current Assistant General Manager for the Las Vegas Aces of the VHLM. Selected 28^th overall in the s73 Entry Draft by LA, Gumballs played his first season in the VHL this year [s74], recording 35 points and racking up 178 hits and 153 blocked shots. He split some marginal time on both the powerplay and penalty kill, and racked 11 powerplay points, and 2 points on the PK. While his overall performance on the stat line won’t put him in Rookie of the Year talks, his play within the organization should be noted as the rookie played a very elevated role on the expansion Stars’ lineup and flourished in many areas, giving Los Angeles a glimpse at what Gumballs’ potential is as a top pair defensemen.

 

            His play on the ice for Los Angeles began with a slow start, with only 1 assist in his first five games as a rookie. What was more promising were the additional 8 hits & 8 blocked shots (including 5 shots blocked in a game against Calgary) where Gumballs emerged as a defensively minded defensemen prospect. He would add 8 points in his next 13 games however, bringing him to a 0.50ppg total for the first 18 games of the season, showcasing the promise of a long-term two-way presence on the back end. The Stars early season surge faded as they slid further down the conference, finishing dead last in North America and second worst in the league in total points. But it was a bitter season for the franchise nor Gumballs who took steps to be a more competitive team than the statistics would show. Gumballs as a rookie would finish in the top 25 in Shots Blocked for defensemen, and in the top 50 amongst all players for Hits.

 

            Where Jiggly Gumballs shined arguably brighter this season came with his role as the AGM for the Vegas Aces. Pushing the importance of bringing vitality back to their forum lockeroom, maintaining their extremely active Discord, and helping attract the waivers needed to plug up the roster depth, Gumballs has been a part of the Vegas train that has them in the Conference/Semi Finals of the VHLM playoffs. His attention to the finer details of the being a AGM in the league have in conversations as one of the best of the position and should likely be a top candidate for a GM role when one becomes available. His contributions to the league and his team, especially during the month of October have had him #1 in the league as a contributor for majority of the month, and he currently sits at #2 just 9 behind #1 Victor for the #1 spot this month.

 

            Looking at Jiggly Gumballs, his build is very tailored for 2-Way Defensemen play as he sports a 90 DF, 89 PA, & 80 SK/PH respectively, his top four skills. He also yields a 75 on CK, boosting those hit numbers along the way yet still improving on an already 77 SC stat. It’s another case of VHLM Defense build where PA takes over SC and it’s had very mixed results in the VHL. Gumballs’ second season with a likely better roster and expanded role will give him a chance to showcase whether his style is fit to stay, or whether he goes the route of GM Spartan and pumps that SC skill up.

 

            Finally, we sat down with Jiggly, who had a lot to say about his work as an AGM, his surprise as being consider one of the best AGMs in the league, and his thoughts on the next steps for Los Angeles.

 

1.    It was your first season as a member of the Los Angeles Stars. In your own words, how would you describe the season as a whole for Jiggly Gumballs as a player?

 

“Jiggly Gumballs in my opinion had a decent rookie season. He only had 35 points in 72 games but what makes his season pretty good was his defensive game. 153 shots blocked, 178 hits. Pretty good stats for a rookie in a still pretty new expansion team.”

 

 

2.    You’re on an expansion team less than five seasons old. It would not be an outlandish statement to say this team is attempting to build from the ground up. What do you feel the next step in that develop is for not only the organization but your role within LA?

 

“Well I think I can play a pretty big role in LA. The thing with expansion teams is that it gives a lot of opportunities for guys like me to become an initial franchise face of sorts, and I wanna be that for LA. I want people to think of me when they consider defenseman from LA. I don't think that'll be the case next season, but hopefully it starts there.”

 

 

3.    In a league that is very Offensive Defensemen heavy it’s been fair to say that you’ve played a very two-way and maybe arguably more defense first style as a player. Was that always the goal going into your career even starting with the VHLM or have you morphed into the role over time?

 

“It was always a goal for me to be a two-way, puck moving D with a heavier emphasis on passing. I expected more on point production but I think that might come in due time. I also wanted to try a stray away from the meta a bit by putting emphasis on passing rather than scoring. So far that experiment worked in the VHLM and hopefully that turns out good results in the VHL as well.”

 

 

4.    Bold predictions, what does next season look like for the Los Angeles Stars and Jiggly Gumballs?

 

“I will finally reach my goal of 69 assists. I was one away in my last season in the VHLM, and hopefully I'll reach that goal here. In terms of the Stars, I think they might qualify for the playoffs. LA has a good mix of veterans and young players, and as they continue to keep earning, LA will be contender soon enough.”

 

 

5.    Switching gears to your other role as the AGM for Vegas. How did that role come to be for you and what drew you to Vegas?

 

“Vegas to me has become a pretty special place. What initially drew me to Vegas was just me trying to apply to any open AGM spots I can to get a job. I've been trying to get one for a while during that time and when I finally landed the job in Vegas, I wanted to make sure that I try my best. This AGM role means a lot more to me than just a simple job. Seeing the players earn and be engaged, and knowing that I have an impact on helping them be more active means something.”

 

 

6.    Spartan has been very vocal about your contributions to building the lockeroom in Vegas and helping revitalize the forum lockeroom for Vegas. What went into that process and why is it important to you to have an active lockeroom even on the forum?

 

“In all honesty, there isn't really any process to keeping the discord LR active. It's just a chill, mostly non-toxic place where people can just talk. We are also really welcoming in Vegas as anyone can pretty much join and relax. In terms of the forum LR, we actually have a guy who doesn't have discord, so I try to keep that LR active so that he can also have a similar experience to other players who do have discord. Active LRs are probably the most important thing when it comes to keeping players active, so it should be the GMs, and AGMs responsibility to maintain that activity.”

 

 

7.    I’ve personally seen some and it’s been commented that you have some of the better Press Conference engagement in the league. What amount of emphasis do you put on Press Conferences and why do you feel they engage with players more than say another team’s?

 

“I put a decent amount of effort to my pressers to at least give people thought provoking questions. I don't want people to just go "here's 6 questions and here's your TPE." I want them to at least give a bit more effort in answering the questions. I think if anything, I'm making it more of a hassle to answer the questions but as long as they have a bit more thought in answering them, I'm good. Plus the personal questions really help with that.”

 

 

8.    Final question now, you’ve been associated with conversations as one of the top AGMs in the league. There’s an expectation that whenever a GM spot opens that you’ll be high on the list of calls. What does that mean to you and better question what does the future hold for you as a front office personnel?

 

“People really think of me that way? Well thanks to anyone who thinks so highly of me as an AGM. That actually means quite a bit. I do try and give the best effort I can in terms of doing my job and seeing that people think of me so highly means that my work is paying off. In terms of the future, I gotta say that there's a bright road ahead of me. Spartan has really taught me well and I'm already looking at taking the next step. I'm probably still too inexperienced but I think I can get a promotion in the future.”

Edited October 30, 2020 by IamMOOSE

[JigglyGumballs 1,056]

Great pleasure to participate in this interview!!