Heading into S24 I am looking at securing the number one D man position for the Steelhawks and help us get back to the cup finals. Ask me any questions you have regarding anything on your mind.
JPL
Thoughts on Hamilton's picks this season?
I think we rocked the hell out of the draft! Being able to draft arguably the 2 best defense men in the entire draft class and possibly the last two / three drafts. Both are new members with a drive that should take them far. I see new active members being bigger assets then any recreate based just off of there interest level and excitement to be part of the league. If a guy has been through a season in the SMJHL and is still as active as when he first joined the site, it usually means you have a gem of a player and a teammate.
Both Brumm and Girard are offensive defense men which will work out great for me as I am a defensive blue liner as you also are. It will be cool to see just how they develop and are rotated around to find the best chemistry with both yourself and me. I know these two have great work ethic and it goes beyond just training so I believe there here to stay and dominate.
How far do you think Steelhawks can go without Jakobsen?
I am a strong believer that one man does not make a team. Yes Jakobsen was a point machine and it is hard to replace the skill level he brought to our team. I still think we have the right parts to go far into the playoffs and possibly even a cup run this year. If we can add those all so important finishing touches I could see us yet again as a favorite for a cup favorite. We have a deep team already even with the departure of Jakobsen. It gives some room to open up new line up combinations and put our already great wing depth the chance to shine.
Our back end is our biggest weakness again this season but it is getting better and continues to grow stronger. Another season of training and work and another season for us to improve. Same some what could be said about our goal tender Tanner but I think he is at a point now where he has found his stride and will be a huge impact for us between the pipes. All of these things add up to a deep team once again and will help fill the void the was left with Jakobsen's departure.
Thoughts on Potential of this young Defensive core we've got going?
We have probably the most exciting up and coming defensive cores in the league. Me being part of that and also being a top 4 TPE member from the S22 draft, I work my but off to stay there to. I am in elite company with names like Bana, Harter and Moushey. My drive and determination gives, I hope a good example to the rest of the core to follow suit. We have seen increasing commitment from Boose who may be straggling behind a bit with his training is a great team guy. He has the opurtinty right now to turn on the jets and keep up. Bushito who is mid 600's is solid but is not training with an elitest in mind, he was argubaly our best D man last year and is still looking like a top 2 defender for the season.
Now we have an exciting duo of defenders we got in this draft! Two very talented and work horse mentality players that give are blue line a new dimension with there skill levels. Brumm and Girard are two of the top TPE players from there draft class. They are two offensively gifted and minded players with a passion for our league. These two are going to be something special to watch in the coming years and will leave us with a very enviable blue line with a season or two. They add a dynamic to our club that goes far beyond the ice and plants itself deep in our locker room. There personality's alone will draw outside attention to Hamilton that will make us a very desirable destination for most players.
I would extend our goalie into this discussion as well. With Tanner working hard and adding TPE with the best of them our team should be a rock on the back end. Most teams have a some depth in the tending and defense, but it is spread out with guys from all different era's of the league. We have a core of young determined members all within a few years of one another who should easily be able to start dynasty conversation with in the league.
choose Schultzy, Tanner, and LV for Fuck, Marry, Kill?
Easy answers here, Kill LV for slacking with his training, really dude lol. Fuck Tanner as hes from Florida and them boys be wild. Marry Shultz, why not marry into a position of power, I could sway the course of things by always being in his ear.
probablydrunk
How do you feel about Hamilton's draft?
So pumped man, we are going to be the best defensive core in the league in no time. It is always great to get top tier players like you and Girard. Getting two top tier defenders is that much more sweet, you both have great ambitions in the league and are very active and dedicated workers. Add to the fact that both of you are also great people in the locker room makes snaging you guys even that much more of a sweet deal. From the little time I have been here and what I gather there are not to many years when you can grab two top defense men like your self's in a draft. Let alone getting both by the same team.
We did give up a lot in order to secure the both of you but it was well worth it in my eyes. You both have the potential to be hall of fame players and I couldn't be happier that I get to be part of that journey first hand. You two are both offensive defenders but I have a suspicion you will both carry a unique skill set to the ice. I have yet to decide which one of you two I want as a D pairing parntner more as of right now so you guys can start sending me gifts any time to sway my thoughts.
What are your goals for this season? Individual and team?
My biggest goal for this season is not a new one, I wanted to take over the number one defensive position on the team. Not that I necessarily wanted to be " number one " but our defense is our weakest aspect as of now and i wanted to give it that extra boost. We have very few active defenders on the team that are SHL ready. I worked hard to get my TPE up high enough to take on the role of go to guy.
The biggest goal beyond just raw TPE was to become a defensively sound and dependable player on the blue line. Yes I may not have added a lot to my actual defensive attribute but I did pump up my stick handling ( shot blocking ) speed and my checking. I want to be that beast of a defense man that make the opposition pay every time they cross the blue line.
This I hope should carry over to my team goal of giving Tanner a chance to win games for us without being slaughtered with shots. I see hockey as a goaltender first sport, in which your goalie has the best chance to win or lose games for you. The more help I can give Tanner by keeping pucks away from him the better chance he has to steal us a few more wins each year.
BluesBoy71
Did you always plan on being a defenseman in the SHL?
To be honest no, not at all! I put defender as my secondary position just in case we had a blue line injury and needed a decent sized physical body to step in and help out. This of course was before I realized that there were no injury's within the sim. Prior to the S22 draft which was my SHL draft class I surveyed all the SHL teams and assessed there needs and there locker rooms to see where I felt i would be most needed and welcomed.
Hamiltion was by far my number one destination and after speaking with Banak for days straight. It was obvious that they were deep at center and forward a like. I was asked if I would entertain the thought of playing defense for the Steelhawks. Being a team first guy and having my secondary position being defense it was an easy choice to make. At that point it was looking like within a year or two I would be playing along side one of the best up and coming defenders in the league in Kit.
Sadly Kit was traded in the pre season before I played my first pro game but it did not deter me from playing on the blue paint. I had already embraced the idea of being and rough and tumble hard noised defense man. I was am still am in the mind set that a solid hit, a shot blocked and a positive plus minus rating is better then scoring a goal or four.
Tell us Nuck's story about how he came to this point in his career.
Well I stumbled upon the SHL while looking to complain some more about NHL 15 on the EA forums. Jala had made a post about a sim hockey league and it caught my attention right away. I created Bubba and then realized what i had just signed up for. A shit ton of writing...... I could have walked away and thought about it a whole lot prior to the draft. The site was as confusing to grasp at first as they come. The rules and progression was all alien to me and there was a ton of trolling and smack talk constantly flying around.
I decided to stick it out and did my best to get the Kelowna and Vancouver GM's to notice me. Being that I live in one of the city's and grew up in the other, I wanted to play for them something bad. Neither GM payed me a lick of attention and the one GM who did contact me asked me questions that I had already answered in both the combine and interested prospects threads. Felt some what insulted to tell you the truth.
Then Esa messaged me, he showed genuine interest and was just a solid, cool dude to talk to. I had the honest impression that he would be looking to draft me at some point during the S21 draft but I didnt think it would be before the third or fourth round. When he called my name at number 6 in the SMJHL draft I was super proud and excited. Not wanting to let him down and waste his pick I decided to stick it out on the SHL web site.
He and Mook mentored and directed me to a great 2 year SMJHL career that seen me picked 4th overall in the SHL S22 draft by the Steelhawks where i am currently now and hope to stay so for a long time to come.
What are you plans for the future?
My biggest long and short term goals will be the same, horde all the TPE available. I want to be one of the top players in the league and hopefully make a good enough bid to get a shot at the SHL hall of fame. A more realistic right now goal is to just be better, if I can come away from the S24 season with anything near as good of a plus minus rating as I had in my rookie year i will be super pleased. I am playing top two minutes as of right now and want to keep it that way. That means I need to be sound in our own end, really sound as our growing team will need a defensive back bone to rely on.
I hope and plan over this and next season to get my defensive attributes to as high as I can. Those include hitting, stick handling and defense primarily. Speed and strength are another two that I want to top out as soon as I am content with the state of the prior three. Once my defensive game is as tight and deadly as I can get it I want to improve my offensive ability's to help me be a more rounded player. As it stands now I am far from winning any scoring titles let alone keep pace with the rookies joining the league. I would really like to be the defender that others look at as an example of a pure defensive beast much like Willie Weber is to me.
If you had to play on any team (except ) what team would you choose? Why?
Do the Detroit Falcons count? If so I would happily live my career wearing one of there jerseys. I am sure you didnt mean SMJHL teams though so I would have to say ........ hard choice because although a lot of teams have great people and good teams I really do not want to play any where else. Calgary would be up there as they have some great people in there organization and now have one of the greatest GM's of all time in Esa. Not to take anything away from Tanner its just that I think extremely highly of Esa and all he has done during my time around here. Yes Gorlab is there and I have a no trade clause where I can not be part of any team he is involved with. I think I would wave that clause if I was given the option to be traded there sense he has actually been kinda cool around the forums the last few months. They have a lot of people I respect beyond Esa like Cailean and Jala to name a few.That of course would be in the situation that Tanner was trying to off load me and wanted me gone, or I wanted out.
Toronto would be the next option as I really was hoping to play with Moushey and Harter at some point in my career. Both guys are from my draft class and both joined the SHL about the same time as I did. The two of them also are some of my biggest TPE competition as all three of us tend to pill it up as fast as we can. A soon to be all star goalie, winger and defender ( I hope ) all being of the same SHL age would be some wicked building blocks to become a dynasty. Plus there two guys I respect and get along with, even though we dont talk much lately.
Do you believe Nuck could make the HoF one day?
I honestly do not know about this, it is a goal of mine. But I am worried that i will be looked over if i do not put up big flashy points. My build and my immediate direction kind of contradict what i believe people look for when selecting hall of famers. I am a stay at home hard nosed defender, I dont score many if any goals. I do not get a lot of assists but I do hit and sacrifice the body to get the team a win. I ended my rookie year with a +14 which was good enough to tie me for 6th in the league and for a while I was leading the league with a + 16. BUT I do not think that is the kind of numbers that will get me a hall of fame ballot. One can hope though and I am doing a lot of that .
NUCK
) what team would you choose? Why?
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