09-17-2019, 12:29 PMkarlssens Wrote: Is this the beginning of a new trend in Edmonton? Can you predict when the next cup might land here?

I mean I sure hope it is it would be awfully nice to win a Challenge Cup every three or four seasons but I cannot see that being a reality whatsoever. Though I do think that a winning culture in Edmonton has always been a big thing in the past and I do not think it will be going away anytime soon. You can expect to see us in the playoffs every season from here on out. We have a culture that will accept nothing less than the best from every player and that starts at the top with management.

09-17-2019, 12:29 PMkarlssens Wrote: There was an exodus of talent the last time Edmonton won the cup. Can we expect a similar off-season?

No I believe the last time Edmonton won a cup the mass exodus afterwards was a bit of an anomaly and we kind of expected it to be honest with the acquisition of Joe three in one of our biggest Acquisitions that offseason we always knew there was the potential that he would end up being the manager of his own franchise sooner rather than later. Though the loss of Fletcher Smythe and Cain were huge losses for the franchise it goes without saying that we managed to bounce back better than ever after their departure. who knows we may not have been in a position to win this season if it were not for that mass exodus therefore I am thankful for what they did for the franchise but wish them the best moving forward.

09-17-2019, 12:29 PMkarlssens Wrote: You were able to eliminate several big time rivals on this run including Calgary, New Orleans and New England. Which series victory was most significant to you?

We joked around in management about how this could be a dream playoffs eliminating three huge rivals in Calgary, New Orleans and New England but we did not think it would become a reality the way that it did.

I would have to say the biggest win for us would have to be New Orleans in the Wastern Conference finals just due to the fact of the mass exodus of the team and the majority of them ending up in New Orleans it was almost like we were beating ourselves by beating the spectres in the finals.

I knew New Orleans had a great matchup against us and beating them was a bit surreal if I were to be honest we did not expect to win going in. we believed in ourselves fully but the idea of being the best team in the Western Conference this early as a wild-card team was a bit far-fetched. Thankfully we did beat them and we moved on to face New England in the finals where we swept the previous general manager of the Edmonton Blizzard to accomplish our eighth challenge cup as a franchise.

09-17-2019, 12:29 PMkarlssens Wrote: Tommy Tuck found his MVP-calibre form in the final two series after a relatively average start to the year. Which Tuck will we see in S50?

Tommy is a bit of an anomaly if I am being honest it seems as though it is every other season that he returns to mvp-caliber type play. if I were to guess I would say that he is going to have a good season this season and carry us back to the playoffs as per his usual self. Though as a team we managed to overcome his mediocre play and allow him the opportunity to return to his mvp-caliber type self in the playoffs which in turn ended up winning us a Cup.

09-17-2019, 12:29 PMkarlssens Wrote: With a lot of top end talent in Edmonton set to regress, who's the next player (or players) to watch in Edmonton?

I think a really exciting player to watch in the future for Edmonton is going to be Julio. Julio made a name for himself In the season 47 Draft when he was drafted 7th overall by us. At every step in his journey he has accomplished more than we would have anticipated. He is the hardest-working player we have in organization and we are thankful for him every day whether it be mentoring the even younger players or taking advice from the vetrans Julio is always has and always will be a workhorse.

I expect Julio to take a big step up in production this season as the aging core continues to regress, Julio will without a doubt be there to pick up the slack.