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***boom*** · 08-16-2021, 08:47 PM

[1053 words, half because presser, ready for grading]

It's been a pretty hectic few days from finding out I was named Edmonton's GM to helping oversee the moves we've made to get to the next level, ask me any questions you have! (because of a position switch I kind of need the money lol)

Quote:Dwight Freeney from Indianapolis news center 5

How does it feel to be given the reigns to such a historic organization?

It's really exciting! Edmonton is one of the OG teams in the league and I've gotten to learn to GM under some really great users, so I'm excited to continue the winning culture they've built for the Blizzard.

Quote:What prompted the position switch?

It ultimately came down to team depth and where we felt the team's window was. Going into free agency, we had one forward spot and two defense spots opened, and after trading for Athanasios to fill that forward spot we were going to focus on defense. However, moving me to defense allowed us to bolster our (at the time) thin blueline with a max-earning player only two seasons away from peaking, and help us get one of the best defensive cores in the league. I'm not too bothered by my personal stats either - at forward Hartmann was likely going to be a Hall of Very Good-type player at best the way he was trending, and I don't like to settle for less than excellence from myself. Who knows, maybe switching to defense is the breakout I need. As for longevity, I'm also planning to play as long as I can on this player so having stability back there helps.

Quote:Do you have any bold branding news to share potentially?

None at the moment. The Blizzard have some beautifully clean jerseys, and I would be TD'd in seconds if I even suggested a name change.

Quote:What's been your mentality going into this position?

I was lucky enough to inherit one of the best prospect pools in the league from Keygan and Tommy's drafting, but they're all staying in juniors for this season, so the priority was to find players who could both contribute in the short and long-term to eventually replace our inactives and older players as they age out. Especially with the new faces this year, my focus has been on getting the LR into a cohesive unit, and early results are suggesting that that's what's happening, with guys like Gabe and Andrei being great LR movers so far. As well, my mentality has been to trust the people who are already part of the war room, as there's a great mix of old SHL voices and newcomers in there who have a great mix of backgrounds, job status, position, and other aspects to make sure that tunnel vision doesn't become an issue. Finally, a big part of my mentality is to be bold - while I'm not one to throw tons of futures at trade pieces just for the sake of it, I'm of the mindset that you never know where you can get value in this league, and we saw this in the offseason in smaller moves like acquiring Leon Athanasios for a 3rd-round pick and getting Jakob Hamr late in FA to bring the beef to the defense.

Quote:What are your short term and long term goals?

We had an excellent draft class in S59 with five top-flight players who will all join the SHL next season, plus some more young guys like Leon Athanasios, Kaapo Kampainen, Lev Lebedev, Vincent Fox and others who are on either side of that big draft. The short-term goal will be to get these players into the lineup where they can develop playing with savvy vets like Hartmann, Julio Tokolosh, Karlstrasse Scholz and others. Long-term, they'll eventually be the core of a Challenge Cup-winning team.

Quote:What kind of management are you assembling to help?

Pretty much haven't changed anything from what was already there in the war room. Bfine is an up-and-coming face in the management sphere and was an easy choice as co-GM, and the old faces in the scouting area are still around. Keygan left and was replaced by Steveo, the new Whalers co-GM, giving him a place to learn and see the inner workings of a SHL team as well as providing another fresh voice and a SMJHL GM.

Quote:should i take you in fantasy? 10 tpe results only

given that hartmann's perpetual evaluation is "he'll finally break out and become elite this year" i'd say yes, gotta cash in on the hype train eventually

Quote:Who will be the highest scoring S53 player in fantasy this season?

myself, steve harrington or jimmy wagner. i have absolutely no ulterior motive here

Quote:What are some things you've learned from working in VAN that you want to bring into EDM?

The big thing that I want to bring with me is to trust the people you've got working for you. Bfine has been great this offseason as my co-GM in helping to make the moves we were able to make, talking to free agents and providing a second thought for things like trade offers and

Quote:How would you describe your expectations for the team going into the season post offseason?

Pretty excited. We had a bit of a rough start to this season sim-wise, but in terms of TPE we have one of the deepest bluelines in the SHL and I can't really see a weak spot back there. I was brought up as a primarily defensive GM by Mills and Bfine has a similar background from his FHM tutelage, so we're pretty much on the same page here. I think we can really make some noise in the postseason.

Quote:IN the next 5 seasons, what would you consider to be measurements of progress or success?

Ultimately, it's going to be partly playoff success and partly how well we transition into the next core. Ideally, within 5 seasons our S56/57/58 crew should be becoming the main contributors on the team, earning top-line and top-four minutes, and I think if we're there with the core I'll consider it a win. The Pacific Division looks to be brutal for the next few seasons as well, so a few division titles would be pretty sweet.

***hockeyiscool*** · 08-19-2021, 05:50 PM

Dwight Freeney from Indianapolis news center 5

How does it feel to be given the reigns to such a historic organization?

ACapitalChicago · 08-19-2021, 06:10 PM

What prompted the position switch?

Do you have any bold branding news to share potentially?

What's been your mentality going into this position?

What are your short term and long term goals?

What kind of management are you assembling to help?

S66 Damian Littleton

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steveoiscool · 08-19-2021, 06:21 PM

should i take you in fantasy? 10 tpe results only

StadiumGambler · 08-31-2021, 03:45 PM

@boom if you'd like this graded add responses to the OP and a grader will swing by for it later

LordBirdman · 09-01-2021, 12:26 PM

Who will be the highest scoring S53 player in fantasy this season?

Nhamlet · 09-01-2021, 01:29 PM

What are some things you've learned from working in VAN that you want to bring into EDM?

How would you describe your expectations for the team going into the season post offseason?

IN the next 5 seasons, what would you consider to be measurements of progress or success?

***boom*** · 09-01-2021, 02:51 PM

Updated! Apologies for the delay, as I hadn't been checking this and didn't think anyone had asked questions until I was reminded.

***yosh*** · 09-01-2021, 03:09 PM

Hey how do you get the beeg yoshi?

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