Task 18: (3 TPE)

https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid3461015 - Milestones Claim

12. On the Radar (366 words, 7 TPE)

It's impossible not to notice Jesus Murphy when he takes the ice for the Anchorage Armada of the SMJHL. Standing at 6'5 and over 220 pounds as a teenager is in and of itself imposing, let alone for a young man who carries the third-generation legacy of his father Kermit and grandfather Tig, both excellent players and Challenge Cup winners. Yet for a brash, physical forward, it is evident that Murphy has been instructed from a young age by his highly talented family members, as he moves gracefully in spite of his bulk and possesses a deft touch with the puck. The first of his family line to not be drafted by the Detroit Falcons, it is little wonder that he was a highly sought after selection in the SMJHL entry draft and went in the top 10, landing in Anchorage. Hockey's collective white whale is the player who puts brains and brawn together to create the ultimate package, and scouts are no doubt drooling at the idea of Murphy being that player - especially factoring in his esteemed bloodline. However, there is a great deal of improvement needed in his game for Murphy to become that lofty ideal.

While his skating is good, especially for his size, he is far from a burner and some additional foot speed will serve him well. He possesses many of the traits of an elite goal scorer, but struggled at times as a rookie to find opportunities - putting himself in better spots to create more shots and use his nose for the net will be paramount if he's going to reach his potential. Similarly, if he wants to play centre at the highest levels, he will always have to strike a tough balance between the positional needs at centre and the bruising powerforward style he is built for, so he'll have to make better reads moving forward to allow for a more seamless integration into his SHL team's system.

All this said, Murphy is an intriguing combination of raw potential and polished intelligence. If he realizes just how good he can be, the sky's the limit and one lucky team will reap the reward at the draft later this week.


16. Goals (356 words, 7 TPE)

A lot of things are out of your direct control as a player, so largely you have to focus on being your best in terms of earning TPE and updating. However, I do have some goals in mind for my third player, Jesus Murphy.

First among these is winning a Four Star Cup. After a well-publicized, certified Bad Time attempting to win one as Detroit's GM for a very long time, I finally got one as a manager. However, in both player careers so far, winning a Four Star Cup has eluded me. I've been fortunate enough to win many things as a player: Challenge Cups, individual awards, even IIHF gold medals (lots of these as it turns out). But getting to actually hoist the Four Star during my brief window of time in the SMJHL would be amazing.

Secondly, this will be my first career as a forward. Kermit Murphy was a forward in junior but I switched to defense because the GM was bad and needed someone to move to address a positional need (it was me, I'm the GM). As a result, I've never really had the chance to experience the whole "scoring a lot of points" thing I keep hearing about, and it sounds fun. The goal is to build a beastly powerforward who can excel offensively and defensively.

After my first player, Tig Murphy, was a first ballot hall of famer after a career that saw me win two cups, defenseman of the year (+2 runner ups), defensive defenseman of the year (+2 runner ups), and being one of the most prolific offensive defensemen of his era, Kermit Murphy was underwhelming in comparison. Winning the goal scoring race in my final SMJHL season and rookie of the year in my first SHL season would be the only individual accomplishments of note, outside of winning two Challenge Cups of course. While he certainly had a fantastic career, I'm not convinced Kermit is HOF material, and I'd love to have another career where I achieve some level of individual success. Of course, that's a lot to ask for, so we'll have to see.