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Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 01:03 AM

Post Questions. I need money.

LVShark · 09-19-2013, 01:09 AM

Why did you retire Pivonka?

What are your goals for the season both personal and for the team?

Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 01:23 AM

Quote:Originally posted by LVShark@Sep 19 2013, 01:09 AM
Why did you retire Pivonka?

What are your goals for the season both personal and for the team?

Retirement is never an easy decision. That was one I wrestled with for quite some time. In the end I decided that Pivonka was my rough draft. My first creation in any sim League. I decided I could either take the easy road and continue with a scoring winger that was already finding success or I could challenge the current trend and try something new and different. I decided the League needed more young, shutdown Defensemen more than it needed another scoring winger.

It wasn't an easy decision and it took a lot of work but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I doubt I'll ever have a HOF career with anyone but I feel Schultz has already exceeded a lot of expectations.

As for my goals for this season, I'm looking to expand my offensive contributions to the team. We've got a tremendous amount of talent here in Hamilton and if I can not only play solid defense but chip in some points, then I think we'll be a better team for it. Last season I came close but I would really like to top 100 Hits and 40 Points. Obviously defense is still the priority but I think my game is rounding out enough that I can do more than just block shots.

For the team, anything less than The Cup with this squad and I'll be disappointed. Look, we want to have fun and we want to win, we're all competitive here. But when I look around the LR and up and down the lines, I know greatness is here and Hamilton is going to be the favorite to win it all this season. We've made it known, this is our year. I really believe that.

Keenan · 09-19-2013, 01:25 AM

With free agency all but over are you happy with how your team looks heading into the season? What do you feel is your biggest strength? Weakness?

Interview

Do you think that your new additions (Winter, Sto Helit, Fisher) will hit the ground running or do you see them needing a game or two to acclimate to the new way of doing things in Hamilton?

Interview

Do you think Rehn Miller will lead your squad in scoring again? Who do you see challenging him?

Good luck this season, Schultzy Cheers

701 aka YUNG GUAP GOD · 09-19-2013, 01:33 AM

In the end, do you feel Reimer is cup ready? Will he be the main starter this season?

Hamilton is being called the best franchise right now, would you agree? Back up your yes, or no please.

Cheers

Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 01:49 AM

Quote:Originally posted by Keenan@Sep 19 2013, 01:25 AM
With free agency all but over are you happy with how your team looks heading into the season? What do you feel is your biggest strength? Weakness?

Do you think that your new additions (Winter, Sto Helit, Fisher) will hit the ground running or do you see them needing a game or two to acclimate to the new way of doing things in Hamilton?

Do you think Rehn Miller will lead your squad in scoring again? Who do you see challenging him?

Good luck this season, Schultzy

For the first time in a while Free Agency was kind to Hamilton. We were fortunate enough to have some amazing players decide to come to Hamilton and continue their careers here. Anytime you get top line talent like Winter, Fisher, Sto Helit to join your team and a top line player coming off a career season in James Blaine to decide to stay in Hamilton, it's a great feeling. You know you've helped foster a place that hockey players want to be and a contender that players want to be a part of when they win.

We're extremely deep in every position now. Down the middle, on the wings, on the blueline, and in goal. Depth is clearly our greatest strength. We're one of the top teams the last few seasons and now we're so stacked our top players are going to be pushed down the roster to make room for even more top players. This means more rest, better matchups, less fatigue and a better team effort. When guys like McKeil and Tripp are battling to get ice time and a guy like Ekblad is on the bottom pairing, you know you have a stacked roster that can win.

People will look at our roster and say our goaltending is a concern. I think they're wrong. We've got three extremely capable goaltenders and they don't have to steal us any games this year. Cyan Winters has repeatedly proven the naysayers wrong and posted career numbers again and again carrying the Hawks to the top of the Eastern Conference the past two seasons. Reimer is one of the most talented prospects in the League and is already better than Winters. I think this will be the start of a tremendous career in Hamilton. Our goaltending is drastically better but so is the team in front of the net. Together, I think its a net gain from last year where we were already a top contender in the East.

I think Winter, Fisher, Hall, Sto Helit are going to fit in great. These are veteran performers who know how to lead and how to get the job done. Obviously there will be some juggling when you have this much talent, there are so many options but we're confident that when the puck drops these guys know what to do and how to get us the wins we need.

Rehn Miller had an MVP season last year, he really did. That line was absolutely amazing and completely dominant for Hamilton. Blaine and Vitikka just clicked with Miller and there were days when they singlehandedly won us games. I think Miller really made his mark on the League last season and announced that he is a top line player. Will he continue that success this season? I think so. I think there's enough talent around him that a great Playmaker like Rehn is going to be find an open scorer. Blaine deciding to rejoin Hamilton was huge and that line could be just as dominant this season.

Players to watch challenging Rehn for the Hamilton scoring lead: Hall, Blaine, Vilmenietis, Winter, McKeil and Sto Helit. Don't sleep on Fisher though, that guy knows how to score and he could be the surprise of the year.

Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 01:50 AM

Sorry Keenan I'm on my phone and it's tough to edit my responses.

Good luck to you as well my friend. Cheers

Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 02:02 AM

Quote:Originally posted by 701@Sep 19 2013, 01:33 AM
In the end, do you feel Reimer is cup ready? Will he be the main starter this season?

Hamilton is being called the best franchise right now, would you agree? Back up your yes, or no please.

Do I think Reimer is Cup ready? No.

But he will be when we get there. Cyan Winters lead Hamilton last season to a tie for the #1 spot in the East. He's been a top goaltender in this League the last two seasons and he just lost his job to Reimer who is already better than him. On top of that, our team defense as a whole is better and our offense particularly our secondary scoring is better. This takes a tremendous amount of burden off the netminder because they don't have to go it alone or try to steal games. Our team shouldbe winning games together. I think secondary scoring and special teams have been oir downfall not goaltending and I think we made great moves to address those this offseason. Reimer is an amazing goaltender who will have a stellar career and he could absolutely win a Cup this season. He's already better than Winters and he's only going to keep getting better. I think right now it's his job to lose in net and he'll see about 44 games this season if he plays up to the level we expect him to.

I think there are a number of great franchises in this League and I absolutely think Hamilton is at the top of that list. Now maybe I'm bias but you asked and that's my answer. We've got it all here. We've won the Cup. We've got great passionate fans. Tons of energy, excitement and activity. We've got unmatched talent and the desire to win. All backed up by a franchise that not only has great tradition and heritage in the League but also continues to bring in new exciting young players. We've seen some of the best in SHL History wear Steelhawk blue and I don't think that tradition is going to go away anytime soon. This team can win the Cup and nearly every single member of the team is already under contract next year, so it's not a one shot risk. We're going to continue trying to build the best team on the ice and the best LR off the ice, that we can. I think fans are certainly attracted to that.

Carl · 09-19-2013, 02:13 AM

R.I.P Pivonka

Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 02:15 AM

Quote:Originally posted by Carlzner@Sep 19 2013, 02:13 AM
R.I.P Pivonka

Keenan · 09-19-2013, 02:16 AM

Great responses, thank you. I thought of two more questions, so if I may:

Interview

Hamilton has a great mix of veteran talent and high end youngsters. If come the trade deadline a piece that would greatly benefit your team in the short term (I know you guys are a very deep team, but let's say for some reason you need more scoring and the piece is a top scoring top 6 forward) became availible would you move some young talent for a better shot at the cup now, or would you prefer sticking with what you have for the future?

Interview

A recent list named you as the 42nd best player currently in the SHL. Do you agree with this assessment or do you feel you should be higher/lower?

Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 02:30 AM

Quote:Originally posted by Keenan@Sep 19 2013, 02:16 AM
Great responses, thank you. I thought of two more questions, so if I may:

Hamilton has a great mix of veteran talent and high end youngsters. If come the trade deadline a piece that would greatly benefit your team in the short term (I know you guys are a very deep team, but let's say for some reason you need more scoring and the piece is a top scoring top 6 forward) became availible would you move some young talent for a better shot at the cup now, or would you prefer sticking with what you have for the future?

A recent list named you as the 42nd best player currently in the SHL. Do you agree with this assessment or do you feel you should be higher/lower?

Thanks for the questions.

When Joe and I started talking about entering this rebuild and started planning it out, we knew we didn't want to just flip young talent away for short term gains. Obviously we've had a very aggressive rebuild and it's gotten us to perhaps a better position than anyone thought possible. But even at last season's trade deadline our moves we're measured and calculated. We were willing to bring in immediate help but not willing to mortgage the entire future of the squad for a single chance. Hamilton has a lot of chances in the future and we're not going to give that up. However, as any General Manager will tell you, nobody is untradable things do change and sometimes the risk is worth it.

We'll be guarded and we'll continue to do what's best for Hamilton in the long term not just the short. We have to be a top team every year not just once. We've got a lot of those years ahead of us.
Edit: To clarify this though, I think the Hall trade was a prime example of what I was talking about. Obviously we gave up a lot of young talent in the trade including Haan who we really didn't want to part wirh, but it made sense from a long term stand point because it wasn't a one shot rental but rather a move for a top tier player who could be the face of Hamilton for several seasons to come.

Honestly I don't consider myself a top 100 player in this League so it was very flattering to see the list. I'm honored to be thought of in that light and the fact that most people kept their pitchforks and torches at home, meant a lot too. Clearly most agreed with the list which was validating. I think perhaps what surprised me more than my own ranking was seeing Lebacon lower on the list than Ekblad. I felt that while obviously Ekblad is a stellar Defenseman, Lebacon has by far better numbers and more important role on the team. But it was a hell of a list which clearly took an extrordinary effort to compile, and a tremendous accomplishment just to be considered in the top 100 let alone the top 50. I can't wait to see the next installment.

~~gorlab~~ · 09-19-2013, 02:56 AM

Why exactly is Pivonka so well-known in the SHL? Is your player-sig accurate in that he only played one season in the SMJHL? I've always wondered about this.

Schultzy · 09-19-2013, 03:10 AM

Quote:Originally posted by gorlab@Sep 19 2013, 02:56 AM
Why exactly is Pivonka so well-known in the SHL? Is your player-sig accurate in that he only played one season in the SMJHL? I've always wondered about this.

Pivonka is the great legend of the could have been but never was. Went undrafted in the NWJHL (now the SMJHL) and then after playing in WJC, the Olympics and the NWJHL Playoffs, he suddenly retired. The signature is correct. Most had Pivonka listed as a top 10 pick in the SHL Draft but he announced his retirement before the Playoffs began.

Pivonka's final appearance was at the NWJHL All Star Game where Ivo Willems was kind enough to make him the 1st overall pick, and Pivonka went on to post 4goals and 5 assists in that game.

Pivonka is notorious because most people don't recreate when they find success like that. Here's the retirement article http://theshl.b1.jcink.com/index.php?showt...ndpost&p=249752 but there are many more great Pivonka articles in the SMJHL Media section if you search for them.

One of the longest articles I've ever written was this one early on about Pivonka http://theshl.b1.jcink.com/index.php?showt...=0&#entry389068

stud · 09-19-2013, 03:13 AM

Do you love the devil?

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