Asunto: US National Team

I don't think I will. It's getting super tough to even log in lately.

I'll be placing some players on the market this week (the ones not in camp) and I'll make the deadline sometime around 9-10 pm Eastern time. This way, it would be hopefully easier for them to remain the US region. I don't care how much they sell for; it's not like I need the cash.

As the organizers of the U20 Hockey World Championship, during the hockey world cups we would like to organize a prediction pool game for the PPM-community, for credit rewards. ANYONE CAN JOIN FOR FREE. More details coming soon here. ppm.powerplaymanager.com/...

The change to chemistry with the style of play in Tactics has produced some interesting results so far in the World Championships for the US. Saturday brought us a 4-1 loss to tournament host Portugal. Although our team was only slightly inferior when matching up the ratings, we took 7 penalties to their 3 and were outshot 29-20. We also were outmatched in the faceoff circle, winning only 2/3 of the total faceoffs Portugal won.

Sunday we played Spain, losing 3-1. It was closer than the score indicated, as they scored an empty-netter at the end.This was an unexpected result as we outshot them 41-33 and took only 2 penalties to their 4. Unfortunately we failed to convert on the PP, while they managed to once.

Today we played Bulgaria and put on a clinic. After outshooting them 38-26, we managed to win by an impressive 9-2. We were not strong in the faceoff circle and we had the same number of penalties, yet we still managed to dominate the game. It's been a bit of a learning curve with the adjustments to tactics and unfortunately it adversely affected us at the beginning. However, with the strong showing against Bulgaria we're currently 4th in our group and in a spot to make the playoffs.

Yesterday we beat Norway 3-1, who was already sitting outside the playoff bubble. Today a 5-3 win against Canada coupled with a loss by Portugal propelled us from 4th in our group to 2nd. This sets us up to play Germany in the opening round of the playoffs. That's not my preferred opener, but I'm happy with our performance in the preliminary round. One of these seasons it would be nice to start so strong we can conserve energy in the last game or 2 and coast into the playoffs...

For today's game against Germany, I swapped in Chad Davidson to start in goal, and I swapped out the 4th line forwards for the alternates who had been scratched in an effort to capitalize on their high chemistry and energy from not playing the previous few games. The move turned out to be a stroke of genius, with 3 of the 4 players swapped in accounting for all 3 stars of the game. The 4th line was responsible for both of the US goals, and Davidson went on to snag the top star, posting a 95.45% save percentage while facing 44 shots.

Unfortunately, the effort fell short. Our shootout specialists forgot if we were trying to hit the goalie or the back of the net with the puck when going 1-on-1, and Davidson turned into a sieve in the shootout. We ended up losing 3-2 in the shootout. It's good for a game Germany basically controlled, but it's still a disappointing result. Thus ends the US participation in this season's tournament. Until next season!

I'm putting Kevin Clinton up for sale tonight. I hope one of the USA teams get him.

Thank you for giving me another opportunity to run the team!

Like I mentioned in my candidacy presentation, I'm looking for an assistant manager this season who wants to take over the team next season. Interested managers should post here or message me, and include a little about themselves and why they'd be a good fit.

I forgot to put clinton up for sale a few days ago, so I did just now.

The team's been hit by some interesting CL drops. The lack of a player database makes picking replacements more difficult, as I have to work from my list of followed players (dedicated exclusively to US prospects), my scouting history, and recommendations from capsaicin who has kept a list of US prospects who've come up through the ranks. Consider the following a work in progress and essentially an open notebook on changes I'm thinking of making. I'll try to get everything finalized by Friday so any new team members are available and called up for Saturday's game.

OUT: Terrence Nyquist (Goalie)
Nyquist had the misfortune of being purchased by a team with sub-par facilities immediately before I planned on adding him to the team. I feel like adding him sooner would have spurred his previous manager to pay out to keep him. C'est la vie. His skill has barely increased due to the combination of his age, CL (2), and facilities. He's peaked and there are younger guys ready to surpass him. He was a solid third stringer while we had him.

IN: Mack Gaudreau (Goalie)
He's only 24, he still has 4 CL, and his ratios are perfect. Unfortunately his Exp is lower than I'd like, but overall he's the complete package. If everything stays on track and his manager keeps giving him playing time, he may be our next starter when Clinton hangs up his team USA skates.

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OUT: Chad Davidson (Goalie)
He's been a great number two behind Clinton. However, his OR is on the lower end of the roster, and he hit 1 CL. His Exp isn't that high either, so it's not going to be his saving grace.

IN: Jesus Hogan (Goalie)
He's 3 years older than Gaudreau and slightly lower OR, but he has a bit more experience. As of right now I'm not aware of a younger goalie who is more in line with Mack, so Hogan seems to be the choice. His CL has held out surprisingly well, staying strong at 3 despite being 27.

OUT: Christopher Plummer (Defenseman)
Plummer's been a long time vet of the team, but he hit the dreaded 0 CL. He's already in the bottom third in terms of OR, despite being in the top 5 in Exp. Unfortunately, by the end of the season his Exp won't save him. I've seen what 0 CL does to a guy, and the drop off each day is notable. If he were on the team at the end of the season, he wouldn't even be considered for the tournament roster.

IN: Junior Clark (Defenseman)
Right now he wouldn't be able to step into the lineup, but that's not an issue considering the depth already on the roster. Aside from that, no player can get to 100% chemistry in 1 season unless you throw them in the tournament roster at ~70% chemistry and advance pretty far. Give him a couple seasons and he may be able to step into the third or fourth line.

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OUT: Frank Mott (Defenseman)
Mott holds the distinction of being the lowest OR player on the team. At age 30 with 1 CL, that's not a good thing. Having only the 6th highest defense on the team currently doesn't help his case. His Exp is strong, but he doesn't excel in any area. It's time to give his spot to a younger player who can be developed.

IN: Scott Hines (Defenseman)
I am not entirely sold on this pick and am exploring other options currently. His OR is low relative to his age but the CL is still good, holding on at 3 at age 26. The reason I'm not sold is that his manager has sacrificed a little technique and a lot overall to train his shooting 1:1 with defense. It seems like doing that, the guy should be the next Paul Coffey. His stats don't support that. This begs the question then whether the issue is the system, the players around him, or if the dedication to such high shooting on a d-man is just a complete waste?

OUT: Waldo Gould (Center)
Gould has been a mainstay on the team for a long time. He's also one of the elder statesmen, hanging in there at the ripe old age of 33. His ratios are good and he has a wealth of experience, but skill-wise he's hanging down there in the range of the 22-24 year-olds. He's been a great ambassador from the [hockey_team=25546] but it's time for him to move on.

IN: Christopher Powell (Center)
He's been on my radar for a couple seasons, and was beat out by Louie Lance this past season. Out of available centers, he's got a good ratio and his CL is strong for his age. He'll make a good depth addition.

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OUT: Harry George (Winger)
This is a player who values shooting incredibly highly. He's a veteran with a wealth of experience. I hate to see him go, but at 31 and 1 CL, he's not going to be able to improve much from where he is already.

IN: Dan Reilly (Winger)
If you have to replace a lights out shooter, who better to replace him with than a kid who seems to be modeling his game after the vet? Reilly is 24 with 4 CL, so that's 7 years younger and 3 more CL. His OR is about 80 behind George, and naturally his Exp is nowhere near, but he will surpass George in short order.

Willard Butler (Westchester Red Wings) has similar potential to Gaudreau, though he is two years younger. He has better experience relative to his age.

The other two goalies from Butler's year, Larry Hobbs and Douglas Colbert, are both members of dead teams.

In the future, Scruggs and perhaps Dowell (if he is lucky with CL going forward) look especially promising.

*The other two from Gaudreau's year

He's a bit far off at the moment. I prefer to add players 1-2 seasons away from contributing. Call me paranoid, but if we somehow get nailed with a rash of injuries in a particular position, I don't want to have to rely on someone who's on the team based purely on potential. Besides, a couple bad CL turns can really change someone's outlook. He's added to my list of followed players for the future though.