Subject: U20 Canada National Team

That's fine. For all it's worth, I apply the guidelines to some extent. But Boulianne, with 90+ Q's across the board (for C qualities) and a whooping 44 for shot quality, served as an experience for me in the necessity to follow patterns, or ability to shape rosters to players skills.

It is not over yet, of course, but so far I have no sure findings one way or another. Good players perform better than bad players (OR-wise) unless their distribution is skewed (between primary and secondaries, I do not include shot in that hypothesis). So Boulianne being better offensively with good balance of attributes would still make him an efficient player on the ice. The issue may be that, when he shoots, odds to score are lower, although I haven't noticed that much. Also, it would never be an issue if he passes the puck to a teammate.

However, I have heard, and tend to believe, the theory that line shooting skill is more important as a factor than individual shooting skill. Which is the reason why I went so heavily towards the skills Q strenghts in developing him. If true, then all I need to do is pair him with two really good shooters and he should work out fine.

I heard Captain Canuck saying that this game's mechanisms are extremely simple, so I side that way. I am by no means saying that Boulianne is a bad player; he is obviously very, very good. But a lot of my "good" players don't seem to show up in the really competitive, high-echelon games and that is the concern I have with him. On the national squad, you are playing against often world=class talent. With four-and-a-half thumbs, you start from an obvious handicap...

That's fine. It has not been my experience as GM of the U18 NT though. I have used plenty of "specialists". I never found that they performed worse than others.

It has actually been quite random, not from game-to-game, but from tournament-to-tournament, who performed well or not. For example, Billy Simard (one of my players) was a top 2 player for OR on the team with good distribution. I even kept the shooting quite high at that time. Yet, he never had much of an impact on the scoresheet during the tournament. In the meantime, inferior players in all skills did great on the 2nd line. So many times I have noticed this pattern on the NTs where the 2nd line does all the scoring while the first is relatively silent. I think it must be because the 1st line faces top opposition more often, but it still doesn't appear to be enough to explain the massive gap.

Anyway, i got sidetracked here. I guess it's just interesting to discuss game mechanics again.

I’ve noticed that with my second line in league games. Last season, all forwards on my second line out scored the forwards on my first line, and my first line is much better for OR and EXP.

Pretty much everyone's 1st line is stronger than the 2nd line. I think I may try to put my defensive specialists there and my big scorers on the 3rd line, see how that plays out, haha.

Well, I hope we haven't missed anyone because we have a big roster of 48 players and only two extra slots for teams that aren't looking too good and might need a good fleecing before they expire.

We've got -

Barker - C - 20 - QC Nords (we seem to have blown it with him last season...)
Boyle - C - 19 - QC Nords
Pallister - C - 19 - Tennis Pros
Gauvin - C - 19 - Edmonton Wellcappers
Carmichael - UW - 19 - Silence Stealers
McNabb - LW - 19 - QC Nords
Forrester - UW - 19 - E Wellcappers
Addison - RW - 19 - QC Nords
Ferguson - RW - 19 - Microbrasseurs
Giroux - RW - 19 - Rocky Mountain Wolves
Jarvis - UD - 19 - Dunnville Mudcats
Tang - LD - 19 - Maroons
Levasseur - UD - 19 - Mandalorians
Good - UD - 19 - National
Geerlinks - RD - 19 - Ghost Squad
Brazeau - RD - 19 - HK Orli Slovakia II.1
Bulger - RD - 19 - Mandalorians
Crowe - G - 19 - Edm Wellcappers

I think that we looked at everyone but you know me and I have been known to pull a Homer Simpson before and drift off and let the whole shop go into meltdown so, if I did, please shout at me ASAP. If your guy didn't get chosen it is most likely either due to experience or positional issues. If that isn't the case then it is probably because the other GM and I have a closer and more financially-associated friendship...

Roedb & Clit

Nope, last minute change of heart. We just didn't like Geerlink's passing and

Wilcox - RD - 19 - Edmonton Wellcappers

has big experience.

Roedb

Hey kids where are you?

I personally don't have a problem with a GM outside of the country running our football show but hockey is a bit different. I won't be back next season so if we are going to avoid an uncomfortable situation I suggest a few hats get tossed in for the U18 and U20 teams for next season. If an inexperienced GM wants to give it a go then go for it and if you need suggestions just turn to what few old men are still left in the game. Or, if you are okay with a foreign GM, then I will just shrug and say I am too...

In that case I will toss my hat in the ring.

I don't have as much time as I used to, but I can do a half-decent job and will care a little more than a foreigner!

Well things just didn't work out. We promised stunning success or utter failure and we just didn't produce. Instead, we delivered greyish mediocracy, just like the Mudcats and the Grind.
And we are sorry.
So, it is time to hang up the managerial hat and walk away from the international scene (at least until that hunger for spectacular risk arises again...). Thanks to all of you voted our way! We look forward to buying your vote again at some point in the future...

Roedb & Clit

Good news and bad...

Good guy emailed me this week letting me know about -

https://hockey.powerplaymanager.com/en/player.html?data=22802238

He looked damn good so I added him to the team. Seems to have slipped through the cracks of Division (low) transfers and he is a real sweetie.

Bad news is that I missed the deadline for the roster additions which means that (Samuel Carrier) starts with a default and I really apologize for that. Some mothers do 'ave 'em and my poor old Mom god a real zinger over here... Shi....aving cream kind of guy over here and I really do apologize...

Roedb

It happens. I forgot it once when I GMed the U18s.

He does look good. A shame for his CL (long term), but will be solid for the team.

https://hockey.powerplaymanager.com/en/player.html?data=23183716-vicente-brodeur

Just pulled, looking at a damn good prospect.

99-99-91, with 94 shooting and 83 technique. Not sure if that's not quite high enough compared to the equally high standards, but worth a shot.

On the market right now for 10 million.

Congrats. Looks like a great prospect. I hope we can keep him in Canada.

Fellas, the team is looking fairly good on paper.

Goalie is as strong as ever. Defense is solid with quite a bit of depth. Forwards are also good. Wingers lack a little depth, but the 19 years old class of wingers look good, so I think we are quite alright in that department also. Centers are a real strength.

Now, the one unknown is how this fares against others. Here's to a good season. Happy holidays!