TASK ONE

If not: How has your player kicked off their offseason? Are they traveling? Meeting up with friends and partying? Following the games? Write at least 150 words about the beginning of your player’s offseason. Must include at least one other player.

After we were eliminated from playoff contention on the final say of the regular season, I headed back home to St. Louis with my girlfriend. Tiana and I still have a home in St. Louis, so we’re staying there until the Four Star Cup Finals are over. After flying back, I met up with Tigole Bitties, Teddy Cuddles, and Roman Augustus (all of us were drafted in the same class). This was something we said we would do if the Scarecrows made it to the Four Star Cup, and they were on the verge of it when we got tickets for Game 7. We went crazy when Joakim Lindqvist, a fellow classmate and former teammate of ours, scored to make it 3-1 in the second. Even though Prince George pulled one back in the third, it wasn’t enough for them. St. Louis had made it to the Four Star Cup Finals, something we couldn’t manage during our SMJHL careers. It was a great sight to see, and I’m going to watch every game in the Four Star Cup Finals in the hope that we win the cup.


TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S39 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

I’d say the unsung hero of the playoffs up to this point is Finnish defenseman Eero Hämäläinen of the Minnesota Chiefs. Hämäläinen has 7 points in 8 games, which means he’s averaging almost a point per game. Eero also has the best shooting percentage on the team with 30.00%. He’s scored 3 goals on 10 shots so far in the postseason, which is pretty good from a defenseman. Another thing about Eero is that he’s a young player. He created in S33, which means he has another 5 seasons until regression. Hämäläinen is only going to get better, and this could be a breakout playoffs for the young Finn. The most impressive thing about his stats, though, is that he’s been playing on the THIRD PAIRING. Minnesota has such a stacked defensive corps, and it shows here, with one of their third pairing defensemen in Hämäläinen kicking ass in the postseason. In closing, Hämäläinen has been the unsung hero of the playoffs so far, and we should expect much more from the young Finnish defenseman in the imminent future.



TASK SIX: Finals series always show surprises. Who will have to stand out the most from each team in order to win it? Make a prediction for potential series MVPs. Must be at least 150 words and mention at least one player from each team.

Minnesota’s MVP candidate has to be Terrance Nova. Nova currently leads the Chiefs in playoff scoring with 12 points in 8 games. He’s averaging 1.5 points per game, which is very good. He’s also shooting well (a 13.79% shooting percentage) and is on the ice at the right time (plus-minus of +1). But Terry isn’t just a great shooter. He’s a great passer as well, and he has 8 assists (averaging one per game), tied for second-most in the playoffs. However, Los Angeles has an arguably better MVP candidate in Sophia Bennett. She has 13 points in 8 games, the most on the Panthers. She leads all right wings in playoff scoring (Nova is one point behind). Bennett has scored 7 goals (averaging almost one a game), the most in the playoffs so far. She’s also been shooting well, and has a shooting percentage of 17.07%, which is WAY better than Nova. Plus, Bennett has a plus-minus of +8, which is much better than Nova’s plus-minus. I think that Bennett will take the playoff MVP award, as she’s been performing better than Nova in almost every stat.

Bonus Task: Maximilian Wachter