Task 1:

This season was something of a breakout year for Murphy. He scored early and often, starting off the year at around a point per game pace, during which time he scored his first 2-goal game of his career. After an abysmal rookie year with just 1 goal and 10 assists despite playing over 20 minutes a night, the increased production was a sign that he could be an effective player and live up to his draft position of 4th overall. While his scoring did cool off somewhat, he would finish with 10 goals and 24 assists, an impressive improvement from S45. One other notable was in physical play, where Murphy nearly put up 100 hits. Shooting will need to become more of a focus, as although he started off shooting quite a bit, he would only finish with a total of 69 (nice) shots in 50 games, which he'll need to increase drastically if he wants to keep scoring double-digit goal totals as a defenseman. Unquestionably, it was an impressive season for Murphy overall and with the 1000 TPE mark on the horizon, he could really start to make his mark on the league in his third season.

Task 3:

i) These are two groups of managers with a ton of experience and knowledge but I give WBF and Tomen a slight edge. WBF has a great understanding of the tactical side of the game, which I know because I lean on him for advice pretty frequently. As well, Tomen is renowned for being a hardcore test simmer who is capable of looking for anything that gives a slight edge.

ii) I think that Robinson has been the more impressive of the two in the teams' respective playoff runs so far. It's hard to argue with a goalie who has put up a 0.925 save percentage as a rookie, and his two shutouts came at crucial moments - the first in Game 1 against the Steelhawks, setting a strong tone for the series, and the second in the series-clinching game against Manhattan. Robinson is just on another level right now, which is to take nothing away from Cain's impressive as hell season.

iii) My starting roster would be 

C: Oisin Fletcher
LW: Joe Kurzcewski
RW: TJ Bayley
D: Alexis Metzler
D: Tatu Makela
G: Cedric Robinson

In addition to being some of the highest scoring players at their positions in the playoffs, this starting lineup consists of some established starpower (Joe K, Fletcher) alongside those who are making a name for themselves on the biggest platform possible (Robinson). Overall, it's an extremely talented mix of players that are all impacting the series heavily.

iv) My answer again is Cedric Robinson for Buffalo (@grok). He, as a rookie, is dominating the SHL playoffs at the most important position. His trophy case is already impressive from his legendary SMJHL career, which shows that this is not a fluke - Robinson succeeds wherever he goes. Buffalo is a great team, but every great team needs a great goalie and they're lucky enough to have one that looks like he could be a legend when all is said and done. 

Similarly, Aleister Cain (@SlashACM) has had an amazing season as a rookie goaltender and has already carried an expansion team to the finals. He looks to be a goaltender a team can build around over the course of a career, and despite what any awards requirements say, he deserves incredible praise for his season. He'll be the backbone of that team for as long as Cain is around.

v) I think choosing New Orleans to host the all star game makes sense. Given that they're a new team in a non-traditional hockey market and their immediate success has to be catching the eye of local sports fans, having a major league event hosted in the city allows the SHL to strike while the iron's hot and capitalize on the attention. This could lead to the league being able to lock in a loyal and excited fanbase right away, which is great for both the team and the league.

Task 14: PM sent

Task 9: Obviously given that New Orleans is an expansion team they've proved a lot of doubters wrong, but I still believe Buffalo is a clear favourite in the series. In the recent Corsi tracking for the season that was posted in media, Buffalo owned most of the top spots in the league - they're a team that controls possession and has a lot of weapons both offensively and defensively. That's not to take away from the veteran firepower and championship experience of the Specters veterans, but I think Buffalo has the full body roster of a championship team. As well, I think Buffalo's defense is considerably stronger than New Orleans', with standouts like McZehrl, Metzler, and Makela effectively eating minutes for the Stampede. Goaltending could be called a wash between the two teams, but Robinson also seems to be extremely hot going into the finals which is exactly the right time. It will be a tight series, but I believe Buffalo has a clear edge.

Task 5:

The scene I witnessed in the Buffalo locker room was shocking, to say the least. At first all I heard was laughing, followed but what I can only describe as animal noises I have never heard before. Then, I noticed the smell - there was definitely some kind of animal in the facility and based on the sounds it was making, it was large. When I rounded the corner, I was greeted with a sight I will never unsee - Stampede rookie Hippo Passamus nude and posing on top of a live hippopotamus. As the rest of the team stood around taking pictures and sending snapchats, Passamus assumed different poses on the animal's back. A zookeeper nervously stood next to the animal, feeding it whenever it became agitated. Anytime the handler tried to end the session, Tatu Makela would take out another $100 bill and slip it to them, quieting the concerns for a while longer. I can confirm that there was definitely a perilous situation involving the illegal use of a controlled animal in a space and around people that were not equipped to handle it. I do not know how they got a fully grown hippopotamus into the dressing room, and I don't want to - I just know that the image of Hippo Passamus helicoptering on top of a two-ton monster is burned into my retinas forever.