1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
VIP Status again babyyyyyyyy - your player has been invited to attend one of the first homestands of the CC finals as a VIP guest - all expenses paid, front row seats, any hotel you want - and it's all on the Commissioner's dime! Eggy has complained to me the past two seasons about having to pay for this so I'm graciously volunteering SDCore to front the costs for this season's splurge! Are you going to Games 1 and 2 in Edmonton or Games 3 and 4 in Hamilton? Why are you picking there? And what are you going to do in that city to run up SD's tab?? (This is the same prompt as in the past but we've got different cities! be creative! Don't re-use what was written last season.)

Oh baby, thank you so much to the Simulation Hockey League for giving me the ability to have an all-expenses paid trip to Edmonton, Alberta or Hamilton, Ontario. Both one of the top murder cities in all of the beautiful country of Canada. Unfortunately, this year I am actually playing in the games so I cannot go crazy and go to all the cool bars that Edmonton offers. Instead, I will be going to some Edmonton Oilers games to see the lightning fast speed of Connor McDavid to try and emulate what he does on the ice against the Edmonton Blizzard. I will also try and see if I can make it out to some of the cool monuments in the Edmonton area, and maybe I will go to a bar to get a drink and run into some of my idols in downtown area. In Hamilton I already get everything paid for since I am such a big deal so I have no need to do anything there.

(169 words)

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Alternate Reality: Physicists and other smarties believe that this reality is just one of infinite realities existing alongside this one in parallel. Take us over to one of those realities in which everything is the same but these S51 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?

Sigh, in an alternate reality the Challenge Cup Finals would go vastly different. The Tampa Bay Barracuda would have reverse swept the Buffalo Stampede, and they would have went on to dismantle the surging Hamilton Steelhawks in a close fought 7 game series, but the Chicago Syndicate would have beat the Manhattan Rage easily and then took down the Barracuda to make the Challenge Cup Finals for the first time in their history. On the other side, the Specters avoided a collapse in the post-season and went on to sweep every team on their way to the Challenge Cup Finals. In the finals it has been a tough matchup so far with both teams going neck and neck with each other. Neither of the expansion teams want to lose and it is evident in the hard hitting, defensive games they have both been playing, as the final scores of most games have been by one goal and very low scoring.

(160 words)

Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
The two finals teams have decided to team up for a fundraising opportunity to benefit both cities. What noble cause will the teams decide to benefit? What sort of fundraiser will the teams hold together? How will the two teams mesh before the finals start?

Fundraising opportunities are always a fantastic way to get teams in the Simulation Hockey League further exposure in the public markets. I have heard from numerous sources that individuals in the capital markets have also had ideas to allow teams to sell to the public to introduce further funds that can be used to bolster the team, however, it has been met with severe anti-competition legislatures by the league and the political domain. The league should hold a charity game fundraiser which would bring a lot of the crowd out to see how the players interact in a non-game situation. This also allows the team to mesh as they will be mixed on the teams so Steelhawks players will be playing with Blizzard players and they will be able to gain some chemistry and build friendships along the way. The team decides to fundraise for the Ronald McDonald House as this was something that is near and dear to the hearts of many players on both teams.

(169 words)

Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Pretend that your team has hit an injury bug - the roster is so depleted that your coach is asking you to play out of position. What position is your coach asking you to play and what about your player build will help you be successful in this new role?

The management of the Hamilton Steelhawks have requested that I play on the top line of the forward group for our first game in the Challenge Cup Finals of the fifty-first season of the Simulation Hockey League. This would have meant that I had played all 3 positions in the Challenge Cup Finals during my tenure in the league dating back to the early S20’s when I was a goalie for the Texas Renegades. My player build will allow me to succeed in this role as I have very high passing, skating and strong offensive awareness which allows me to seek the open spaces in the offensive zone, and get the puck to my team mates, while creating opportunities that just opens the game up. Think of it like Johnny Gaudreau if he was 10 inches taller and had another 150 pounds on him, but I have the same speed and skills as he does. Just a monster of a player that can also demolish opponents in the offensive zone, might as well just give me the playoff MVP already

(180 words)

5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
The Most Generic Prompt of All Time - what is your player looking forward to in the offseason? What are they planning on doing? Training? Relaxing? Testing free agency? Whatever it is, let us know!

Well having just won the Challenge Cup, I think I will be doing a lot of partying for the first half of the offseason, think of how Alexander Ovechkin partied when the Washington Capitals won the cup, that is something I would mimic and enjoy thoroughly. After getting through my party phase, it would be getting right back to the gym and working hard to retain the title for next season, I was happy with my effort last year and was rewarded on the ice throughout the playoffs and the regular season so I want to build upon that and create a phenomenal player that can excel on both sides of the ice and just be the best defenseman I can be. I am also going into a contract year, so if I want to garner something close to my old contract I need to be at the best of my game and show the team I deserve to earn top dollars in this league.

(165 words)

9. Written, 1 TPE
Write a haiku about an SHL-related topic. Be sure to follow the 3 line, 5-7-5 syllable structure or Godzilla will stomp on your house/apartment while you sleep.

Hockey is my life
Steelhawks win the challenge cup
Passing is bad