2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
You're put in charge of making the casino odds on the Cup winner for next season. Whom are you giving the best and the worst odds to, and what's your reasoning?

We all know this league throws us for a whirlwind every damn season, unless that's been the case up to this point using STHS. However, assuming I was an idiot and would put real money on a virtual hockey league in the first place, I'd feel "safe" putting my money on the Hamilton Steelhawks, and giving them the best odds to win the Challenge Cup. Although they were unable to follow up their S51 Challenge Cup win with a repeat in S52, they still managed to finish atop the standings of the Eastern Conference with 68 points and I wouldn't be surprised if they give everyone a run for their money in S53 as well. In terms of the worst odds I gotta go with the Tampa Bay Barracuda. Although TBB is a team that could look promising for the future, they don't have any superstars that stand out to me that will take their team to the next level. Especially after putting up the leagues worst 36 pts this past season.

4. 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!

5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which player from the Rage or the Pride would you bet on to win a regular season individual award in a future season? What player and what award? What makes you think they'll live up to their potential and take home the hardware?

If I were to make a bet on a player winning a regular season individual award in a future season it'd have to be Luke Thomason, Center of the Manhattan Rage. I'd bet on him winning Sarmad Khan AKA the MVP as voted by the players. My reasoning is simple, Thomason finished 6th in points this season and is continuing to improve season after season. Although this may sound strange due to both Alex Winters and Steven Moyer who both finished the season with more points than Thomason and play for the Rage and Pride respectively, I give the nod to Thomason for this award over Winters for two reasons, 1. They're line mates so their production will be based around one another, and although it's impressive the performance they both put up, the performance put up by Thomason is a more impressive one due to him playing the center position. On the other hand, Steven Moyer, Center of the San Francisco Pride should also be seen as an honorable mention as he also had a very impressive year, while playing on the 2nd line of the Pride. Overall, I see more of a future for Thomason due to his year in and year out production, as well as the situation he's been put in with his line mates that surround him and push him to succeed.

For Potts, his offseason routine never really changes. Sure, he may hit the ice a little, sure he'll lift a little weights. But most importantly he would never forget about his important drug use to stay in tip top shape. Having to live in Newfoundland for a good portion of the year means no nice looking ladies, no good weather, and too many people with weird accents. With that being said, Potts wastes no time getting straight to the beach, Miami to be specific. Not only does Miami provide the best "white chocolate" around, they also provide great looking women and exquisite night clubs, perfect for Potts' incredibly high-class taste and expectations. For many this routine would cause their success to decrease, however in Potts' case he only performs better with a little extra "push" hitting that blood stream of his. He also wanted me to forward the message that if anyone does want his offseason "workout" plan, feel free to hit his line (literally) as he's always down for some new buddies to trap with.

14. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.

1. Head GMs JayWhy and Grapehead have been GMing for a while, whereas Co GMs Luketd and DaftRaincloud are newer to management - which team's front office staff (including coaches) do you think will provide a strategic edge (lol as if such a thing exists in STHS) in this series?

Although STHS may make it difficult to provide an actual strategic edge, if I had to pick a management duo that I like more I'm gonna have to go with JayWhy and Luketd of the Manhattan Rage. Not only has JayWhy been on the SHL since 2012 giving him without a doubt the advantage of knowing this league literally inside and out, but him and Luke are also incredibly sweaty SHLers with top end players. When the front office is producing at a very high level and not just relying on their players, that proves to be very important in my eyes.

2. Manhattan has been rocking a pretty evenly-distributed ice time for forwards (35-33-32) whereas San Francisco is going a bit more top-heavy (40-40-15). Which approach do you think is better for a fierce Challenge Cup series?

I gotta go with Manhattan's evenly-distributed ice time among the forwards. My reasoning behind this decision is something as simple as momentum. Let's say for whatever reason SFP's 3rd line is performing really well, while their 1st and 2nd are lagging behind in a game. That 3rd line will not have enough ice time to carry their momentum through the game to outshine the 1st and 2nd who are not only being outshined by what is most likely worst players, but are also potentially being the result of a loss due to the excess amounts of ice team. On the contrary, Manhattan's even attack allows for all 3 lines to see very similar ice time allowing for less momentum shifts and more balance throughout the game.

3. The Rage and the Pride have, in my opinion at least, two of the best logos in the entire SHL. Which team's logo do you like more and why?

Between the Rage and the Pride the logo I'm gonna give the upper hand to is the Pride. Although I have to agree with the fact that both teams definitely have two of the best logos in the league, I'm always a fan of logos that have a "lion-esque" vibe, which is exactly what the Pride's logo is. On top of that I think their color scheme fits the team really well. Given I am biased due to the fact that I'm a diehard University of Washington fan, so our color schemes are very similar. However, the Rage's logo as well as their color scheme definitely deserves credit where it's due for being badass as well.

4. What is your favorite player name on either of these two teams and why? (not favorite player/user, just focusing on their player name)

If I'm completely honest this was a decision that was not difficult at all to make, due to both teams having boring player names, in my opinion. So, Jay and Grape, maybe consider drafting players with interesting names in the future, ya? With that being said, my favorite player name comes from the San Francisco Pride, and that being Tokek Takshak. I couldn't tell you why I like this name besides the fact that it looks and sounds stupid, unlike every other name on each teams respected roster. So shoutout to Gecko for the funny name.

5. Would you rather: (a) a chainsaw lesson with JayWhy, (b) a private Gritty meet-and-greet for you and Luke, © an all-you-can-eat grape buffet experience with Grapehead, or (d) an hour session where DaftRaincloud shows you everything from his internet history?

None of these stick out to me like a sore thumb besides, D "an hour session where DaftRaincloud shows you everything from his internet history?" so for that reason I'm picking it. I can't say I know who DaftRaincloud is, HOWEVER considering this is even an option on this list, I gotta assume he's a greasy nerd so I definitely would have a good time browsing through his internet history.

17. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE - sent.