3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
By now, you're probably familiar with the attributes on FHM, and you likely have some sense of what type of build you're going to be aiming for with your player. What one attribute are you going to focus on most? Of all the attributes in the game, what is your player going to strive to be the absolute best at? Why are you picking that specific attribute above all others?

When I originally created Piotr the plan was for him to be a defensive D. Now that I have the opportunity to respec him a little bit, and looking at team needs, I modified the build a little bit. I still think the most valuable stat for a defender, no matter what their tendencies are going to be is going to be Defensive Read. At the end of the day their job is to stop the puck from getting into their own net. I think this is going to be the first stat I really push to get to 20.

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!

As this is the most generic prompt ever, I will provide the most generic response possible, and I think the response has been the same for every time this question is proposed. Piotr goes back to Russia every off season. This is his time to spend with friends and family and reconnect with his community. Since this is the second Horvat boy to make it to the SHL they have become major contributors to their community. Every season when he returns Piotr spends time volunteering at the rink he learned to play on. He will ref the annual tournaments and do special clinics for the kids. This has become almost a holiday season in Andreapol as none of the kids are in school because they are all at the rink. Both Piotr and Vasily will play in a special 3v3 game where they play against one another. This game has become notoriously chippy as neither player wants to give any ground to their brother.

6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
The SHL is taking a stand and trying to do its part in reducing its carbon footprint. One of the proposed ideas is to eliminate back and forth air travel during the Challenge Cup and Four Star Cup finals and instead hold all 4-7 games in one neutral, rotating location a la the Super Bowl. Are you FOR or AGAINST this idea? Why?

I am against this. Not for the reasons you may think. I really do like the idea, but I want to modify it. What I would like to see is games 1-4 being played in a neutral location. This means that only in the rare event of a sweep during the finals will be held away from one of the participating cities. Once the first four games are over then we should go to a rotating schedule where 2 games are played in the higher seeded team’s arena, and game 6 at the other. This would mean that the league can include a city that may need a little bump in activity, but also brings the games back to the fan bases when they really count.

8. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min. for written option)
The arenas in San Francisco and New York certainly don't need any gimmicks to get people into the stadium for the series, but the arenas want to make sure they're pulling out all the stops on the big stage. Help the concessions department of one of these two teams develop a new product, with marketing specifically pertaining to this finals series, to be sold at the arena during the finals. Describe the product and the marketing in 150 words or create a promotional poster showing the product, its name, the price, etc.

The arena staff in Manhattan went all out this season. To try to make their home games a little more exciting they are introducing a new drink at all of their bars. “The Rage” has enough spicy to make any fan a Rage fan. Starting with Flamin Hot Cheetos and crush them up, they will wet the rim of your cup with lime and then roll the rim in the Cheetos. Then they modify the normal Bloody Mary recipe to add an extra bit of spice by adding Tabasco to the mixture and then garnishing the drink with Jalapenos. If you order this drink wearing anything other than a Rage jersey, expect everything to be stepped up. The price is also increased if you aren’t wearing Rage gear as well, but if you are, the drink will only run a reasonable $24.99 for an 8oz drink with a special commemorative glass that you can bring home to remember your experience. You can also bring your glass back to be refilled for a reduced cost.

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?

I have to give this one to JayWhy simply because I am more familiar with them and I like that there are multiple capital letters in their name. We all know that the more capital letters you have, the more powerful you are in all things. On the flip side, luketd doesn’t have any, and Grapehead and DaftRaincCoud have four combined? I am changing my opinion. I am going with San Fran for this one.

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?

We all know Simon doesn’t care about your carefully balance line rotation. Its all about San Fran’s top heavy lineup. We have seen it time and time again that this is usually rewarded in this sim engine as high TPE lines that are played well above normal ice time. It is very frustrating, but it is reality.

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?

Definitely d. If you have spent any time in the Renegade’s Discord you know that we have seen everything there. From PMs from FormX to memes from JP, there isn’t much that can shock me or gross me out anymore. I would love to take a look at RainClouds internet history so that I can see how tame his fetishes are.