Tasks: 2 (3), 4 (3), 5 (3), 13 (4), Trivia (3) = 16 TPE

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?

Probably Hamilton.  It's not too hard to be the best when you basically test sim until you create a league beating meta.  If some other team somehow acquires an infinite lack of a life, then maybe they'll also be able to compete and give Hamilton a run for their money.  After that, I think NEW is going to remain near the top given that FHM rewards teams that are stacked and New England is incredibly well built.  They have fantastic depth TPE wise for their roster and they're not an overly aging roster so I do not see their dominance slowing down in the future.  Buffalo will also continue to beast and feast on the league.  They just added Kholin and gave up few substantial assets.  I don't see a scenario in which they're not a cup contender in the near future.  Oh good, all these teams are in Chicago's conference and 2/3 are in Chicago's division.  Exciting times in the SHL.

4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With new tools at our disposal in FHM, we may eventually see some new awards enter the fold. Create a suggestion for a new SHL award. What kind of achievement is the award given for? Who's the award named after? Who would've won the award this season?

I think a cool new award would be one that is given out to the person (or people) that write the best article based on FHM for that season.  I think with the advent of FHM and it's ability to track advanced stats, we're seeing an increase in what people can write about and the data that media writers can present to the people.  Groups like SJHN this season brought us some fantastic content and I think an award could serve as valid recognition for those that are going above and beyond and as encouragement for future writers to go above and beyond in search of some hardware.  It would also have a positive effect of adding high quality writing to the SHL Media area and hopefully encouraging some insightful and innovative pieces.  I'm not sure who to name it after, maybe Luke Thomason as he's churned out some of the heftiest (and more insightful) articles I've seen.  This season, I'd probably give it to Jukka Timonen for his article on which FHM attributes are correlated with individual and team success.

5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Just like everything else in S53, IIHF is going to be an exciting mystery for us all! We've seen the introduction of a new format (all 14 teams in one group) and it's bound to be a very exciting tournament. What are your predictions for IIHF this season? What team or teams do you think have the best shot at taking home the gold? How do you think your team will fare?

I think we'll see the usual suspects win in the IIHF this year given that FHM seems to be rewarding the best built and managed teams right now.  Both Hamilton and Detroit won and it's no secret that they were both built the strongest & most balanced.  (get it?).  So on that note, I think we'll see strong performances from Canada and the United States.  It's a numbers game and they're the two heavyweights.  After that, I think Japan has some strong builds so we'll likely be able to squeeze in as a 4 seed again.  I think some teams are going to get beat up quite a bit by the stronger teams as once again, FHM is rewarding the high TPE teams (as it should).  With Luffy, the Smebs, Westbroek and Ren getting even better and then some young guns in Minamino, Dayudie, Sato etc. taking up the depth roles, Japan is poised well to succeed into the future.

13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?

Kryyst is my best player in the Challenge Cup Finals. Dude is a very stellar goaltender and every team needs one to be their backbone in order to win the cup. Edmonton has a very strong team and Hamilton is going to (and did) need Kryyst to be at his absolute best to pull this out. Lagerfield is a close second as he had a hell of a season and was a superstar.

b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?

It's gotta be Hamilton's balance and strength. It's the FHM meta and finally others in the league are catching on. Speed and acceleration are great for individual production but winning as a team is all about balance and strength and Hamilton is going to ride that to the cup. Cups are about team play and you need the stats that emphasize team play.

c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.

F - Flacko Lagerfield: No brainer, dude like I said was a superstar this season and it'd be insane to leave him off.
F - Aaron Wilson: Where would our team be without our resident super brain? If we didn't have someone like him to test, we wouldn't succeed.
F - Julio Tokolosh: No team would be complete without our resident cowman. Julio brings a great scoring touch and some stellar graphics. Who knows if we'll need to rebrand?
D - Brady McIntyre: Lil annoying but like, we need some good players yeah?
D - Robert Phelps: Awe yeah, we goin all offense with some forwards on the back end. Unless he's a forward... then nevermind. Phelpsy is a stud and he'll bring the firepower.
G - Kryyst: I can't remember how to spell his name but yeah, him. Best goalie in the playoffs and he's the ideal fantasy goalie for our squad.

d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?

No, it's cold and uncomfortable. But on a serious note, while it is beautiful and I love me a good ODR, I don't enjoy it right now. I've gotta walk to campus every day and that's a whole lot harder when you're trudging through snow up to your knees. Call me when I have a car with some snow tires or don't have to leave the house (ahem... quarantine) and I'll be on board.

(CLAIM 4 TPE for 4/4)

TRIVIA SUBMITTED:
@SDCore