NSFL PT (3 TPE)

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

When Jakob decides to do something, he does it to the fullest of his abilities. This season in Tampa Bay, I can say without a doubt that I went full send for our mission. Not only did I lead the team in hits, not only was I second in the league in blocked shots, but I also had second worst +/- rating. While that may seem like a bad thing to the layman, they do not understand the ways of the tank commander. Myself and my defensive partner O’Callaghan were able to be on the ice for more goals conceded than any other pairing in the league. It isn’t even particularly close if the other Tampa players are discounted. To get given the task of tanking and come out having conceded so many goals and managed the perfect season of 0-50-0 is truly a dream come true. If I were to go back I would change nothing.

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Well, dang. Your team didn't make the finals this season - my condolences to you. Are you and your teammates planning on watching the finals even though you're not in it? If so, what are your watch parties like? If not, are you still following the finals or trying to ignore it completely? What are you and your teammates doing together (if anything) instead of following along? (if you're on Hamilton or New Orleans, or either of the 2 SMJHL teams that soon will be playing in the finals - congrats and sorry :p this one isn't for you!)

We will very much be watching finals in Tampa. I will be cheering wholeheartedly for New Orleans. Even though I was traded from there I still have many good friends on that team, and harbour no ill will there. This is not the reason I am cheering for New Orleans thought. In the trade that sent me from New Orleans to Tampa Bay, one of the stipulations was that if New Orleans wins the Challenge Cup this season, the S57 3rd round pick they traded to Tampa Bay becomes a second round pick. We’re trying to build a dynasty in Tampa and only have 5 draft picks in the first round this season. We have our own first round pick, and despite the best tanking season in league history, we’ve somehow walked away without the first overall pick. So, we’ll need to make that up elsewhere. Hopefully, that comes in the form of an S57 second.

4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
S54 IIHF Predictions - with one FHM IIHF season under our belt, we've got a bit more of a sense of how the tournament might play out in the new sim engine. What are your predictions for the S54 IIHF or WJC tournament - how do you think your team will fare this season? Who do you think are the biggest contenders to take home the hardware and why?

My answer to these two questions is the same. Czechia will win it all in both competitions this season. You may be thinking, Jakob, you have no grounds to say that, after all, your team just went 50 games without even managing to bring one to overtime let alone win. However, you forget that the object was to lose. In this battle for national superiority, there is only one option: to win it all for the great nation of Czechia. The team surrounding Jakob is stupendous, the locker room is a fantastic place, and the passion our team has for the homeland is unmatched by any other nation in this league. Passion is what wins international tournaments. How can the players come together and play as a unit. Team with the best individual players may not win. Team that works as a collective towards the same goal will. Czechia is a united front, and we cannot be moved or swayed.

3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
It has been publicized a decent amount on this site but Hamilton prospect Andrei Kostitsyn's brother Sergei appears to be missing. Does anybody know where Sergei? What have you done/what can you do to help Andrei track down his brother?

Jakob does not mean to be cruel, only realistic when he addresses the issue of Sergei. We are well past the first 48 hours since Sergei has gone missing, and as most people know, that is the crucial time to find the missing person. At worst, you at least need an incredibly hot lead in the first 48. In this case, I’m afraid that hasn’t happened. I don’t want to say that Sergei is dead or worse, but it does seem that he was taken to a secondary location. Anyone with street smarts knows that you never agree to be taken to a secondary location, or your chances of being found plummet.

5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which player from the Steelhawks or Specters has a great chance to make the Hall of Fame when their playing days are up? Make the case for that player's HOF bid.

Jimmy Slothface deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Now, Jakob knows very little about the SHL, and there is a chance that this is completely off base, however, he is an excellent dude, great in the locker room, and the highest TPE player on New Orleans. I know his playoff run started out pretty rough (I believe it was -4 after the first 5 games), obviously he turned it around and was able to bring the cup back to NOLA. A staple of a team, I’m sure he has gotten many points over the years both in the form of goals and assists. I’ve had him on my fantasy team before and I almost got fantasy TPE that season. That alone is worth it.