Quote: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?

Well, Reid didn't have the best season, but he was a rookie, so that checks out. He had 12 points, not exactly in the rookie race, but still ok. He also finished only -7, which I was really happy with, as other rookies were in the -40s. Reid got a chance to play on a few different lines, which was really a great opportunity, as he was not stuck on the 3rd line the whole time. He played 16 mins a game which was more than he was expecting. Overall, the best part of the season was the fact that the team did well, and greatly improved their standing and success. Winnipeg was clearly the 5th best team in the West, and had an extremely tough schedule. They pushed some of the best teams in the West and East, but fell short when playing teams on their level. They might have missed playoffs, but the future is bright, and that is what is exciting. [164 words]

Quote:2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

I think that the two GMs will have their work cut out for them. There are certain teams like Texas that have a lot of good players exposed, so the GMs will want to draft from there ASAP. Other teams like San Fran threw curveballs and protected 2 goalies. I think it will be a race to see who can select Samat from Manhattan, as he is the best goalie available. Buffalo has only one slot for people to pick from, and there are some attractive pieces, including 2K TPE players Cassius Darrow and Michael Scarn, as well as prospect Alexander Roach. The GMs will have to pick one of them early. Tig will likely have people wanting to play for him with the Detroit connection, and hotdog from Anchorage and New England. This could be interesting depending on who is left exposed. Kaarlo Kekkonen from Texas could be a good target for Tig, as he spent many a year in Detroit under Tig. There are other options such as Zizagooney from WPG that Tig could target as well. [179 words]

Quote:3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America -become a reality in the SHL?

There should be teams in Europe, but I think the best possible expansion location is on a different continent... AUSTRALIA. There are so many animals and bugs that have a mythos about them, that all they want to do is kill you - it would be perfect for a sports team mascot. In my head we could have the Brisbane Black Widows, or the Melbourne Emus, maybe even the Sydney Kangaroos. Australia will never be a team in a real league because of travel distances, but in the SHL it could be! Why not grow the sport to an area where it can be an entire countries team? Australia also has wild fans for their sports like rugby and baseball, so I think it would be a natural fit. [128 words]

Quote:4. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)

Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

I think this one is pretty clear, in that Edmonton didn't make the finals. They were the top team in the West this season, and were ahead of NOLA in the series. To have the game end on a breakaway with only minutes remaining in game 7 is heartbreaking, and you can make the case that they might have been the better team in the series. NOLA certainly got lucky, as it was basically a coin flip. With an offense that includes Julio Tokolosh, Theo Morgan, Tony Pepperoni, and Bo Kane among others, this team was stacked. Thats to say nothing about Karlstrasse Scholz, arguably the MVP of the season for them. [112 words]

Quote: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.
a. Both of these teams have stacked defenses - which team do you think has the defensive advantage in this series?
c. Based on FHM player ratings, New Orleans has higher average ratings in bravery, aggression, and fighting? Will that toughness have any impact on this series?
d. What is your favorite name from a player appearing in this series? Why do you like that player's name?

a. I think Buffalo has the clear edge here. Darrow and Selich are only 1 season off 2K, and both cleared it again in their first post regression season. Scoop was a former 2K player and is sitting around 1900. Wang and Owens are both top of their class, 1400 and 1200 respectively. NOLA is headlined by Rex Kirkby - good but older than Scoop and lower TPE. Odellin and Claude are really great defenders, but cant hold a candle to BUF. [80 words]

c. I don't think so. Higher ratings in those areas might help rough up BUF a little, but they aren't Hamilton last season, where NOLA went physical and there wasn't anything HAM could do. BUF has a clear TPE advantage, being absolutely stacked, and has a goalie and defense that is playing way better. That will matter more than more PIMS and physicality. [62 words]
d. My favorite name of any in the series is Eko van Otter of the Stampede. It can be shortened to EVO which is a nice touch, but it is also helpful cause he is an actual otter. That is hilarious (and makes for great sigs) but also a meme name. Eko van Otter also has the appearance of being a snooty rich person name, thanks to the "van" which you seem to see in the worlds 1%. To see that name on an Otter is pretty great, which is why that is my favourite name. [95 words]

Quote:16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

Reid



+16 TPE