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?

My player did... Okay, I guess? Overall it was a very disappointing season for our team, we knew we would be worse than the previous year after some trades we made that sent out good players for future assets, but I thought we would still be a little more competitive than we ended up being. After a decent start we quickly fell off once the schedule got tougher and even though I led the team in scoring and broke 50 points again, it was a significant step down for both me and the team. Given that our roster had gotten a bit thinner, a drop in individual points for me was kinda expected so I'm not too disappointed with my personal performance, but it also wasn't enough to elevate the team after losing some people and that obviously wasn't great. I am certainly looking forward to the off-season now where I hope that we will be able to add some players and go on the offensive again!

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?

I'm European so naturally that is an interesting question for me but honestly and maybe a bit surprisingly, my answer would be "No", we don't need European teams. I wouldn't be completely against it if the SHL decided to go that way, but I for one am kind of a sucker for realism in sim leagues so I like it that the SHL is purely NA-based like the NHL is in real life. Other leagues like the VHL have had European teams and whole Conferences for a long time and that is totally fine, let them do their thing and fill that niche while we stick to ours and keep this the NA-style sports league that it is modeled after.

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?

That "honor" has to go to Edmonton I think. They had a phenomenal regular season, tying the Juggernaut that is the Buffalo Stampede in points but then in the playoffs, they werent quite able to perform. Still, throughout most of the year they got strong performances from their veteran players while also having some new standouts that broke through for them this year. This includes Theo Morgan who they acquired in a trade prior to this season and who showed right away why the Blizzard paid multiple first rounders for him. Another new starpower player for them was Bo Kane who had a breakout season and should be one of the favorites for the Richan Trophy this year. Their team definitely is a bit on the older side however so their window might start to close soon, it's gonna be interesting to see if they try to stay in contention then by bringing in some new players or go the dreaded rebuild route.

Quote:7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) The two finals teams have decided to team up for a fundraising opportunity to benefit both cities. What noble cause will the teams decide to benefit? What sort of fundraiser will the teams hold together? How will the two teams mesh before the finals start?

There are a lot of incredibly charities out there that do a lot of good that athletes tend to engage in when they go fundraising. Be it caring for sick children, fighting chronic diseases or mental health issues, providing help for people with disabilities or helping people who were born in less fortunate parts of the world, to fighting racism and discrimination, there are a lot of organisations out there that all deserve your support. I however have decided to go a slightly different route however and decided that the cause these two franchises should team up for is a bigger one that, arguably, makes all these other things possible in the first place. I am talking about fighting for and protecting Democracy itself. Our political system has been under attack from adversaries both internally and abroad, by authoritarians, partisan political actors and disinformation agents who threaten to destabilize Democracies throughout the Western world. It is time to stand up for our way of living and fight these efforts though non-partisan NGOs and non-profits that could use both the awareness and the funds that we as professional athletes can raise!

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?
b. In the two regular season matchups, each team won once at home. Do you expect the results to reflect a home ice 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?
e. There are several animal names in this series - which of these animals is the coolest? sloth, hippo, otter, monkey, fox, kirby.

a. I have to go with Buffalo here, their Defense is just the best one you will find around the league not just today, but ever. Buffalo's Top-3 of Cassius Darrow, Alexander Selich and Poopity Scoop is just unbeatable, their D-corps is so strong that it might become unaffordable for them as early as next season, so better expect them to give it their all to win in their potential last hoorah this season.
b. -
c. I don't thjink so. In my opinion toughness isn't as important as smart defensive play and good physical attributes and smooth skating so I wouldn't expect them to get much of an, if any, advantage from their physicality especially since Buffalo has proven that they can throw around the body as well. However, New Orleans did manage to beat the favorited Blizzary team so who knows, maybe there is actually more to their toughness than I am giving them credit for...
d. -
e. Oh boy that's a tough one... I think I would go with Otter not just because it is an animal that is both cute and tenacious, but also because we aren't talking about any regular otter here. We are talking about a noble otter after all, a "von Otter" to be exact, which is something that now other animal in this series can say of themselves!

CW Verification: Liege