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?

After having a career year last season, I was pretty disappointed with how Sutton’s season went. He started the season off with a goal in his first game and then failed to record a point in his next 12 games. Over the next 37 games he was able to put up 30 points which is at a pace that would have seen him put up 40 points over 50 games, but it wasn’t just his point production that regressed. Sutton got really sloppy with turn overs while not taking the puck away as much. His physical play dropped off putting up the fewest number of hits in his career by quite a bit. I have no clue what this can attributed to, his line mates were the same from the previous season and his minutes were pretty consistent. Next season should be Sutton’s first in the SHL so I do not have high expectations from him, but it would be nice to see him at least hold his own and not be a liability on the ice. (176 words)

4. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If the SHL needed to set up a playoff bubble (like the NHL did in Edmonton/Toronto or the NBA in Orlando), which city would be the best candidate to host as the hub city? What would the players do during their time in a playoff bubble? (For graphic option, make an advertisement [like a pamphlet/brochure] in support of a specific city as the hub city and highlighting the reasons why.)

If I were to be setting up a bubble for the SHL teams to play out the playoffs I would look at a few different factors. Proximity to a major airport, ability to host the players with the comfort that they would expect, and since the playoffs are transpiring in the winter months, I would look for a reasonable climate.

Considering all the above, I have chosen Tampa Bay to be the hub city for the SHL playoffs. It has a large international airport that could support bringing in the players from all over. There are plenty of high-end hotels that would have numerous amenities for the players to keep them entertained during their down time. It would also be warm enough so that the players could go outside and get fresh air without worrying too much about dying from the cold. I am assuming that since the team only recently located to Tampa that the arena would be modern with a good HVAC system to sustain the quality of ice required for these teams to play meaningful games. Also, there is no worry of the home team having any advantage because the Barracuda did not make the playoffs. (199 words)

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?

I will start off with stating the obvious, Team Canada will defend their gold medal from the last tournament. It will not be a walk in the park for them, but the team has all the tools and will get it done. Theo Morgan’s dominant offense will carry over from the SHL season and lead the team offensively while Frans Eller steps up his play and shuts the door in goal, the tournament is theirs to lose. Great Britain will certainly put up a fight but will ultimately take home the silver. I believe the bronze will go to either USA or Czechia however teams like Japan, Sweden, and Switzerland will all put up fights and could very well replace either of those two teams in the Bronze game. I do not see the remaining teams like Ireland, Finland, or Latvia really improving upon their performances from last season and will likely see themselves at the bottom of the round robin standings. (162 words)

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 an impressive set of skaters - without factoring in any coaching or tactical strategies, which team do you think has the better roster of skaters on paper?
b. Do you foresee the teams making any strategic adjustments during the course of the series? Should the teams be quick to switch tactics or stick with what they've been using?
c. These two teams hail from the Great Lakes Division. Which of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) do you think is the Greatest and why?
d. If, once it is safe to do so, you had to go hang out in person with one of the users on Buffalo/Hamilton, who would you hang out with and what would you do? (if you pick gabe you get -1 tpe)

a.      These two teams are very evenly matched when you look at total TPE with Hamilton having a slight edge. Breaking it down though and removing goaltending, Hamilton trails in defense by 300 TPE but have almost 800 more TPE upfront. Even with Buffalo having the better goaltender TPE wise Hamilton was second only to Calgary in regular season GA which tells me that their defensive core is more than capable of shutting teams down. I have to give Hamilton the edge when it comes to icing the better roster on paper (92 words)

b.      For both teams, I think they keep doing what they have been doing. Hamilton had the most successful regular season campaign since the SHL moved to FHM. Their playoff run hasn’t been the smoothest but ultimately got to the finals anyways after stifling one of the leagues best offensive teams in the Blizzard. The Stampede had a more of a difficult road to the finals but saw themselves knock out the Rage in 6 and then reverse sweep the Syndicate.

c.      I think all the lakes have their own beauty and wouldn’t mind a cottage on any of them. For the purpose of this task though I am going to choose between Lake Ontario for Hamilton, and Lake Erie for Buffalo. After eliminating it down to those two the answer for me is an easy one, Lake Ontario. Nothing against Lake Erie, but I grew up not far from Toronto and have always been around Lake Ontario. When comparing to Erie, Ontario has played a much larger role in settlements and is also the first lake that the St Lawrence Seaway connects to. (103 words)
d.      To be honest the only player that I really know from either team is Faelax and that’s because we played in Maine together. He would have to be my choice for that reason, but I think him and I could actually get a long. He plays disc golf and I have played once or twice so that would probably be how we hang out and maybe grab a beer after. (71 words)

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE
Mojito