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?

I’m fairly certain that I did around the same as I did last season, production-wise, considering the extra games played this time around. What I’m most satisfied with, however, is the defensive play and advanced statistics. This season was by far the best of my player’s career in terms of plus-minus, and Adam was second best in the league in Corsi rel.
I’m not quite statisfied with the production, though. I really think I have the potential to be the highest scoring defender in the league, and when I first brainstormed this player, I imagined him being an Andrei Markov type: smart defense, smart offense, a good puck mover and cerebral player who plays huge minutes in all situations. Being the highest TPE defender on the North Stars means I’ll have plenty of opportunity to live up to those expectations.
I think I’m going to try and make it so Adam will be less gassed next season. That almost certainly means I’ll need to increase his stamina from 17, but that’s a cost I’m willing to pay, especially if it gets me closer to the dream of winning a Scott Stevens Trophy (best defenseman) or Bojo Biscuit Trophy (best defensive defenseman).

(201 words, +3 TPE)

Quote:2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Create a new skater or goalie role for FHM. In what scenarios is this new player role best utilized? What attributes are considered important attributes to this new role, and why? Which attribute is the key one?

This is absolutely a role that would get killed by their coaches at the NHL level, but the role I would create is one that's actually currently found in the Football Manager franchise of games: Poacher.
The purpose of the poacher is to read the play and use their speed and predictive abilities to get past the defense and onto the puck for an odd-man rush the other way.
The attributes I'd expect to be the most important are Offensive Awareness, Stamina, Speed, Acceleration, and Shooting Accuracy.
The Offensive Awareness helps you read the play.
Shooting Accuracy being a top attribute means you can finish once you get that opportunity in the offensive zone, possibly even one-on-one.
Stamina is important if you’re going to be making deep runs into the offensive zones with the puck on a regular basis.
Acceleration because you need to reach your top speed in a hurry…
And finally, the most important attribute for the Poacher role: Speed. Because if the D can catch you as you streak into the opponent’s zone, then what’s the point?

(180 words, +2 TPE)

Quote:6. 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?

Another tournament, another CW entry with me talking up team Canada.
I feel like THIS is Canada's peak: five defensemen over the 1800 TPE threshold, multiple star forwards, and a young goalie looking for his third IIHF gold.
As dominant as the team is, I do realize that the tournament is played with an elimination format for the medal rounds, so even if you have what is on paper the cleary better team, there’s always the chance for an upset. I’m confident that Team Canada will top their group, and I’d expect Great Britain to top theirs.
Other teams I expect to perform well are Japan, with their littany of star forwards like Monkey D. Luffy, Daniel Smeb, and Martijn Westbroek; Czechia, with some veteran players in Andrej Doskocil and Michael Scarn; and Team USA, who for a while there boasted a dream team in their own right. The thing about the Americans though is that many of their former best players are on the back legs of their careers, and I don’t expect them to be as dominant now as they were several seasons ago.
I’m interested to see how things work out, and as always, cheering for Team Canada (and my own player Adam Barron) to do well.

(210 words, +3 TPE)

Quote:7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
SHL-NHL comparisons. With the NHL season kicking off again, what are some team or player comparisons between SHL and NHL? Pick one (or more) comparison(s) and explain why it works (e.g., Monkey D Luffy is the Connor McDavid of the SHL because xyz, or the Chicago Syndiacte are the Nashville Predators of the SHL because xyz, or nour is the Gary Bettman of the SHL because xyz).

The out-and-out best team in the league, and defending champion, is Hamilton. The same, I think, goes for the Tampa Bay Lightning on both fronts.
San Francisco is the team that seems like it’s still a ways away from being a contender and currently occupies the basement of the league. Detroit is in that position in the NHL.
As for players, Harry Carpet Is the Carey Price of the SHL because he’s been languishing for years on a rebuilding team and has stood on his head for the North Stars, but he’s finally seeing the fruits of that labor as the team in front of him is molding itself into a contender.
Andreas Kvalheim is Patrice Bergeron. Both are accomplished forwards defensively, both are on really solid teams, and both are capable of producing offensively but are starting to reach the twilight of their careers.
Lallo Selman is Patrick Kane, a dynamic winger that brings creativity on offense but can’t be depended on to play a particularly physical game.
And finally, Jimmy Slothface is Artemi Panarin: both have taken their changes of scenery in stride and remain one of their league’s best offensive talents.

(194 words, +3 TPE)

Quote:12. 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. The season series between these two teams was tied 3-3. Do you think either team has an advantage in this series or do you see it as a true toss up?
b. Each of these teams boasts a very strong first powerplay unit - which team has the special teams advantage in this series?
c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
d. Would you rather get a lap dance from Hugh Jazz, have a staring contest with Luke Atmey (velv's old player), reach for objects on high shelves with Dale Miller, or play League with Parker Smeb?

a. I guess I have to go with toss-up here, since both teams boast accomplished rosters and high amounts of TPE. But there’s something to be said for the way Hamilton always seems to be able to come up big when they need to. And if they were a real team, you’d have to give them the edge considering the amount of times their core has appeared in the finals.

c. Hamilton’s by far. They have the superior color scheme: I really love the steel blue that they use, while Chicago’s colors remind me of the Boston Bruins (yuck). The Steelhawks logo is fantastic, with a unique shape and well drawn feature with the hawk. While I think the Syndicate’s logo has improved from their old one, I don’t think it’s quite as good as Hamilton’s. And truth be told, it sometimes takes me a second to differentiate between the three criminal human teams: the Chicago Syndicate, the Texas Renegades, and the Anaheim Outlaws.

(69 words for a, 93 words for c, +2 TPE)

Quote:15. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is 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.

Verification word: casino

(+1-3 TPE)