1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
The most surprising thing this season was the dumpster fire of New Orleans Specters. Maybe I should word it differently. It was that the dumpster fire didn’t go to the San Francisco Pride. The Pride made the playoffs the first time I can remember, and most still had them going last aka dumpster fire in the league this season. I am not exactly sure if the rebuilding process for San Francisco is already that far, there was definitely a step in the right direction for them. New Orleans on the other side was bad, very bad. They started bad into the season and everyone knew they are going to struggle,  but that season was a total bust. With very few earners on the roster, the second half of the season was expected to be rough. But the way they performed was just ashaming. They had like 3 wins in the second half, which let them finish last in the end. And San Francisco got into the playoffs, what a story.


2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
That’s an easy choice in my opinion. As home team I choose b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. That way I have all the possibilities to play whilst also having a goalie back to protect me from anything that happens. I can play a brutal game, be very aggressive and don’t have to fear any consequences. Moreover I can try my luck and shoot from any range, as it’s way harder to defend with only skaters. No offsides or icing is ideal, you can always try to get a lucky punch, which probably isn’t that much luck based. Easy win of the finals. Any other choice is just wrong and wouldn’t make any sense. Maybe I misunderstood option a) and they play with an additional skater all the time, then it’s a bit more tricky. But I would still choose b), as it leaves you more possibilities.


4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
I am not playing in the finals. I was traded from Anchorage Armada to St. Louis Scarecrows at the beginning of the season, and it was my last one in the juniors. So I’m finally being called up and will play for the Atlanta Inferno from now on. Atlanta didn’t make it to the finals this season, they got eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. In the first round they eliminated the Los Angeles Panthers, and faced Texas Renegades afterwards. Atlanta really had a shot at making the playoffs as #1 seed in their division this season, so that was where things went wrong in first place. Having a first round bye helps big time, as you avoid stronger opponents until late playoff rounds. The current state of the league doesn’t really let a chance for underdog teams go to the finals though, in my opinion at least. If you start playing Hamilton or Texas beginning from the second round, it’s hard to push through all the way.
The whole team needs a bit of an improvement to fight for the finals. It could help that I’m called up, but it will definitely need some more time to fight for the cup in the future.


5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?
The best team in the SHL to not make the finals this season were the Texas Renegades. Although it was close with the Toronto North Stars. Texas dominated the regular season big time, their offense was nothing but on fire throughout the season. They didn’t have any problems against lower rated teams, many of the games ended with blowout wins. They also were good against other top opponents, but fell short in the Conference finals to the later winner Hamilton Steelhawks. They took the series all the way to the final seventh game, where Hamilton stayed victorious in the end. That was the matchup that should have been the cup final series in my opinion. Texas was so close to make it, the Renegades will have to wait for another year to finally get there.


6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
In the IIHF tournament I think that the usual teams will be the ones to beat. Great Britain, USA and Canada will be the strong forces, with some others not too far behind. What I am curious to see is how Austria will fare this season. The Austrian team consists of a lot of young players, and their prime is still away a few seasons. But they could start to make some waves in the tournament and send a signal to the world. In the last few seasons, some young max earning players entered the league from the Austrian federation, which could be the start of an era where you should count on Austria and not see them as fodder for the strong teams. Austria already managed to build a core of young talent, who are on the rise. They still have to trust in some junior level players, but they are on their way up already. Especially in the WJC, team DACH could make a push to the finals with a lot of the future of the Austrian team on the roster.


15. Milestones,  2 TPE
SMJHL Milestones +2 TPE


16. Written, 3 TPE
hotdog is one of the best users in this league. He’s always there if you need him, and he helped me draft a fantasy team that got me 10 TPE for the first time ever. He built up a super awesome team in Atlanta, I’m so glad I can be a part of that. The whole Atlanta Inferno team is hella nice I have to say!