Quote:1. Written, 3 TPE, Ups and Downs (150 words min.)

So this was a tough season for everyone in the SHL. Dealing with trolls online, horrible PR from product endorsements, and on top of that all some minor identity fraud to add to the pile. Are these the worst things to happen to your player this season, or did something unimaginably horrible happen? On the flip side, were there any bright spots hidden in the countless nuisances and problems? What good things on and off the ice happened this season for you?

Even with the embarrassing obstacles, William Hartmann still had a very good season. He set personal bests in assists and points with 43 and 68 respectively, and also showed up as a physical force to be reckoned with even through his small size, adding 122 hits and 75 blocks to cement himself as someone willing to go to the dirty areas of the ice to make the play. While his skills on defense can still leave something to be reckoned, having a huge season as a playmaker was a huge boon to the retooling Edmonton Blizzard, being able to help other younger players get plenty of shots and goals. Off the ice, Hartmann excelled as well with a big contract extension taking him through S62 where he's expected to get even better of a player, and Hartmann also gained attention in Edmonton for his endorsements with local businesses and his work with a local charity for homeless people. The Swiss Army Knife, as he has been occasionally referred to for his all-around play, has nowhere to go but up.

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

Pokemon! Everyone loves em, and if you don't, you didn't have a childhood. Or adulthood. Anyways, let's imagine all SHL and SMJHL players are now pokemon. Assemble your team! On top of that, what is your strategy to navigate the POKESHL? Try to get the strongest pokemon and become champion? Catch all of the possible players and complete your pokedex? UwU Breed them? Catch low level juniors players and train them? Or become a gym leader, helping others on their path to greatness? I'd love to hear your approach.

I tend to consider myself a relatively conservative player/GM, and with my background in the SMJHL as a GM there I love my picks/prospects with their potential. I'd say my approach to navigating the PokeSHL would be to assemble players from junior and train them up into a juggernaut 2000 TPE squad, and focus on getting young players with potential to grow. The most important part of creating a Pokemon team is to create a team that is balanced, but also has synergy between each other to ensure they can work together well as a team to achieve victory. The first player would be my own William Hartmann, as the jack of all trades and fast player. My second team member would be Jimmy Wagner, built for outspeeding players and getting hits off before they can strike back. Third up is Zayne Rotzbua as the beef, as every good team needs someone who can sponge hits while dealing tons of damage. Fourth up would be Nour's player, Gabe-Gooney-Waters Harrak, as the supporter. Every team needs a player who does a ton of work behind the scenes to make sure everyone is taken care of. Fifth up is Axel Foley as another pivot player who can serve a role on both offense and defense, while the final member of the team is Jon St. Ark, who serves as a pure defensive wall to sponge hits that would otherwise take down other team members.

Quote:7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
We're at a point in the SHL where a good chunk of the playerbase played back in the STHS era, and a good chunk has known nothing but FHM. If you're in the latter part of the league you must have heard the horror stories... so: Let's make a hypothetical.

Players who played in both eras: What would have happened if we just had one sim engine? Posture how your career would have gone if we stayed in STHS (sans exploits). Or what if you had created in FHM the whole time? Would things have gone better or worse?

For you FHM babies: What if we were still in Simon T land? Would your career be where it is now? Or would randomness have stunted the dynasties you may or may not have been part of?

Oh man, this one brings back bad memories. I played one season in STHS before we switched to FHM, and to put it simply, my build was atrocious. I don't remember exactly what it was, but even at my rookie season I had something like 75 skating and checking and passing/shooting ratings in the 50s. It was ugly. I had four goals and 7 points in my rookie season, but I did get 156 hits, 53 PIM and I think one or two ejections in that season. Had that build stayed the same, I probably would have followed a path similar to someone like Niccolo Livius, where I did nothing but hit and fight. STHS had a quirk where higher checking just meant more penalties, which was annoying. However, FHM was a good chance to rebuild my player the way I wanted, and I ended up creating the fast, physical winger that I was trying to get to all along. I think in that case I might have gotten more SMJHL points (still annoys me that I didn't get to 100 career J points), but overall I think my career would have been pretty similar.

Quote:12. 
d. Who is the best player to play for either team? Is it a current player? Retired? Traded? Make your case.

The best-ever Chicago Syndicate player would probably have to be Corey Kennedy. He's consistently been a great two-way defenseman for the team, putting up over 40 points in six of the previous seven seasons. He's also responsible with the puck, having consistently high plus-minus numbers every year. And with triple-digit shot block numbers five seasons running, Kennedy is the guy you want on the ice when you need to keep the puck out of the net.

15. Trivia word: roast (+1 TPE, plus correct answers)

17. Milestones claim +3 TPE

Claimed: 14 + trivia/16