Task #1
Verification word: hehe

Task #2 (67 words)
Prompt A: This season's Rage squad is much different than last year. The Rage have finally found a stable #1 goaltender in Adam Rage, along with multiple players finally breaking out and scoring at such an impressive pace. None of these scorers, however, come even close to the insane scoring pace that Lev Lebedev was on. Nearly a goal per game and more than 110 points overall? Absolutely insane.

Task #3 (167 words)
For their New Year's resolution, Pyotr Gallen hopes to get more consistent with their game preparation. Over their past two years in juniors, they've been on and off with training and generally keeping a consistent schedule.

"I know that I haven't been the best at hitting the gym and refining my game," Gallen said to interviewers at the conclusion of Vancouver's season. "I just got complacent in my skills and it feels like I've never really hit my true ceiling."

Gallen graduates from the SMJHL to the SHL at the start of season 69 and will begin their rookie campaign with Hamilton.

"The SHL is a completely different league than the SMJHL, and I understand that only the most determined and dedicated will survive up there. I understand what being called up means, and I hope to make my future teammates and team proud with the work that I will put in. No more laziness, no more excuses, no more bullshit. I want to make an impact."

Task #4 (187 words)
Rivalries don't have to be fierce and fueled by hatred. Sometimes, they can just be competitive while keeping things clean. When Pyotr Gallen makes their debut with the Hamilton Steelhawks in the next SHL season, they can't wait to play Seattle.

Why is that? Benson Fioretini.

"I've always wanted to go up against Benny. It was incredibly fortunate for us that we got drafted to the same juniors team, and for that I am truly grateful. But once Benny was called up by Seattle, I almost felt a new fire light within myself. I couldn't wait to play them once I got called up, and you best believe I'm circling the date on the calendar when Hamilton and Seattle finally play," Gallen said in an end-of-season interview. "Nothing is better than facing your closest friend and seeing which one of you is the real difference maker for your team."

Gallen and Fioretini, cousins and drafted together in the SMJHL draft, have always enjoyed competing against one another. Whether it be on the ice or off the ice, the two consider themselves the perfect motivators for the other.

Task #16 (241 words)
When looking at this year's (real life) IIHF world juniors, I was incredibly impressed with how much of a fight Slovakia and Czechia put up against the usual powerhouses. Czechia immediately came out of the gate and beat Canada 5-2 before handily defeating Austria and Germany, with their only "loss" being a 3-2 overtime loss against Sweden. Slovakia didn't have the same luck going through their group, opening with a 5-2 loss to Finland. However, they immediately bounced back and beat their next two opponents in the United States and Latvia before finishing off their group stage with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Swiss. Of course, Slovakia lost to Canada in the quarterfinal stage off of an otherworldly effort by Connor Bedard, but Czechia captured that lightning in a bottle and made an impressive run all the way to the gold medal game before also losing in overtime to Canada. I think the best thing about these two teams is just how little top-tier NHL prospect talent they truly had. The teams had players like David Jiricek (CBJ, 6th overall, 2022), Simon Nemec (NJD, 2nd overall, 2022) and Filip Mesar (MTL, 26th overall, 2022), but outside of those three there was very little game-changing talent. The goaltending for both teams truly excelled in a tournament that really opens eyes of scouts, and I firmly believe Czechia's goaltender Tomas Suchanek's performance will earn him a few looks from multiple NHL teams.

Task #17 (185 words)
If the IIHF board truly wants to eliminate the advantage of playing in front of home country fans, then they should consider holding tournaments in countries where the ice hockey interest is slowly starting to grow. For example,
- Mexico: Ice maintenance might be a little tricky with the warmer temperatures, but holding a tournament in Mexico could be a fantastic way to grow the game into an unfamiliar and untapped market.
- South Korea: Another prime market to introduce to the game of hockey, South Korea could be a good place to introduce the game to try and fill an entire calendar year with sports and pair along with Korea's love of baseball.
- Iceland: Holding a tournament in Iceland could be beneficial purely for the beautiful views that the country provides. The IIHF could also try and hold a game outdoors in the middle of the mountain ranges to try and captivate the people watching.

Expansion to different countries to try and expand the tournament's popularity could work wonders for the IIHF, and I hope we will see a future tournament in one of these locations.

Task #18 (152 words)
Seattle has won the Challenge Cup! I have terrible time management skills. What's new? One thing that really stood out to me over the course of the season is just how quiet Manhattan's season was. Manhattan's roster was mostly kept intact from their previous season's run to the finals, but with a new goaltender in Adam Rage replacing the departing Name Redacted. Leading scorer Lev Lebedev set the league on fire with 58 regular season goals, and Adam Rage posted solid stats in his first full season as a starter. Their path to the finals was certainly not easy either, having to run through as high as a 3rd seed in their conference before meeting the Argonauts. The Rage's run this year is a carbon copy of last year's run, but unfortunately they came up short again. Hopefully, the third time's the charm next year and they finally reach their ultimate goal.

Total TPE: 16/16