1. reciprocity

6. Ryan, having lived his entire life near Baltimore, has been a fan of the Platoon, and has followed the exploits of Erik Bergmark and M'Baku Olubori through much of his time in the Marines. It’s been a dream of his to root for them as they look for another Challenge Cup, and to play for them as they look to bring along another generation of Platoon stars, but things don’t always work out as you see them in your dreams. Drafted in the first round of the Supplemental Draft for the Monarchs, it will be his job to man Minnesota’s net for the future, something he reluctantly agrees will be a challenge worth pursuing. He does feel quite bad that his parents, who died before he was able to graduate from the Academy, weren’t there to see him drafted, but also feels that they would be quite heartsick to have to root for their favorite and only son against the team they as a family had pulled for their entire lives. At the end of the day, it’s another hard truth of many that the professional environment creates. Just something else to stow away. Another mission. One he hopes doesn’t go as awry as a few he’s had already.

14. Great series, the first four games will go down as some of the best hockey ever played in SHL history. Games five and six were also great showcases, but they also weren’t able to showcase just how good Tampa Bay was. It was one of the best collection of games I had ever watched.