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DonutDefender · 08-31-2020, 04:37 PM

Task 1: 3 TPE
Task 2: 3 TPE
Task 3: 2 TPE
Task 4: 2 TPE
Task 5: 3 TPE
Task 16: 3 TPE

3+3+2+2+3+3=16 TPE

Task 1 – 3 TPE: Marshall spent his second season with the Maine Timber, and it went quite well. He went from just 12 points in his rookie year, to a much more respectable 29 points this season. The increase in playing time is partly what could be attributed to this, as he went from spending the year on the 4th line, to being on the third or second line throughout the season. Another part of his game that progressed was his physical game. Marshall prides himself in being a physical presence on the ice, and this year he registered 113 hits, compared to just 72 in his rookie season. So, after a good regular season, I was hoping he could carry that into the playoffs, but Marshall underperformed in the later rounds on the playoffs. Overall, I’m pretty happy with Marshall’s play, and look forward to seeing what he can do with another 75 TPE being allocated ahead of next season. (157 words)

Task 2 – 3 TPE: I’m going to talk about how I think the expansion draft will play out from the perspective of my SHL team, the Minnesota Chiefs. For us, most of our team is either protected, or auto-protected. Seeing as we are in a bit of a rebuild, we got pretty lucky with the timing of this expansion draft. The people left exposed for the expansion draft are mostly inactive, or not very useful to an SHL team, with a few exceptions. The most notable people left exposed are inactive forward Jack Kennedy, who’s got around 850 TPE, and prospect Separa Borro, who has been slated as the team’s backup goalie for the future. While Kennedy is the far superior player at the moment, he is inactive. Borro on the other hand is semi-active, and expansion teams are likely looking for as many active pieces as they could get, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the expansion teams opt for Borro over Kennedy. (160 words)

Task 3 – 2 TPE: I for one am opposed to the idea of allowing cross-continental play in the SHL. I am of the belief that things should at least be somewhat realistic, even though it is just simulation hockey. Having teams in Europe for example, would not make any sense in the real world, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to put any European teams in the SHL. It’s also worth mentioning that there are tons of places in North America that are yet to have an SHL team, and before we consider looking at other continents for any potential SHL destinations, we should exhaust all of the options in North America. (109 words)

Task 4 – 2 TPE: I haven’t followed the SHL scene as much as I have the SMJHL scene this season due to my player playing in the SMJHL, so I’ll be talking about who I think the best SMJHL team was to not make the finals. I believe that the Carolina Kraken were the best team to not make the finals in the SMJHL. This is because they had 75 points in the regular season, which put them as the second seed, just 1-point behind the Berserkers. Now, it’s worth mentioning that they were also just three points ahead of the next team, the Anchorage Armada. Neither Carolina nor Anchorage made the finals, but I believe that Carolina was the better team because they had the Berserkers in their conference, who they would have had to play more often. (134 words)

Task 5 – 3 TPE: I am letting everyone know ahead of time that I am biased. I am from Canada in real life, and my player is Canadian, so I’m obviously rooting for Canada, and probably think they are better than they actually are. With that being said, I think the favorites for this IIHF tournament are probably Canada, USA, and Great Britain. No surprise here, as they seem to be some of the most popular choices among users on the site, in terms of where people make their players be from. I would give Canada the edge, as I know their roster a bit better than some of the others, and they look good. Not to mention the fact that they are the defending champions. In terms of surprises, I would say Switzerland or Ireland. I’ve seen some increased popularity among these countries, and I think the could translate to a better team on the ice. (153 words)

Task 16 – 3 TPE: Donut

Matty7478 · 08-31-2020, 04:47 PM

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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?

This season Matthew Forrester took a step back in production - especially in assists - from what was a dominant campaign last season on the second line for the Newfoundland Berserkers. Now, some people may not view that as totally fair, given the fact that this season brought a much more balanced performance for Forrester; last season, Forrester managed the tied-3rd highest assist total in SMJHL history with 38, yet only scored 6 goals himself to match up to that. This season meanwhile, he only assisted 20 goals, but levelled that out with 16 goals of his own. Ultimately, with the way Forrester likes to play his hockey - normally in either the role of a Playmaker or working out of Gretzky's Office - assists are the premium measure of how good he has performed on the season. As such, losing so much performance over this time is somewhat worrying. There are somewhat obvious reasons for this step back however; with the Berserkers even more stacked than they had been the season prior, the competition for ice-time was tough - especially for power play minutes. Last year, Forrester managed 18 points on the power play, compared to only 3 this season. Look for another solid season next year that provides a bounce back to a more dominant time for the enigmatic Playmaker.

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217 words

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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

For this task I will look at it from the position of my current SHL team - that being the Tampa Bay Barracuda. And, to be quite honest, this will be an altogether quite boring expansion draft for the Barracuda; though this is likely something they prefer over potentially losing a lot of talented players at many positions. It was widely discussed throughout the last 2 drafts just how many picks Tampa Bay possessed - and that strategy has proven to have some positives here. For this expansion draft, Tampa Bay has 14 auto-protected players in their farm system, which only serves to make it more clear this expansion draft came at a very solid time. One of these 14 is also a GM of the team currently, which takes away the headache that may have come for other teams with having to protect their GM players. Of course, looking at the list of exposed players that Tampa Bay have, it is not exactly full of tough losses across the board. The majority of these players are inactive, with the only potential question mark being the activity of Frederick Wanesley. In conclusion, this draft likely could not have come at a better time for the Floridians, and as such it will have barely any effect on the future prospects of the team that has so famously tanked in recent years.

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228 words

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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America - become a reality in the SHL?

I think there is no doubt that future expansions may look to bring in more locations outside of the North American region, namely because of the unique situation simulation leagues like the SHL fit into. For the NHL and other such real-life leagues, expansion to places outside of North America is almost impossible largely because of the logistics of when and where games would need to be played. It is a similar situation in the NFL for example, with the non-stop discussions of teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars potentially moving to London - even if this would only be essentially in name for the most part. For the SHL however, we don't have to worry about logistical challenges whatsoever. We can put franchises wherever we would most like to see them and they would be as viable as any location in North America. As such, should the right candidates come forward with a solid non-North American idea, I could definitely see an international franchise coming to the fore at some point in the near future.

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174 words

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4. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

I think it is hard to argue against the notion that the best team in the SHL to miss out on the finals this season is the Edmonton Blizzard. The Blizzard were the only team to match the points total of the dominant Buffalo Stampede, and did so with similar amounts of flair - actually losing less games in the regular season than their compatriots in the opposite conference. However their undoing, just like last season, was a NOLA team that just had too much for them no matter what they tried to counter with. Last season, they were bounced early by NOLA in only 6 games; this season, they may have taken the tie to game 7, but the result sadly for them was still the same. And as such, it is once again back to the drawing board for the Blizzard in their search for a chance to win the Challenge Cup.

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153 words

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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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: verification

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Affiliate PT Welfare, 3 TPE.

PBE PT 20-3

TOTAL TPE: 16

Blues · 08-31-2020, 04:59 PM

Code:
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?

Well, after having such a prolific season in S54, I was a little bit disappointed to see how Rocco performed in S55. By most standards, it was not a bad season. Rocco was able to put up more than half a point per game, but it didn't come anywhere close to last season's 47 point, nearly point per game output. However, I did see an improvement in Rocco's defensive game, as he was able to lead the Knights in shots blocked as a centre. I think I would contribute a little bit of the difference to favourable circumstances last season. We had two world class SMJHL defencemen that probably made our top line a bit luckier. Next season, Rocco will be debuting in the SHL with the Minnesota Chiefs, so I'll look to improve his stats and gun for a Jesster Trophy! I'll look to improve his defensive and offensive IQ and improve his physical attributes, specifically face offs and stamina.

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

This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

I'll write from the perspective of my SHL team, the Minnesota Chiefs, just because I'm not super well versed in what the expansion draft process will be, but I've read some discussions surrounding our team and think I know enough to discuss it. Considering we aren't exactly a powerhouse at the moment, it is unlikely that we'll be hit super hard by the draft. We have a couple of young prospects that are available, like my draft class mate Seppara Borro. Unfortunately, I could see him getting shipped to one of the expansion teams through the draft. However, we have one of the better goal stoppers in the league in Markus Tegernako, so we will just need to find a new backup going forward. In all honesty, I can't see any of our exposed skaters getting chosen in the draft, and my next choice for us to lose would be our other backstopper, Kasperi Braulin. I think this would mean we'd want to search for a next goalie in this draft; but hey, what do I know?

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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)

It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America - become a reality in the SHL?

Personally, I feel like we should keep the SHL domestic for the time being, but that is probably just because I'm a dude from little Southwestern Ontario that likes being able to relate to the teams that he sees on this website. However, I can absolutely understand the appeal of European teams from other perspectives, as the VHL has been doing for a long time. It would give European users the sense of relation that I feel with most of our teams and would probably attract a new demographic to the site, as the European user base could grow because of the expansion.

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6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) The world's hottest app is TikTok - which SHL or SMJHL player would have the biggest following on TikTok? What do they post there?

I think that Mitchell van der Heijden would have a pretty substantial following on TikTok. This player had a lot of experience playing in the SMJHL as an older player, so I'm sure he has a lot of pretty crazy stories and saved videos from his stint in Anchorage. I know he has some weird ones for sure from my time in the SMJHL playing against the Armada, as I've spoken to most of his teammates while on the ice and gotten an idea of what kind of things the guy is into. Furthermore, he's a pretty funny user that is very knowledgeable about current internet trends and memes, so I'm sure he'd be able to relate to the audience on TikTok.

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13. 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.

c. Based on FHM player ratings, New Orleans has higher average ratings in bravery, aggression, and fighting? Will that toughness have any impact on this series?

d. What is your favorite name from a player appearing in this series? Why do you like that player's name?

e. There are several animal names in this series - which of these animals is the coolest? sloth, hippo, otter, monkey, fox, kirby.

3 TPE CLAIMED HERE

c. I think that toughness generally does have an impact on how games go. In this series in particular, I think it will give New Orleans a bit of an edge because it will allow them to wear the Buffalo team down throughout the game. Mental toughness is important in the SHL, and we'll see how Buffalo's mental toughness fares against the physical toughness of this New Orleans team.

d. Personally, I am a big fan of Eko von Otter. I've always thought the Otters were super cute animals, especially in those pictures where they're floating down the river holding hands together. Because of this, I think that Eko has the title of best name and will likely lead his team to namely success.

e. So lets discuss the merits of our candidates here, no? The sloth is a pretty dope animal, but it's pretty damn slow, which knocks it down a couple of pegs in the coolness category. A hippo is enormous and a beautiful sight in nature, but would probably kill you if you came close to it. Otters were discussed above, and are pretty dope. However, I don't think any of them eclipse the godly Kirby. Kirby is too much of a weapon to ever be beat by a normal animal. Therefore, Kirby is the coolest animal.

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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.

merrygoround

*kenvald* · 08-31-2020, 05:27 PM

Code:
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?

About a week before the season was about to start I was demoted to the 2nd line because we acquired an amazing defenseman in Dominic Montgomery. Up until then I had high expectations. With point totals in the high 20s and aspirations to win the rookie of the year award.

Neither of these did or will happen now of course. But I still think I did fairly well. I still saw plenty of ice time. I had hoped to reach 20 points but ended up just short. I at least did good in one personal goal I had set out to win. Which was to have a 1.5+ takeaway to giveaway ratio. And I nailed it with 1.52. So that is a nice result to know that my new build and training worked out.

I did notice that I lost a lot of races for the puck. Which can be attribute to the insane speeds some of the opponent forwards can reach. I do not think I will focus much on speed this season as I have reached a good level. But if I keep losing the puck because I'm slow then something has to be done about it.

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

This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

I'm gonna make it easy for myself and write about the expansion draft from New England Wolfpack's point of view.

New England has had a rough off season so far. We lost out co-GM to an expansion team. We just barely missed the playoffs. And then out head GM was fired. But luckily the team is still optimistic! We sold off a bunch of star players at the end of the previous season. This made it a little easier for me to choose who to protect. We were able to protect almost all of our actives.

I believe that we will lose one forward and one defenseman to expansion teams. But it is hard to say who for each position. Igor Volkov is a potential, as he is our top exposed defenseman that is still active. But Egger could also be taken as an inactive but still reliable body. On the forward side I think either (Clean) Andrei or Rafe Ulrich will be lost. Andrei suddenly turning "inactive" is what put him on the exposed list. And Ulrich is a full inactive but like Egger he is not bad and can easily fit 2nd or 3rd line duties for either expansion team right away.

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5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)

What are your predictions for the upcoming IIHF or WJC tournament? What team do you think will win/surprise people/be bad/etc.?

For IIHF I have to, unfortunately, vote that the US will be in the final game yet again. It is just how it has been and how it will be until more nations can build up their roster to contain all 1000+ TPE players. The USA is pretty much an SHL team at this point. And better than some of them.

If we look at the silver and bronze medals I think Czechia will take the silver. They are a strong team that can make it to the final game without too much trouble. But they have no chance against the USA.

On the bronze side of things I choose to believe in my fellow countrymen and predict that Sweden will take it home. Probably against Canada. Canada is also a very good team. But the huge influx of rookies in the last few seasons have improved team Sweden ten-fold. And as we all keep growing with actives, we are definitely reaching the medal rounds.

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13. 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. Both of these teams have stacked defenses - which team do you think has the defensive advantage in this series?

I'm gonna have to say that the Buffalo Stampede has the better defense in this series. Not only are they better at holding on the the puck in battles against the boards, but their takeaway numbers are also better than New Orleans. For me the final nail in this decision was the shots against. Buffalo has allowed a vastly lower amount of shots against, and also goals against.

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b. In the two regular season matchups, each team won once at home. Do you expect the results to reflect a home ice advantage in this series?

Yes, home ice is very important for both of these teams. I would dare to say that the first team to lose on home ice will also lose the entire series. On the scoreboard they are two extremely even teams. Any edge they can get, be it home ice or bribed referees, will be critical.

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c. Based on FHM player ratings, New Orleans has higher average ratings in bravery, aggression, and fighting? Will that toughness have any impact on this series?

The toughness aspect will only have an affect on the amount of penalty minutes served by New Orleans. Having a tough and physical squad is not necessarily bad. But in today's hockey speed and puck handling is where it is at. And Buffalo is definitely not a team you want to be giving power plays left and right. Because they will take advantage of it.

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d. What is your favorite name from a player appearing in this series? Why do you like that player's name?

My favorite player name is Hippo Passamus on the Buffalo Stampede. I like it because I think it is a very clever name with the play on hippopotamus. The hippo is also an extremely dangerous animal. So putting that in the name in itself warns the opponents to stay away. Or be run over.

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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.

tritritrivia

Tylar · 08-31-2020, 05:39 PM

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?

This season overall was pretty good for Liam Slate. Liam Slate set a goal for himself of about 30 points.This season Liam Slate was able to surpass his goal and scored 34 points this season. Overall Liam Slate was happy with his performance this season given his role this season. Slate was able to perform on the ice and surpass his goal mostly due to his linemates which was Mattias Birdstrom for most of the season and Mats Marner and Guy LeGrande as his centers. The centers allowed Slate to put up some points and play his game. Next season Liam Slate is going to try and be the “guy” on the team rather than a passenger. With many players leaving, Slate will be called upon to be an offensive threat. Along with that Slate will look to improve his defensive game rating which was lower than he would have liked this season. Next season should be a breakout season for Slate as he looks to get close to a point per game pace.
(174 Words)

Quote:5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What are your predictions for the upcoming IIHF or WJC tournament? What team do you think will win/surprise people/be bad/etc.?

My Prediction is that Great Britain will finally get that gold medal they have been after for a while. The Brits have an extremely talented team with some veterans and young players on their squad. Another team I feel with surprise is Japan as they have a lot of good young players that will be making their marks on the IIHF tournament with more training hours like Minamino. Speaking of young players, my World Junior Championship Prediction is that the British Isles team wins the gold medal after winning silver last season. The British Isles have a strong group led by Alexander Roach along with many other players that will help them win. Last season they were not expected to win and surprised many. The team is pretty deep forward wise and they have some good defenseman along with Bloomfield in goal. The British Isles also have really good coaching which helped them last season. In terms of bad teams, I predict Canada will be bad. Canada loses a lot of players to transfers and which means they lack depth. They have lost many players and have trouble retaining them.
(190 Words)

Quote:7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) The two finals teams have decided to team up for a fundraising opportunity to benefit both cities. What noble cause will the teams decide to benefit? What sort of fundraiser will the teams hold together? How will the two teams mesh before the finals start?

The two teams would hold a disaster relief fundraiser. Both areas around Edmonton and New Orleans have been impacted by various natural disasters in the past and present (Hurricane’s Katrina, Laura as well as the Fort McMurray wildfire). The team will hold a street hockey tournament to raise money for relief efforts in both areas as these natural disasters still affect the communities deeply. The tournament will star the two teams battling it out in an exhibition match while community members sign up to participate in the tournament as individuals or teams. The two teams overall get along fairly well, but their competitiveness comes out in the game. There were elbows and slashes thrown. Even though the game was for charity, they took it a bit too seriously. In particular Charlie Serpe and Monkey Luffy got into things a bit. Many of the Stampede’s players felt Serpe was acting out of line for a charity event. Some words were exchanged but they kept it tame esp;ecially for the children. Overall both teams had fun, and money was raised!
(178 Words)

Quote:13. 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. Both of these teams have stacked defenses - which team do you think has the defensive advantage in this series?
I would give New Orleans the edge I think. Their defense is extremely strong led by Kirby and Serpe. The majority of the New Orleans Specter's defense core has won a cup with the team last season and they are experienced at winning. Although, I like the fact Buffalo have a young defense core, but they kind of lack the experience for me to give them an edge. I think the Specters defense core gives them a shot at stopping Buffalo’s high powered offense which will be a key to them taking home the Challenge Cup. (90 Words)

b. In the two regular season matchups, each team won once at home. Do you expect the results to reflect a home ice advantage in this series?
I honestly think it will likely play a large factor. If one team can steal a game away from home they will be in great shape to win the Challenge Cup. I feel like maintaining home ice advantage will be key in this series. Home ice is so important especially in the playoffs. I think the Stampede are going ot end up taking the cup due to this. (68 Words)

c. Based on FHM player ratings, New Orleans has higher average ratings in bravery, aggression, and fighting? Will that toughness have any impact on this series?
I feel like toughness will not play a major factor in this series, if anything it will mean the New Orleans Specters are chasing around the Buffalo Stampede’s highly skilled forwards all game. I feel like the game has grown and Buffalo is that type of fast-paced skilled team the game is moving towards. I think toughness has its place, but it will have a minimal impact on this series in my opinion. (73 Words)

e. There are several animal names in this series - which of these animals is the coolest? sloth, hippo, otter, monkey, fox, kirby.
The coolest animal in this series is the hippopotamus. The Hippo is extremely dangerous and scary which makes it kind of cool. Not only can the Hippo move pretty quick for a massive animal, but it will tear its prey apart. There have been humans attacked by Hippo’s before which would be scary to think about. Overall the Hippo is a pretty cool animal because it stinks and is one of the scariest animals on the planet to be face-to-face with. (81 Words)

Quote:16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.

Dimbi

*leviadan* · 08-31-2020, 05:47 PM

Quote:1. (3 TPE) 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 would say that this season was a step backwards for Burlok, despite performing about the same as last season. With only one more point than in S54, I would have expected a veteran Burlok in his final year to be a little more dominant, even when Detroit as a whole took got weaker. He took on some additional PP and PK responsibility this year which was nice, along with getting some reps on the first line. That being said, he never really found his game and struggled for the majority of the season. Most of the 19 points that he earned were earned in the last ten or so games, with a few multi-point performances.

Sadly this hotness didn't continue into the playoffs, as he finished with only one goal and one assist in four games. Ultimately it was a bit of a disappointing end to an amazing four seasons in Detroit. I would've loved to have a more competitive final series and get a few more games in with the guys I've grown to know so well-- but it was not meant to be. Hopefully I can find my game again maybe be more versatile with more points available to me in S56. I feel like my defensive game was pretty great, so I'd like to develop at least a little bit of a scoring touch so I can help out on the scoreboard sometimes.

Quote:2. (3 TPE) This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

I'm particularly excited about this, as it's the first big league expansion that I'll be around for! My theory is that, right off the bat, it should quantity over quality. I loved the NEW and SEA trade because I think that's a fantastic representation of what these new teams should be looking for in their first moves. Stock up on as many people as you can, and hope they hit.

When it comes to the expansion draft itself, I think that's the tactic too. There will be a handful of big ticket older guys available, but they're not likely to be of much use to you by the time your competitive window opens up. They might be good trade chips to pick up even more quantity, but for me, I'd be looking for the youngest and most active guys-- even if they're lower TPE. S45-49 guys that are ~1500 TPE are going to put up a lot of points for you and maybe win you a few games, but in a few seasons they'll be regressing while your young guys are coming up. Take quantity, and secure a competitive future. Trade wins now for wins future.

Quote:3. (2 TPE) It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America - become a reality in the SHL?

Absolutely! As someone that proposed a flawless concept for a team in Munich, I think it's a great idea! What better reason is there to pull the trigger than to be the world's first trans-continental hockey league? As a league not bound by the laws of reality, we're in a unique position to completely forgo travel time and jet lag! Also, the marketing writes itself! "THE SHOT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD-- LITERALLY." "OCEAN TO OCEAN, COAST TO COAST, POST TO POST." It's too easy. I believe that we can and should have teams in any and every location that can support them. A 200 team global league? Why the hell not. If we have enough talent, let's do it!

Quote:4. (2 TPE) Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

This season, I gotta say Edmonton. They got so red hot towards the end of the year, and it really looked like they were going to be strong contenders. Not to mention, if my memory serves, they loaded up a little bit in the S54 off-season to try and make a strong push this time around. I was a big believer, as I think I put them in my finals bracket against Buffalo! Despite a seven point regular season lead on New Orleans, they just couldn't best them in the playoffs. I guess the veteran experience that New Orleans picked up in their victory last season was enough for them to dig in outlast the Blizzard this time around.

Quote:9. (3 TPE) Design a Challenge Cup championship ring for one of the teams in the finals. (A four-star cup championship ring for the SMJHL is ok as well.)

Quote:16. (3 TPE) Post your verification word in your CW post.

Verfication: barn.

TPE Total: 16/16

[Image: pin1_1.gif?ex=661a1734&is=6607a234&hm=b8...1bf5caed8&]

***Ace*** · 08-31-2020, 05:51 PM

TOTAL TPE: 16

Task 1 – 3 TPE
Well, I’d have to say that this season wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I came into the season as one of, if not the youngest starting goaltender in the Simulation Hockey League. I left the juniors on a high note, securing the Four Star Cup with the Carolina Kraken (who are looking to repeat, good luck CAR!). The SMJHL obviously is a different beast entirely, so I fully expected some level of growing pains, but I was able to put together one hell of a season for a rookie goaltender. I am hopeful to see if the SHL Awards Committee will acknowledge my achievement this season for not just the Jesster Trophy for Rookie of the Year, but maybe even a few words for the goalie of the year. I didn’t finish at the top of the list for wins, but my save percentage, goals against average and total saves were certainly quite elevated and among the league leaders.

Task 2 – 3 TPE
I have the unique benefit of working closely with Hotdog behind the scenes for quite a while now. His work ethic is unparalleled, and his intelligence is off the charts. I don’t know Tig well, but if Hotdog is who he is going to be eternally compared with for his performance as an Expansion GM, I wish you the best of luck sir.

I’d put my money on Hotdog being incredibly strategic regarding young assets for the Atlanta based SHL franchise. The Inferno will need a solid foundation for the sparks to take before the burn really gets going. I’d expect him to potentially even mortgage some future draft capital to move into this draft more to add some big names in the draft.

He’s also one heck of a guy that is pretty widely liked. It wouldn’t surprise me, that despite their unlikeliness to contend, if he can bring in a big fish in free agency.

Task 3 – 2 TPE
From my arguments about this and disagreements in rather public forums, I may be in the minority in this opinion. I believe that one of the biggest aspects of the SHL that is widely appealing is our emulation of the National Hockey League. I think that ensuring that our model follows that as closely as possible appeals to the average hockey fan more than some complete hockey fantasy world that does things as they please.
Keep all the teams in North America. Let there be another Sim League that is in Europe or Asia. That seems like a VHL type thing anyways.

ask 6 – 2 TPE
Tik Tok, despite nearing the end of its life thanks to our Glorious Orange Overlord, has been quickly mastered by Meme Lord Mike Izzy. In his retirement, he has adopted some sort of hybrid role between Don Cherry and Guy Fieri. He loves to post videos on fights and big hits, loves to remind us that he leads the league in all time hits, but also post some weird cooking shows called #Delicious and 90% of the time the food that he’s actually cooking is not, well, delicious looking. It seems to work for him though, and I think he’s probably bringing in more money than when he was playing the game.

Task 13c – 1 TPE
I don’t think those will play a role unless New Orleans can find a way to break the sim engine a la Steelhawks. It may open a bit of space up for their forwards, but I don’t see Buffalo’s stalwart defense allowing too many opportunities against their young netminder. Buffalo in 6.

Task 13d – 1 TPE
Eko van Otter is my favorite. I think of some Dutch dude that would be wearing like some military officers uniform and a big porcelain tobacco pipe, but then it contorts into an otter wearing that whole outfit. Just floating down the river puffing on a pipe. That’d be so friggin sweet.

Task 13e – 1 TPE
Coolest is a difficult way to judge these animals. They’re all cool in their own individual way, except for Kirby which isn’t an animal whatsoever. In fact, his name is Kirkby, and rather than an animal, he’s actually just a really angry drunk dude. So definitely not that guy. I guess maybe the sloth dude. He just doesn’t give a frig.

Task 16 – Form Filled Out – 3 TPE

Tate · 08-31-2020, 06:16 PM

Code:
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?

Here we are with another season in the bag and another disappointment to talk about. It’s starting to get old now, and a hobby I’ve spent over a year trying to be good at is not seeming to work out for me. I had high hopes that the Panthers would be able to continue their run of success but for some reason, management thought otherwise. We saw Panthers leave in a blockbuster deal to Edmonton, and we saw discontent in the locker room force out another. Now, we’ve been promised a turnaround this upcoming year and I can only hope that will be true. As for me? I was less than stellar, and it’s really frustrating to me that I am not an elite goaltender in this league. I’ve done what I can to be a good teammate and listen to management but I figure it’s time to go a bit rogue and start building that way I want to, because so far I’ve been listening to advice and it hasn’t paid off.

173 words

Code:
2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

Personally, I am really excited for the offseason, and not just because it gives me a chance to add much more TPE to my player, but I also get a front row seat to the expansion draft. Anytime expansion teams are added to a league, it means the league is doing well, and that’s a great thing. I must admit I was very surprised to see the list of some of the players that were left unprotected, and I think we have a situation here where the expansion teams are going to start off fairly well. The first team that selects Cain is going to benefit huge from having him on the team, as well as Nolan McMahon. I’ve always been a big believer in goaltending and think you must build from the net out, so whichever team uses that as their strategy in my opinion has the right idea in mind. I do wonder about some of the trades that will go down, but I’ll have to wait for those. Either way, I’m excited to see what happens!

179 words

Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What are your predictions for the upcoming IIHF or WJC tournament? What team do you think will win/surprise people/be bad/etc.?

I must admit it when I say I don’t follow the World Junior tournaments that much, nor do I follow the prospects as well as I should that are in the junior league. That was a big deal for me when I was there but once I moved up to the SHL, I sort of left junior behind. However, I am involved every season in the IIHF tournaments and the past few seasons I’ve won a couple of medals- a silver and a bronze. So, I’ve taken home two of three, and there is only one more left that I need to win to have won them all, and that’s gold. I happen to be a part of one of the best IIHF teams in Czechia and I’m so glad I am. Not only do they have a wonderful locker room, but we have a well-balanced team that has great offense, defense, and cough cough- goaltending. I predict that Czechia will win it all this year and finally claim the gold medal we deserve.

175 words

Code:
3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America -
become a reality in the SHL?

I love this suggestion and I one hundred percent believe it would be the right move. I am currently a part of different sim leagues and in one of them in particular we have teams from all over the world. I think it goes a long way in creating different and unique brands, as well as it really helps drum up some ideas for storytelling. Not to mention we have a userbase that is literally from all over the world and sometimes playing for your home country can really add an incentive to the game. I think it would do a lot to boost engagement and it should be considered next go around for expansion.

115 words

Code:
6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) The world's hottest app is TikTok - which SHL or SMJHL player would have the biggest following on TikTok? What do they post there?

While I hate to make the following suggestion, I can’t help but believe it’s true. In my opinion we have a ton of different users who would have a huge following on the app TikTok, but I can see one user in my mind creating a huge following that wouldn’t make sense to most people and that’s Fitted. I am not a fan of the content that Fitted creates on this site and to be honest, I think we’re worse off because of it. But for whatever reason unknown to me, he has a huge following. People seem to find his stuff funny and or comment on it a lot and he has a way of grabbing viewers. This is what you need to be successful on TikTok and I know he’d be at the top of the list for content creators if he was one.

146 words

Code:
7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) The two finals teams have decided to team up for a fundraising opportunity to benefit both cities. What noble cause will the teams decide to benefit? What sort of fundraiser will the teams hold together? How will the two teams mesh before the finals start?

Because of their backgrounds and city locations I’m going to choose two different fundraising events for each of the teams that are in the finals. With respect to New Orleans, I can’t help but think of the current issue we’re facing within our society in Black Lives Matter. So, the Specters are going to take front and center on helping black people spread awareness about the discrimination they face in their daily lives and help find a solution to making their lives easier and more peaceful. When it comes to the Buffalo Stampede, I’d like for them to hold a fundraiser benefitting animals in need. This could be for any of the animal charities that exist but also to help bring awareness toward animal abuse and how to help stop it. I’ve grown up with animals my whole life and have a soft spot for them in my heart, and I think the brand of the Stampede sends a powerful message as to how important it is that we keep animals in our lives and a part of our world.

180 words

= 16 TPE

***Rotti*** · 08-31-2020, 06:21 PM

1. 3 TPE
I had a terrible season on the ice this year. Don't really know what happened, but after scoring 45 points on the best line in the J last season, I really took a step back. Its funny, because I somehow ended up better as a 350 than I was at a 425. I think it really comes down to having a rough start out of the gate, and that got our whole 1st line a little off kilter. We turned it up big time in the second half, but it would've been nice to finish off our time together with a stellar season filled with goals and assists, just didn't end up that way. My goal is to always hit a point per game, and even though I haven't done that yet, I think I might be able to do so next season. Who knows, just have to stay positive and look forward.
2. 6 TPE
This expansion draft is going to be wild. I think a lot of teams are hoping for the best and expecting the worst, and I genuinely can't place how the draft will go. There are so many good defenseman in the draft, but not very many forwards, just because of how the protections ended up. Teams like Chicago could get completely drained of their Defensive corps, or they could end up having no one taken at all. I'm excited to see how Tig and Hotdog work this out, and I'm sure we'll see a lot of unexpected picks in the first few rounds. Will they go for unprotected S53'ers? or for vets to try and compete right away? There's so many angles to take and I don't know which one each GM will take. I hope this opens up some spots for younger players in the minors, as it seems we're getting full in the big leagues with all these high earning TPE players.
5. 9 TPE
I think Canada is going to repeat as IIHF gold winners. Its just as simple as having the best team, the best fed heads, and the best coaches in the game. We're seeing some new blood get called up to the big tourney, and after waiting as long as some of us have to before we make our debuts for the team Canada, I think there's going to be a fire under the new guys. I think team Germany is a dark horse to make a run in the tournament, as their fedhead seems to be pretty good at strats in FHM, and the German hockey program has been growing a lot lately in terms of players and TPE growth alike. This could be one of the most competitive tournaments yet, and I'm excited to see how it all shakes out. My final prediction is Canada beating the United States in the gold medal game, with Germany winning Bronze.
13. 13 TPE
a. I would give the edge to New Orleans in terms of defense this series. Rex Kirkby is obviously the leader of the Specters defensive core, and he's an absolute stud for them. Thats not to say Buffalo are slouches, just that Kirkby and the ghost boys are the better pure defensive corps.
b. This will be a barn burner series, and that is in large part due to each team's barn. Both team's fans are notably loud and passionate, and its gonna be tough for either team to get their feet under them while traveling with how notoriously wild these two fanbases get. It'll be quite the atmosphere no matter which house they're in.
d. Gotta be Rex Kirkby. Guy is unreal on the ice, and on top of that, his first name literally means king. Imagine getting flattened on the ice after picking up the puck on the breakout and that guy is standing over you? No thanks. Another good name is Monkey D. Luffy. Even though his name is kinda goofy, he's disgusting on the puck and makes the other team look very silly more often than not.
e. Hippo all the way for coolest animal name. Hippo Passamus is a great play on words, and the saucy mits this guy has shown off this season makes his surname very fitting. He's going to be a big key for Buffalo this series, distributing the puck on either side to Kholin and Luffy. I'm excited to watch a line like this play in the finals, as it'll be a true test of just how good they really are.

16. givetpe 16 TPE

*Fluw* · 08-31-2020, 06:41 PM

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?

This season I personally feel like my player did exactly as I expected him to. Now this is different from what I had hoped for my player as I was aiming closer to a point per game which obviously didn't happen but I guess 35 points in 50 games is respectable. I had a really slow and not so good start to he season i would say the first 15 games or so and then the remainder I managed to start playing at a point per game level which had me excited for a strong finish but of course I can't have nice things. With 10-15 games left in the season my players hunger vanished and he went back to the start of season totals barely managing to make the score sheet which really blows and I blame my defensive stats for that. I personally feel correcting the defensive issues my player has will help get close to playing better on the ice , which in turn means putting up more points and assists and hopefully leading Colorado to a four start cup.

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.

apples

5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What are your predictions for the upcoming IIHF or WJC tournament? What team do you think will win/surprise people/be bad/etc.?

My prediction is for the WJC as I am not quite ready for the IIHF on my player frankly. I personally feel that this year the gold belongs to team Canada, and yeah we had a sad exit last season I truly feel that this time around we have it in the bag. My player is coming off a career season in the SMJHL and if going a point per game in the WJC last year comes around again all I can say is watch out. In the IIHF again, I think Canada takes gold but here I have bold predicition, Japan will either take silver or bronze. I honestly think they will surprise people, being my former team on my former player I really do think they have something there to upset any team who doesnt take them seriously and I am serious with this prediciton, they will end up, upsetting a large number of teams this IIHF

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

With the expansion draft happening this coming year I honestly feel both expansion teams will not be bottom of the league after the draft. No offense, I just think those titles belong to Tampa Bay , Toronto and San Francisco. Bold prediction but I think both expansion teams end up with an amazing pool of players and will make the playoffs in their inaugural year. Now will they win a series probably not, but anything can happen when it comes to hockey. I do really have a strong feeling a lot of people will sleep on both Atlanta and Seattle and when they do , that is when both teams will strike. I would also love to see a little bit of a rivalry develop between the two expansion teams, first starting in the draft by taking eachothers players and years down the line in the SHL finals , east vs west,now that is something I would pay to watch.

13. 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.
b. In the two regular season matchups, each team won once at home. Do you expect the results to reflect a home ice advantage in this series?

I personally think whoever holds home ice advantage will win the series. Now is home ice the breaking point? Not really, but history I think does show that home ice advantage means something and it will mean something in this series based off the limited sample size we have of the regular season between these two teams.

c. Based on FHM player ratings, New Orleans has higher average ratings in bravery, aggression, and fighting? Will that toughness have any impact on this series?

Personally speaking yeah I do think that the Spectres have the advantage with the toughness they carry. I fully excect Buffalo to get bullied in the Finals and will be presently surprised if im wrong. The only issue that might pop up is that New Orleans could take a few extra penalties because of their toughness which could backfire their whole strategy.

d. What is your favorite name from a player appearing in this series? Why do you like that player's name?

Ekko Van Otter. He is legit an otter what more can one want from that? I personally think that if you name yourself after an animal you are automatically in my good books, and I want you to succeed suggest as my otter bro over here. I also think that his name secretly contributes to his performance on the ice.

e. There are several animal names in this series - which of these animals is the coolest? sloth, hippo, otter, monkey, fox, kirby.

Normally I would say Fox, because its a canid but I will go with Otter because I wrote a book report on otters once in Elementary school some 21 years ago and personally thought they were such a cool animal and I really did love them. Had a book about them and all so my vote goes to the Otter.

TheHockeyist · 08-31-2020, 08:40 PM

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?

Igor did better than expected, and is satisfied with his performance. Although he lags behind in terms of skills, he expects to remain an important part of his team in the future. Despite his performance, he has become more hated as a player due to his rather aggressive personality. As for player goals, Igor just focuses on self-improvement. A somewhat late bloomer and low in his draft class, Igor still tries to train and improve over time. Igor attributes his success to having a raging fury for most other teams in the league. Surprisingly this doesn't usually translate well to on-ice performance except in rare and obvious cases. As for next season, Igor is unsure what to make of it. He hopes to not get traded, and has stated that he will retire effective immediately should it be the case. He doesn't know if he will even be playing next season. He will find out in a few days.

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

The expansion draft is expected to be interesting, both for Seattle and for Atlanta. Seattle is expected to get players, and Atlanta is expected to get players. Which players will get moved to which teams however remains a mystery. It is expected that half of the players will get moved to Seattle and half will get moved to Atlanta. After that, players will complain and get moved around, retire, or willingly die in protest. The result will be the worst and bloodiest expansion draft in history, as the ice will contain more red than white. Police will be called to the site, the incident will make international news, and the entire thing will go down in history as the worst expansion draft ever. This is an indisputable fact. The problem will only get worse as the league expands. Seattle and Atlanta will regret the entire thing and immediately fold, not wanting to be associated with this horrible event.

3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America - become a reality in the SHL?

Earth is the worst planet to expand to. I will say this again. We need an expansion team on Mars. Mars is the only other planet that could support an entire league. The rules may need to be different, but it will become a reality within 5 years. If it is not, the Martian Federation of Hockey is expected to make plans for a second attempt at an invasion of HO's headquarters. What could possibly go wrong with a hockey team on Mars? Absolutely nothing. Earth's inhabitants don't get accused of planetary bias. Mars's inhabitants are happy. What could possibly go wrong?

4. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

New England. Arguably we had the best shot at it only to lose it to the Rage and Syndicate. Whether this was bad luck or not is unknown. Nonetheless, we came extremely close to being a respected team for making the playoffs only to lose it. This was slightly expected for us. Whether we deserved a loss or not, one thing is clear. The Wolfpack will be back and even better next season. We might even make the playoffs. Take that, everyone else. One day we'll make the playoffs. I may never win a Cup, but heck, we'll make the playoffs. Someday.

I am too ignorant in the rest of the topics. I'm also depressed again, so I'll submit this.

ByrdeMan · 08-31-2020, 08:49 PM

Task 1:

Coming into this season Okabe didn’t really expect much. He knew he’d play on the third line with old line mate Fish. However there was much uncertainty with who will back him up on the right side, as rumours swirled about a potential trade. Besides all of that Okabe had a pretty stand out year to say the least. Notching some very important clutch goals and coming in hot whenever the first line didn’t perform. Okabe definitely excelled for what was expected of him. He can definitely attribute his success to fish and his other star line mates. There is also success found in his training rituals. Okabe hopes next season with his new abilities he can fight for the covenant 2nd line. There is definitely doubts it will happen but however he feels like he’ll perform because of the chemistry that his championship caliber team has. Okabe cannot wait to see what the future holds.
[160 Words]

Task 2:

I think the expansion draft will play out fantastic for both expansion teams. Looking over the unprotected list there are some beauties up for grabs and even some generational talent on a lot of the SHL teams. Some GMs went with putting some controversial characters on the block but hopefully the GMs see through this tactic and pick the best available player anyways. The expansion draft will set up both teams great, however it’ll take a few seasons before they become true contenders. I predict a great run for both teams once they figure out how they will go about drafting new guys and home growing them to their liking. As a person who’s been in this league I am always optimistic about adding new teams and I for one and super excited to see how fast both GMs can build their teams to become cup champions. Only the future will tell what happens though.
[155 Words]

Task 3:

I feel like it’s really dependant on what style of league the head office wants to build. I’m sort of stuck in the middle where I would like to see teams in different continents but also wouldn’t hate the fact if the league decides not to go that route.
The reasoning why I would like too see teams in different continents is because it would attract members from those continents better as well as give them a team to cheer for if a team their on is eliminated. The reason why I can see the league deciding against this however is maybe they want to keep the immersion factor and realism in play. It’s unrealistic schedule wise if a team were in, per say, Finland for a team to play there one night then in California two nights later. Time zones and flight times won’t really make sense, which sort of eliminates that realism that the league currently sort of has right now.
[163 Words]

Task 16:
Vacuum

Mavfatha · 08-31-2020, 09:20 PM

1. Considering that I'm starting to get up into my heavier regression years and only have a few more seasons in these old legs, I was really happy with my performance on the ice this season. I managed to hit league milestones for Goals, Assists, Special Points, and Hits, all of which indicates to me that I am still contributing at the level I would like to in terms of helping my team win. It's a little strange being the old man on such a young Texas squad, but it was nice being able to serve in something of a leadership role with them and have some friendly competition with the very similar playing style Kvalheim. He's obviously a superstar so I can't quite keep up with him but I've heard from many around the league that the two of us helped many an SHL fantasy team this season thanks to our consistency on offense and in getting hits that few forwards can match.

2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
This offseason will be extra exciting, as it features the rare expansion draft! Write about how you think the expansion draft will play out, either for one or both of the expansion teams or from an SHL team's perspective.

Honestly the biggest things that stands out to me about the exposed players making up the expansion draft pool is how many former greats now somewhat on the backside of their careers are available for the expansion teams to pick up. I could easily see at least one team trying to snag a bunch of these folks and compete for a title in season one, especially if they have the league-wide presence to snag a few FA's for real after the draft as well. Maybe I'm using the term greats loosely since it includes myself as well, but me, Piotr, Mike Izzy, Otis B. Driftwood, DeMaricus Smyth, Aleister Cain, Jon Toner, Tor Tuck, and Joe K all stand out to me just from the list of available players in the West. I'm not a GM so I haven't talked to everyone about their future plans or if they'd even be willing to sign with said expansion team when it came to it, but I consider this a strategy worth exploring.

13. 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.
b. In the two regular season matchups, each team won once at home. Do you expect the results to reflect a home ice advantage in this series?

I do think this question is somewhat flawed, as we really can't definitively say anything based on two regular season games. However, in general I am a big proponent of home field/home ice advantage, mostly because of a book I read that detailed that it does in fact exist, though often only because the referees (or whatever they are called for a particular sport) have significantly different behaviors towards the home and away teams.

c. Based on FHM player ratings, New Orleans has higher average ratings in bravery, aggression, and fighting? Will that toughness have any impact on this series?

From what I actually know about FHM, all of those things have a negligible impact at best and might actually be harmful to the team. Still, I love me a goon squad so I'll just go ahead and say I expect for it to help New Orleans in being so intimidating that Buffalo doesn't even wanna take the ice.

d. What is your favorite name from a player appearing in this series? Why do you like that player's name?

So this one is gonna be completely out of character, but Cassius Darrow is easily the coolest name of any player in the series. It's based on a fantastic book series by Pierce Brown that begins with Red Rising as the first of 5 books so far. Anyways Cassius and I bonded in the German discord over the name so he gets mad props.

e. There are several animal names in this series - which of these animals is the coolest? sloth, hippo, otter, monkey, fox, kirby.

Um I'm slightly flabbergasted by the use of kirby as an animal here but sure let's roll with it. I love that little pink fluff ball from my time playing super smash bros., as you could just suck up your opponents and jump off the cliff with them still in your mouth, and try to send them to their deaths while you gently floated back to the stage.

16. Trivia Verification word: Anthropomorphism

PBE PT

Snoopdogg · 08-31-2020, 11:27 PM

Code:
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?

This being my 3rd SMJHL season now where I've previously posted 11 and 22 points respectively in my first two seasons, I would not need much more to make a successful one. But I did, nearly doubled my offensive production again in my third year collecting 41 points. A contributing factor to my success was the added responsibility given to me to run and operate the Kelowna powerplay. The added ice time did not go to waste as I managed to collect 16 powerplay points after spending the majority of the season under two minutes of powerplay time per game. Eventually management noticed my fine play and bumped me to the first wave and never looked back. Better known for my offensive talents, next season I am contemplating whether or not to refine my defensive game and become a more reliable two way player as many line mates will be either graduating to the shl or retiring all together. making me the go to guy to lean on game in game out in all aspects of the game.

Code:
3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America -
become a reality in the SHL?

I for one am totally against it, only because I am a traditionalist and like things being the way they are. But, I am also a realist, and recognize the influx of over seas users joining our community and contributing to its success on virtually a daily basis. By adding more foreign teams to our league will only help add to our exposure and broaden our avenues to keep growing our league and community of active SHL users. I would not mind so much if we even had an all European division one day, imagine travelling to Italy, Spain, England or Portugal for a hockey game!

Code:
4. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

Call me a homer but prove me otherwise. In my humble opinion, I think the best SHL team to not make the cut to the finals is by far the Edmonton Blizzard. Only team to not have double digits in the loss coulum, top offense league wide with a pretty stingy defense to boot. A roster consisting of two thirty plus goal scorers and two twenty plus goal scorers. making some big time moves in the offseason before the start of the current season should've paid off, but actually found themselves losing in a game seven with under four minutes to play on a breakaway goal of a conference final.

Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What are your predictions for the upcoming IIHF or WJC tournament? What team do you think will win/surprise people/be bad/etc.?

Since I have yet to play a single game of IIHF tournament, I am selecting the WJC tournament to make some predictions. With a Gold showing just two tournaments ago and a silver the year before that one, last years S54 miserable showing has to be an anomaly. Team canada is just too great and too talented that even in a worse case scenario winning a Bronze would be a huge disappointment to the country let alone the individual players taking part in this event. This years squad will have some intriguing personnel to work with and an abundance of talent. Let alone the fact that a majority are returning veterans with 425 builds and up and comers with 350 builds. Myself Laforest along with fellow Knights teammate Scott, and Canadian born players like Sutton and Legrande will be expected to have a lethal powerplay to carry us to a gold win and forget the disaster ending to the S54 WJC.

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7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) The two finals teams have decided to team up for a fundraising opportunity to benefit both cities. What noble cause will the teams decide to benefit? What sort of fundraiser will the teams hold together? How will the two teams mesh before the finals start?

In order for this fundraiser to thrive for cities involved, they will meet half way from each others city. Seeing it is about an eight hour flight from Buffalo to New Orleans, the middle ground agreed upon will be the city of Bowling Green Kentucky. The two teams along with the city of Bowling Green will have a fundraiser to benefit children hospitals. Together they will throw a mega outdoor party that will last for 24 hours. Live bands playing classic rockn'roll music with some special guests not yet determined. All donations and proceeds coming out of this 24 hour festival will be matched two to one by each city and given to a children's hospital of choice by the winning team. After drinking and singing for 24 hours together, the meshing of this fraternity we call SHL will be smooth and natural, buddies, friends with respect until puck drops. Yes the fundraiser will be 3 days in advance in order to let the players sober up and get back to business.

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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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: Snoop

**Lime** · 09-01-2020, 02:55 AM

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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 did very well for a lot of this season. Then I didn't score a point for 10 games. So that sucked. I did better than I had in previous seasons, but I fell short of my potential which is disappointing. I have been doing well in the playoffs so far however. Next season I will be called up to Buffalo, to team up with Alexander Roach and Jaska Seppala, assuming we are on the same line. My hope is to just feed the goal scoring machine that is Seppala. He had a down season, but I know he will be back and become one of the leading goal scorers in the league in his prime. My passes had been on point, considering my 2nd highest OGR of 72 in the regular season. So I think what I need to work on his my shooting. As a playmaker, sometime the right play is to take the shot, but an abysmal 6% shooting leaves me as a liability.

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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) 

It's too late for this go-around of expansion, so hypothetically - should there be SHL franchises in other continents? I saw some interesting European proposals in the PT. Should these - or proposals for any other continent that's not North America - 

become a reality in the SHL?

There should absolutely be teams on other continents. I think Montreal is a big elephant in the room, but once that is out of the way we should be seeing teams in London, Paris, Stockholm, Berlin, wherever. The DSFL already has the London Royals and Tijuana Luchadores. There's no reason we can't put a franchise where we want when there's no actual travel constraints. There would be more opportunities for creativity, and more inclusion for members of the site in other countries. Hockey is big in Russia, why not put something there? Perhaps Andrei will find Sergei if only we would expand to Russia? Forget the Cleveland Cleans, we can have the Moscow Cleans.

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4. 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 to not reach the SMJHL finals is the Anchorage Armada. The Armada were spooky as hell in the regular season, third in points and third in Goals For. Their top line had the league best corsi rel% which everyone knows means they should be unbeatable. But most importantly, they posted the lowest Goals Against of any team with a disgusting 89. We in Newfoundland were dreading the possibility of facing the brick wall that was Scoochie Stratton. Fortunately for us, he crumbled in the playoffs and we only have to deal with a scary Kelowna team or a Cinderella monster in Maine.

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6. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.) The world's hottest app is TikTok - which SHL or SMJHL player would have the biggest following on TikTok? What do they post there?

I think I, Steve Harrington, would have the biggest following. I would have a lot of fans of Stranger Things that would follow me for any bit of knowledge about the series. Then I would have an entire other fanbase from hockey that would follow me. I would probably post videos of the boys losing at fall guys, or following Andrei around and just recording the things he does. When I make the jump to SHL there will be no doubt that I am the most popular hockey player in the world. And I will have the skills to pay the bills.

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13. 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. Both of these teams have stacked defenses - which team do you think has the defensive advantage in this series?

Is this a meme prompt? Cassius Darrow and Alexander Selich are both around 2k TPE. Poopity Scoop almost 1900. Combo'd with 1400 WANG20 and backed up by 1200 Owens and Vanderberg.
Their counterparts? A washed up Kirkby is their star going up against Scoop at 1900. Odelein III and Claude have 300 less TPE each than Selich and Darrow. Their bottom 3? Old man Smyth who can get knocked out by WANG. Then TPE devoid Johnson and Serpe is just a joke.

c. Based on FHM player ratings, New Orleans has higher average ratings in bravery, aggression, and fighting? Will that toughness have any impact on this series?

Yes, New Orleans will regret spending all their TPE on playing goon squad instead of scoring. The toughness comes from not resorting to cheap tricks to win, and banging out wins the old fashioned way - with style and skill. I expect Buffalo to take advantage on the power plays the will inevitably be on.

d. What is your favorite name from a player appearing in this series? Why do you like that player's name?

The best name in the series is easily from Buffalo. Hippo Passamus, Poopity Scoop, and Eko van Otter are great names. But I think my favorite would have to be Hippo Passamus. It's a great play on words that also describes exactly the type of player he is. The hippo does pass.

e. There are several animal names in this series - which of these animals is the coolest? sloth, hippo, otter, monkey, fox, kirby.

I have like 32 Otter emojis so I'm gonna go with otter. I play for the Orange County Otters in ISFL which is great. Otters in general have a lot of great media presence. You don't really see hippos, monkeys, or foxes doing much. Sloths are overdone and not really the type of animal you want playing hockey. Is Kirby its name or species? I guess I like playing Kirby in smash so that gives him some credit.

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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.

Lime

Total: 16

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