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?

Aron Hernadivic fell a little bit short of personal expectations this season, with his stats across the board taking a dip compared to the season prior. Much of this can be attributed to the preseason acquisition of Joe Kurzcewski, a wily veteran whose best days are behind him. The downgrade from Nicolaj Muller, who put up a 40 point season on the wing across from Hernadivic in S54, to Joe, who Aron had to establish chemistry with, led to poor results for Buffalo's third line, and played a part into Buffalo's acquisition of Eko Van Otter, which allowed Viktor Marius to slide down onto the third line. Marius helped reignite the third line's spark, allowing Hernadivic to flourish like the season prior. Although this season was a disappointment personally, Hernadivic is a true team first player, and Buffalo has made their first cup run with Hernadivic this season. A win over the Specters in the finals is the ultimate goal, and is the only thing Aron truly cares about. (169 words, +3)

Quote: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?

No, no team should be in Europe until the potential markets in North America are all saturated. Look at the number of available elite hockey destinations still available for future SHL and SMJHL teams - Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, Kansas City, Saskatoon, etc. Until North America is over saturated with SHL teams, we should keep the teams within N.America to provide more realism. Expanding into Europe isn't an awful idea, but we would need to expand 3-4 teams to Europe in order to ensure they have their own division. If its only 1-2 teams, they would have trouble attracting free agents due to the extensive travel theyd have to endure. (110 words, +2)

Quote: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?

As much as I'd love to put Hamilton or Chicago in this spot, the only answer for this is the team that tied wth the President's Trophy winning Buffalo Stampede - the Edmonton Blizzard. Edmonton had some dismal performances upon going up 3-2 over New Orleans in the Western Conference final, blowing this lead and losing late in Game 7 to the Specters. The Blizzard were dominant in the regular season, only losing out on the President's Trophy because Buffalo had a superior goal differential. This was an all-in season from the Blizzard, and they only have a Western Conference Finals appearance for their gamble. With Theo Morgan rumoured to be heading out of town, and Bo Kane heading to free agency, the Blizzard could look drastically different next season. (129 words, +2)

Quote: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 its a no brainer that Buffalo would be the most popular team on tiktok, 1. their on-ice success attracts all the bandwagoner fans, which is helped due to their elite logo and branding. Additionally, Buffalo is home to super stud defenceman Augustus Wang, and the man with all the hair, Steve Harrington. These two would be a hit with all the young folk on tiktok, and would be competing with one another for the biggest tiktok following. As each of these players, especially Harrington, are both young and hip and hot they would be super popular. Wang would be wise to use tiktok to further the potential of his weed brand. (113 words, +2)

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?
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?
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.

a. As the series showed, Buffalo was one of the most complete teams in recent SHL history, dominating each team they played on their way to the Challenge Cup. The only bright spot for New Orleans was the play of Alestair Cain, who singlehandedly prevented his team from getting blown out. Buffalo's ability to suppress NOLA's offence to the tune of about only 25 shots a game showed Buffalo's defence was way superior. (72)
b. As the series went along, with Buffalo winning their first two on home ice, followed by NOLA winning the next two on their own ice, home ice advantage mattered. As each team lost a game on home ice, Buffalo having line matching combos in Game 7 due to being President's Trophy winners, ended up mattering as the Stampede won the series on their home ice. (65)
c. Toughness did have a play, as NOLA played by far their best game of the series in Game 7 when they focused on a more physical brand of hockey, trying to aggressively forecheck the Stampede into oblivion. This however ended up wearing the Specters down themselves, as they couldn't keep up with the Stampede and captain Monkey D Luffy in overtime.(61)
d. The coolest animal was none of those mentioned above, it is actually Aron "Fish" Hernadivic. Fish, as seen through his Wang's Kush sponsorship, is one of the best dressed users on the site, wearing only the coolest, sickest clothes, and driving the coolest, sickest cars. Pretty fly shit from a fish. This snub shall not be forgotten. (Monkey D Luffy also cool for scoring the Cup winning goal). (68)
(+4)

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.

Word: pls, +3