#1 - For myself, this season in juniors with the Raptors was a vast improvement over my rookie year. The coaching staff put faith in me by making me a full time starter on the back end while also getting some power play time. I went from putting up 0 goals and 4 points overall to scoring 7 goals to go along with 13 assists for a total of 20 points to help the Raptors get a bye in the first round of the playoffs. What was even nicer is I got to participate in my first playoffs and not sit in the press box. While it was not the results we had hoped for, it was nice to score my first ever playoff goal. Overall, this was a great season for myself personally and a good building block for the future as I begin to take a larger role with the Raptors and be a key piece over the next few seasons. (161) (3TPE)


#2 - Expansion will be interesting in terms of how it shapes the league. Both new teams will add a level excitement for themselves but also to show how much depth some of the teams already in the league have as they are due to lose some top end talent. I think it is obvious that Cassius Darrow will be the first player taken in expansion and rightfully so. Darrow is one of the hardest working players in the league, scoring 16 goals and putting up over 40 points, showcasing why he is one of the best blueliners in the league. Expansion will also be the vehicle for Darrow to get the large contract he desires. The other interesting decision will be where Oliver Cleary gets picked. He has made it clear that he will be testing the free agent waters but he still as to be picked as he is arguably the second best player in expansion. The question is how soon do you take him and roll the dice. It will be interesting to see how that, and everything else plays out in expansion. (184) (3TPE)

#3 - I do not feel like there should be overseas teams in the SHL for a few reasons. The biggest reason is the travel time. How do the schedule makers make overseas trips work so that guys aren't gassed when coming back and have to recharge to be good to go again. You do not want to appease those that want to make an overseas team and the expense of the quality of hockey the SHL is known for. The second biggest reason to not have this type of expansion is the lack of money overall those teams will bring in, in comparison to North American teams. Due to timezone differences, not a lot of eyeballs will be watching those euro teams which means less revenue being brought it and anything that hurts the bottom line is not a risk the SHL should take. (143) (2TPE)

#4 - The best team to not make the finals in the SHL are the Manhattan Rage. The Rage finished with the 2nd best record in the very tough Eastern Conference and had a 17 game point streak. If you look at what happened with the Rage and why they didn't make it further in the S55 Playoffs, it has a lot to do with bad timing. Ola Wagstrom got suspended initially for 10 games (reduced to 3) and it definitely made the difference as the Rage had to go deeper down the bench and give time to guys who aren't used to playing those types of minutes. I believe that if Wagstrom had been allowed to play, the Rage would be getting geared up for game 1 of the Challenge Cup. (130) (2tpe)

#7 - If the rest of the sports world has shown us, its that when there is a root evil that needs to be taken care, heated rivals can band together and unite for an important cause or issue. It is about high time that the hockey world does the same in helping support and highlight the Black Lives Matter movement. In a world where cops are killing innocent black men and women, something needs to be done. Having both teams in this final unite to support their cities is a good use of their platform. Both teams will be donating to bail funds to help those who are protesting as well as other groups helping keep the BLM movement going. This is a good cause and I believe both teams will be able to leave the hatred and intensity on the ice, to harbor peace and unity off of it for the greater good of the world. (156) (3TPE)


CW #16 - Trivia (3TPE): Rage

Total: 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 16TPE